Modulating ^*OOH Adsorption on RuO₂ for Efficient and Durable Acidic Water Oxidation Electrocatalysis

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Acidic water electrolysis offers advantages in current density and energy efficiency.
• Industrial application is hindered by a lack of efficient, stable, and cost-effective oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts for acidic media.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel electrocatalyst for acidic OER.
• To investigate the catalytic activity, stability, and underlying mechanism of the new material.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Ni-implanted RuO2 supported on α-MnO2 (MnO2/RuO2-Ni).
• Electrochemical testing for OER performance, including overpotential and durability measurements.
• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations to elucidate the catalytic mechanism.

Main Results:

• The MnO2/RuO2-Ni catalyst achieved an overpotential of 198 mV at 10 mA cm⁻².
• Demonstrated remarkable stability, operating continuously for 400 hours at 10 mA cm⁻² without significant activity loss.
• Experimental and DFT results indicated enhanced catalytic activity due to interface electron transfer and modulated OOH* adsorption, further improved by Ni incorporation.

Conclusions:

• The developed MnO2/RuO2-Ni catalyst is a highly active and durable electrocatalyst for acidic OER.
• The findings provide insights into catalyst design for efficient acidic water electrolysis.
• This work presents a promising solution for overcoming limitations in industrial acidic OER applications.