How to Break the Activity‐Stability Conundrum in Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis: Mechanistic Insights

ChemCatChem, vol. 16

Abstract

Abstract Technically viable electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) must be both active and stable under the harsh conditions at an electrolyser anode. While numerous highly active metal‐oxide catalysts have been identified, only very few are sufficiently stable, with iridium oxides being the most prominent. In this perspective, we draw insights from OER mechanisms to circumvent the activity‐stability conundrum generally plaguing the development of OER catalysts. In the commonly considered OER mechanisms, one or several metal‐oxygen (M−O) bonds are required to be broken along the OER pathway, providing a mechanistic link between the OER and oxide decomposition. However, a recently discovered mechanism on crystalline iridium dioxide provides a new OER pathway without M−O bond breakages, thus enabling the combination of sufficient activity and stability.

Authors 5

1. Tobias Binninger corresponding

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Theory and Computation of Energy Materials (IEK-13) Institute of Energy and Climate Research Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH 52425 Jülich Germany

2. Genevieve C. Moss

   University of Cape Town

   Affiliation as printed

   HySA/Catalysis Centre of Competence Catalysis Institute Department of Chemical Engineering University of Cape Town 7701 South Africa

3. Ziba S. H. S. Rajan

   University of Cape Town

   Affiliation as printed

   HySA/Catalysis Centre of Competence Catalysis Institute Department of Chemical Engineering University of Cape Town 7701 South Africa

4. Rhiyaad Mohamed

   University of Cape Town

   Affiliation as printed

   HySA/Catalysis Centre of Competence Catalysis Institute Department of Chemical Engineering University of Cape Town 7701 South Africa

5. Michael Hermann Eikerling Aachen Chair of Theory and Computation of Energy Materials Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Chair of Theory and Computation of Energy Materials Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering RWTH Aachen University Intzestrasse 5 52072 Aachen Germany

   Theory and Computation of Energy Materials (IEK-13) Institute of Energy and Climate Research Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH 52425 Jülich Germany