Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
The cost of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is a hindrance to the large-scale utilization of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs). Iridium oxide (IrO 2 ) provides a balance of high activity and stability; however, the high cost and scarcity of Ir necessitates the development of non-Ir OER catalysts. Ruthenium oxide (RuO 2 ) has higher OER activity and lower cost compared to IrO 2 , but RuO 2 is highly unstable in acidic media at high potentials and undergoes dissolution during PEMWE operation. We investigated incorporating zirconium (Zr) into RuO 2 to improve the electrochemical stability of RuO 2 OER catalysts. Ruthenium-zirconium oxides (Ru 1-x Zr x O 2 ) were prepared using different synthesis methods and with different Zr concentrations, and we studied the effect of Zr on the structure, morphology, OER activity, and electrochemical stability. The Ru 1-x Zr x O 2 catalysts were studied by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and rotating disk electrode electrochemistry, and metal dissolution was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our results show that Zr can be incorporated into rutile RuO 2 via different synthesis routes, and the OER activity and stability are affected by the incorporation of Zr. The understanding of the effects of substituents on OER activity and stability furthers the development of OER catalysts with high activity, high stability, and lower cost.
Albiter et al. (Fri,) studied this question.