An amorphous ultrathin iridium/carbon catalyst realizing efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for clean energy technologies.
• Developing efficient and durable electrocatalysts is essential for HER applications.
• Iridium-based catalysts are promising for HER, but their performance needs optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel amorphous Ir/C catalyst.
• To evaluate the electrocatalytic activity and durability of the Ir/C catalyst for HER.
• To compare the performance of the Ir/C catalyst with commercial Pt/C catalysts.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of amorphous 1.1 nm Ir/C catalyst.
• Electrochemical characterization using techniques like cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry.
• Performance evaluation for hydrogen evolution reaction at various current densities.
• Long-term durability testing.

Main Results:

• The amorphous Ir/C catalyst demonstrated ultralow overpotentials of 10 and 64 mV at 10 and 100 mA cm⁻².
• Achieved a high mass activity of 117 A mg⁻¹.
• Exhibited outstanding long-term durability.
• Outperformed commercial Pt/C catalysts in HER performance.

Conclusions:

• Amorphous Ir/C is a highly efficient and durable electrocatalyst for HER.
• This catalyst offers a promising alternative to Pt-based catalysts for hydrogen production.
• The findings contribute to the advancement of electrocatalyst design for renewable energy.