Researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with other scientists, have made significant progress in the electrocatalytic splitting of water. This breakthrough technology is crucial for converting intermittent solar and wind energy into clean hydrogen fuel.
The study, published in Scientific Advances, highlights the potential of a high-entropy iridium-ruthenium-based quinary oxide for large-scale applications in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE). Electrocatalytic water splitting has emerged as a promising solution in the quest for a hydrogen society. However, the acidic operating environment of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) has posed challenges to the long-term use of ruthenium oxide (RuO2).
To overcome this hurdle, Professor Wang Xianying and his team developed a unique synthesis strategy for a five-membered, high-entropy quinary oxide based on ruthenium-iridium (M-RuIrFeCoNiO2). This innovative approach creates abundant grain boundaries (GB) within the catalyst material. The presence of GB significantly improves the catalytic activity and stability of RuO2 in acidic oxygen evolution reactions (AER), addressing previous limitations.
By deliberately integrating foreign metal elements and GB into the oxide catalyst, researchers successfully enhanced its activity and stability in OER. This approach effectively solves thermodynamic solubility problems associated with different metallic elements. Practical application tests demonstrated remarkable results. A PEMWE using the M-RuIrFeCoNiO2 catalyst maintained a high current density of 1 A cm-2 for over 500 hours.
This achievement marks a significant advance in PEMWE technology and holds promise for large-scale production of clean hydrogen fuel. The study not only presents a new synthesis strategy for high-entropy oxides but also provides valuable insights into their activity and stability within PEMWE systems. These findings contribute to advancements in clean energy solutions.
For more information, refer to the study titled “Misoriented High Entropy Iridium Ruthenium Oxide for Acidic Water Splitting” published in Scientific Advances. The article can be accessed at DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf9144.
It is believed to be, this breakthrough in catalyst technology for acidic water splitting has great potential for advancing clean energy solutions. For further details on this research, visit the source link (here)(https://phys.org/news/2023-09-catalyst-advances-acidic-technology.amp).
