Active and highly durable supported catalysts for proton exchange membrane electrolysers

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Supported catalysts are crucial for reducing iridium loading in proton exchange membrane water electrolysers.
• Challenges remain in achieving high activity and durability for supported catalysts in membrane electrode assemblies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop novel supported iridium catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
• To enhance the mass activity and durability of iridium-based OER catalysts for water electrolysis.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of iridium-coated hollow titanium dioxide particles.
• Electrochemical characterization using rotating disk electrode measurements.
• Materials characterization including conductivity, morphology, oxidation state, and crystallinity analysis.

Main Results:

• Achieved higher Ir mass activities compared to leading commercial catalysts.
• Demonstrated state-of-the-art durability for supported iridium catalysts under accelerated stress tests.
• Identified key material properties influencing OER performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed supported catalyst design offers high OER activity and durability.
• This approach is promising for reducing iridium usage in commercially relevant electrolyser configurations.