Mesoporous Co Sn_(1-O₂ as an efficient oxygen evolution catalyst support for SPE water electrolyzer

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) water electrolysis offers high efficiency and product purity for hydrogen production.
• High overpotential and iridium consumption in SPE electrolysis lead to significant energy loss and increased costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel anode catalyst to mitigate energy loss and cost in SPE water electrolysis.
• To investigate the performance of IrO2 supported on CoSnO2 with varying compositions.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized CoSnO2 supports via hydrothermal method and IrO2 via modified Adams fusion.
• Fabricated a single cell using Pt/C cathode, 40IrO2/CoSnO2 anode, and Nafion 117 electrolyte.
• Evaluated catalyst performance through overpotential measurements and durability testing at high current densities.

Main Results:

• The 40IrO2/CoSnO2 catalyst demonstrated enhanced specific surface area, electrical conductivity, and active sites.
• The 40IrO2/Co0.2Sn0.8O2 anode catalyst achieved the lowest overpotential (1.748 V at 1000 mA cm-2).
• Exceptional durability was observed with only a 0.18 mV h-1 voltage increase over 100 hours at 1000 mA cm-2.

Conclusions:

• CoSnO2 is a promising support material for anode electrocatalysts in SPE water electrolyzers.
• The developed 40IrO2/CoSnO2 catalyst significantly improves efficiency and reduces energy loss in hydrogen production.
• This advancement contributes to lowering the cost of green hydrogen generation via SPE electrolysis.