• Nano-Micro Letters
  • Vol. 16, Issue 1, 203 (2024)
Lei Ding1,†, Kui Li1,†, Weitian Wang1, Zhiqiang Xie1..., Shule Yu1, Haoran Yu2, David A. Cullen2, Alex Keane3, Kathy Ayers3, Christopher B. Capuano3, Fangyuan Liu4, Pu-Xian Gao4,5 and Feng-Yuan Zhang1,*|Show fewer author(s)
Author Affiliations
  • 1Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
  • 2Oak Ridge National Lab, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
  • 3Nel Hydrogen, Wallingford, CT 06492, USA
  • 4Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
  • 5Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
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    DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01411-7 Cite this Article
    Lei Ding, Kui Li, Weitian Wang, Zhiqiang Xie, Shule Yu, Haoran Yu, David A. Cullen, Alex Keane, Kathy Ayers, Christopher B. Capuano, Fangyuan Liu, Pu-Xian Gao, Feng-Yuan Zhang. Amorphous Iridium Oxide-Integrated Anode Electrodes with Ultrahigh Material Utilization for Hydrogen Production at Industrial Current Densities[J]. Nano-Micro Letters, 2024, 16(1): 203 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Herein, ionomer-free amorphous iridium oxide (IrOx) thin electrodes are first developed as highly active anodes for proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs) via low-cost, environmentally friendly, and easily scalable electrodeposition at room temperature. Combined with a Nafion 117 membrane, the IrOx-integrated electrode with an ultralow loading of 0.075 mg cm-2 delivers a high cell efficiency of about 90%, achieving more than 96% catalyst savings and 42-fold higher catalyst utilization compared to commercial catalyst-coated membrane (2 mg cm-2). Additionally, the IrOx electrode demonstrates superior performance, higher catalyst utilization and significantly simplified fabrication with easy scalability compared with the most previously reported anodes. Notably, the remarkable performance could be mainly due to the amorphous phase property, sufficient Ir3+ content, and rich surface hydroxide groups in catalysts. Overall, due to the high activity, high cell efficiency, an economical, greatly simplified and easily scalable fabrication process, and ultrahigh material utilization, the IrOx electrode shows great potential to be applied in industry and accelerates the commercialization of PEMECs and renewable energy evolution.
    Lei Ding, Kui Li, Weitian Wang, Zhiqiang Xie, Shule Yu, Haoran Yu, David A. Cullen, Alex Keane, Kathy Ayers, Christopher B. Capuano, Fangyuan Liu, Pu-Xian Gao, Feng-Yuan Zhang. Amorphous Iridium Oxide-Integrated Anode Electrodes with Ultrahigh Material Utilization for Hydrogen Production at Industrial Current Densities[J]. Nano-Micro Letters, 2024, 16(1): 203
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