Pr₂O₃/RuO₂ heterojunction catalysts with enhanced activity and durability for acidic oxygen evolution

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) is a key catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
• Improving the activity and stability of RuO2-based catalysts is crucial for electrochemical applications.
• Heterostructures offer unique interfacial properties for enhanced catalytic performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the catalytic performance of Praseodymium oxide/ruthenium dioxide (Pr2O3/RuO2) heterostructures for acidic OER.
• To understand the role of the interfacial effects in enhancing OER activity and stability.
• To compare the performance against commercial RuO2.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Pr2O3/RuO2 heterostructures.
• Electrochemical characterization using cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry.
• Analysis of OER activity, mass activity, and stability.

Main Results:

• Pr2O3/RuO2 heterostructures achieved a record-low onset potential of 162 mV for acidic OER.
• The heterostructures exhibited a high mass activity of 246.5 A gRu-1.
• Performance surpassed that of commercial RuO2, indicating significant enhancement.

Conclusions:

• The interfacial effects in Pr2O3/RuO2 heterostructures optimize intermediate adsorption and stability.
• These optimized properties effectively reduce energy barriers, leading to superior OER performance.
• Pr2O3/RuO2 heterostructures represent a promising advancement in OER catalyst design.