Using Instability of a Non-stoichiometric Mixed Oxide Oxygen Evolution Catalyst As a Tool to Improve Its Electrocatalytic Performance
| Autor: | Alan Savan, Andrea Maria Mingers, Olga Kasian, Alfred Ludwig, Maximilian Schalenbach, Simon Geiger, Karl Johann Jakob Mayrhofer, Serhiy Cherevko |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Electrolysis
Chemistry Inorganic chemistry Oxygen evolution 02 engineering and technology Overpotential 010402 general chemistry 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Electrocatalyst 01 natural sciences 0104 chemical sciences law.invention Catalysis law Electrochemistry Water splitting Mixed oxide ddc:530 0210 nano-technology Dissolution |
| Zdroj: | Electrocatalysis 9(2), 139-145 (2018). doi:10.1007/s12678-017-0394-6 ResearcherID |
| Popis: | Owing to their superior electrocatalytic performance, non-stoichiometric mixed oxides are often considered as promising electrocatalysts for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Their activity and stability can be superior to those of the state-of-the-art IrO2 catalysts, although the exact nature of this phenomenon is not yet understood. In the current work, a Ir0.7Sn0.3O2-x thin-film electrode is taken as a representative example for a thorough evaluation of OER activity of the non-stoichiometric oxides. Complementary activity and stability analysis of Ir0.7Sn0.3O2-x electrodes is achieved using a setup based on an electrochemical scanning flow cell and ICP-MS. The obtained ICP-MS data presents an unambiguous proof of the preferential dissolution of the less noble Sn from the mixed oxide during OER. While less than a monolayer of Ir is dissolved after a prolonged electrolysis of 1400 min during which its dissolution rate drops to near zero, the amount of Sn lost is ten monolayers. The latter finding is confirmed by XPS analysis, which besides showing Ir surface enrichment also indicates a gradual transformation of Ir0 to IrIII species. This transition is beneficial for electrode activity, as the overpotential for OER at j = 5 mA cm−2 was decreasing up to 300 mV. The increase in electrode activity is attributed to several mechanisms including generation of IrIII active sites and overall surface area increase. A generalized description of OER catalysis by Ir-based materials is given, including data from the current work as well as from other Ir-based mixed oxides, such as Ir-Ru-O and Ir-Ni-O. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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