Issue 48, 2022

Ultrathin IrRu nanocages with tunable electronic reciprocity for highly efficient water splitting in acidic media

Abstract

The development of bifunctional electro-catalysts with high efficiency toward both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic media still remains a challenge. Herein, we report a seed-mediated growth and etching method to fabricate ultrathin IrxRu1−x cubic nanocages with precisely controlled atom accuracy of six atomic layers (∼1.21 nm) and well-defined {200} facets. Tunable electronic reciprocity is achieved through a precise control over the ratio of Ir and Ru, thus simultaneously optimizing the HER and OER performance. The optimal electronic reciprocity is acquired at x = 0.5, and the resultant Ir0.5Ru0.5 nanocages exhibit a significantly low overpotential of 18 mV and 219 mV at 10 mA cmgeo−2 (η10) for the HER and OER in acidic medium, with 22.8 and 18.7 times higher mass activity in comparison with Pt/C and RuO2, respectively. Meanwhile, remarkable durability is pledged at x ≥ 0.5 for IrxRu1−x due to the electrochemical formation of IrxRu1−xO2 as active and stable phases for both the HER and the OER. Consequently, a home-made overall water splitting electrolyzer with Ir0.5Ru0.5 nanocage electrodes can steadily operate and afford η10 as low as 1.472 V and outperforms state-of-the-art electrolyzers.

Graphical abstract: Ultrathin IrRu nanocages with tunable electronic reciprocity for highly efficient water splitting in acidic media

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 Okt. 2022
Accepted
16 Nov. 2022
First published
16 Nov. 2022

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022,10, 25556-25563

Ultrathin IrRu nanocages with tunable electronic reciprocity for highly efficient water splitting in acidic media

S. Wang, S. Yang, Z. Wei, Y. Liang, J. Zhu, Y. Tang and X. Qiu, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022, 10, 25556 DOI: 10.1039/D2TA08066D

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