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Highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction via facile bubble transport realized by three-dimensionally stack-printed
Ye Ji Kim1, Ahyoun Lim2, Jong Min Kim3
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
Nature Communications
|October 2, 2020
Summary
Three-dimensional woodpile iridium catalysts significantly boost oxygen evolution reaction activity in water electrolyzers. This nanostructuring enhances catalyst surface area utilization and gas bubble removal, leading to a 30-fold performance increase.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Three-dimensional (3D) nanostructured catalysts show promise for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs).
- Universal design principles for optimizing these catalysts are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore design rules for maximizing OER performance in 3D nanostructured catalysts.
- To investigate the impact of woodpile (WP) structure on iridium (Ir) catalyst performance.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of 3D-printed, highly-ordered Ir nanowire woodpile (WP) structures.
- Electrochemical analyses and theoretical calculations to study catalyst performance.
- Evaluation in a single-cell PEMWE.
Main Results:
- WP-structured Ir catalysts significantly improved OER mass activity.
- The WP structure enhanced electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) utilization.
- Facile oxygen gas (O2) transport in the 3D geometry contributed to improved ECSA-specific activity.
- A 30-fold increase in mass activity was observed compared to nanoparticle catalysts.
Conclusions:
- 3D nanostructuring, specifically the WP geometry, offers a pathway to enhance OER catalyst performance in PEMWEs.
- Optimized 3D geometry improves ECSA and ECSA-specific activity through efficient surface utilization and gas management.
- This approach provides a universal design strategy for advanced OER catalysts.
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