부산대학교 도서관

Oxygen evolution reaction catalysts capable of working efficiently in acidic media are highly demanded for the commercialization of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis. Herein, we report a Zn-doped RuO2 nanowire array electrocatalyst with outstanding catalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction under acidic conditions. Overpotentials as low as 173, 304, and 373 mV are achieved at 10, 500, and 1000 mA cm−2, respectively, with robust stability reaching to 1000 h at 10 mA cm−2. Experimental and theoretical investigations establish a clear synergistic effect of Zn dopants and oxygen vacancies on regulating the binding configurations of oxygenated adsorbates on the active centers, which then enables an alternative Ru−Zn dual-site oxide path of the reaction. Due to the change of reaction pathways, the energy barrier of rate-determining step is reduced, and the over-oxidation of Ru active sites is alleviated. As a result, the catalytic activity and stability are significantly enhanced.
Ru-based materials are promising catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction in acidic condition, but their catalytic performance needs to be further improved. Here, the authors report Zn-RuO2 nanowires with a Ru−Zn dual-site oxide reaction pathway with enhanced activity and stability for acidic oxygen evolution reaction.