Iridium on vertical graphene as an all-round catalyst for robust water splitting reactions

Sanjib Baran Roy, Kamran Akbar, Jae Ho Jeon, Sahng Kyoon Jerng, Linh Truong, Kiwoong Kim, Yeonjin Yi, Seung Hyun Chun

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

77 Scopus citations

Abstract

Among all noble metals, Ir has become popular for water reduction/oxidation due to its stability in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes. We find that Ir on vertical graphene (Ir-VG) is an all-round bi-functional catalyst. A high content of metallic Ir (Ir0) manifests as active catalytic sites supported by a superaerophobic vertical graphene surface designed to facilitate two-/four-electron transfer processes. This binder-free, nanoscale hybrid catalyst yields low overpotentials for the HER and OER in both acidic and alkaline media. With a minimal catalyst loading of 50 μg cm-2 for the HER, the catalyst delivers a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at overpotentials of 47 mV and 17 mV in acidic and alkaline media, respectively. For the OER, the catalyst achieves a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at overpotentials of 300 mV and 320 mV in acidic and alkaline media, respectively. This highly active bi-functional catalyst enables total water splitting at 1.58 V (acidic) and 1.57 V (alkaline) for 10 mA cm-2. Unlike other catalysts, Ir-VG shows good stability against corrosion with undiminished current density even at high potential in harsh acidic or alkaline environments over 24 h. This unprecedented, versatile catalyst offers an appealing, cost-effective noble-metal-based scheme for pH-independent water electrolysis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)20590-20596
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Materials Chemistry A
Volume7
Issue number36
DOIs
StatePublished - 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

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