Elena Willinger

Oxide-Supported IrNiO x Core-Shell Particles as Efficient, Cost- Effective, and Stable Catalysts for Electrochemical Water Splitting**

Active and highly stable oxide-supported IrNiO(x) core-shell catalysts for electrochemical water splitting are presented. IrNi(x)@IrO(x) nanoparticles supported on high-surface-area mesoporous antimony-doped tin oxide (IrNiO(x)/Meso-ATO) were synthesized from bimetallic IrNi(x) precursor alloys (PA-IrNi(x) /Meso-ATO) using electrochemical Ni leaching and concomitant Ir oxidation. Special emphasis was placed on Ni/NiO surface segregation under thermal treatment of the PA-IrNi(x)/Meso-ATO as well as on the surface chemical state of the particle/oxide support interface. Combining a wide array of characterization methods, we uncovered the detrimental effect of segregated NiO phases on the water splitting activity of core-shell particles. The core-shell IrNiO(x)/Meso-ATO catalyst displayed high water-splitting activity and unprecedented stability in acidic electrolyte providing substantial progress in the development of PEM electrolyzer anode catalysts with drastically reduced Ir loading and significantly enhanced durability.

IrOx core-shell nanocatalysts for cost- and energy-efficient electrochemical water splitting

A family of dealloyed metal–oxide hybrid (M1M2@M1Ox) core@shell nanoparticle catalysts is demonstrated to provide substantial advances toward more efficient and less expensive electrolytic water splitting. IrNi@IrOx nanoparticles were synthesized from IrNix precursor alloys through selective surface Ni dealloying and controlled surface oxidation of Ir. Detailed depth-resolved insight into chemical structure, composition, morphology, and oxidation state was obtained using spectroscopic, diffraction, and scanning microscopic techniques (XANES, XRD, STEM-EDX, XPS), which confirmed our structural hypotheses at the outset. A 3-fold catalytic activity enhancement for the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) over IrO2 and RuO2 benchmark catalysts was observed for the core-shell catalysts on a noble metal mass basis. Also, the active site-based intrinsic turnover frequency (TOF) was greatly enhanced for the most active IrNi@IrOx catalyst. This study documents the successful use of synthetic dealloying for the preparation of metal-oxide hybrid core-shell catalysts. The concept is quite general, can be applied to other noble metal nanoparticles, and points out a path forward to nanostructured proton-exchange-electrolyzer electrodes with dramatically reduced noble metal content.

Electrochemical Catalyst-Support Effects and Their Stabilizing Role for IrOx Nanoparticle Catalysts during the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Redox-active support materials can help reduce the noble-metal loading of a solid chemical catalyst while offering electronic catalyst-support interactions beneficial for catalyst durability. This is well known in heterogeneous gas-phase catalysis but much less discussed for electrocatalysis at electrified liquid-solid interfaces. Here, we demonstrate experimental evidence for electronic catalyst-support interactions in electrochemical environments and study their role and contribution to the corrosion stability of catalyst/support couples. Electrochemically oxidized Ir oxide nanoparticles, supported on high surface area carbons and oxides, were selected as model catalyst/support systems for the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). First, the electronic, chemical, and structural state of the catalyst/support couple was compared using XANES, EXAFS, TEM, and depth-resolved XPS. While carbon-supported oxidized Ir particle showed exclusively the redox state (+4), the Ir/IrOx/ATO system exhibited evidence of metal/metal-oxide support interactions (MMOSI) that stabilized the metal particles on antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) in sustained lower Ir oxidation states (Ir(3.2+)). At the same time, the growth of higher valent Ir oxide layers that compromise catalyst stability was suppressed. Then the electrochemical stability and the charge-transfer kinetics of the electrocatalysts were evaluated under constant current and constant potential conditions, where the analysis of the metal dissolution confirmed that the ATO support mitigates Ir(z+) dissolution thanks to a stronger MMOSI effect. Our findings raise the possibility that MMOSI effects in electrochemistry-largely neglected in the past-may be more important for a detailed understanding of the durability of oxide-supported nanoparticle OER catalysts than previously thought.

Rh-Doped Pt–Ni Octahedral Nanoparticles: Understanding the Correlation between Elemental Distribution, Oxygen Reduction Reaction, and Shape Stability

Thanks to their remarkably high activity toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), platinum-based octahedrally shaped nanoparticles have attracted ever increasing attention in last years. Although high activities for ORR catalysts have been attained, the practical use is still limited by their long-term stability. In this work, we present Rh-doped Pt-Ni octahedral nanoparticles with high activities up to 1.14 A mgPt(-1) combined with improved performance and shape stability compared to previous bimetallic Pt-Ni octahedral particles. The synthesis, the electrocatalytic performance of the particles toward ORR, and atomic degradation mechanisms are investigated with a major focus on a deeper understanding of strategies to stabilize morphological particle shape and consequently their performance. Rh surface-doped octahedral Pt-Ni particles were prepared at various Rh levels. At and above about 3 atom %, the nanoparticles maintained their octahedral shape even past 30,000 potential cycles, while undoped bimetallic reference nanoparticles show a complete loss in octahedral shape already after 8000 cycles in the same potential window. Detailed atomic insight in these observations is obtained from aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Our analysis shows that it is the migration of Pt surface atoms and not, as commonly thought, the dissolution of Ni that constitutes the primary origin of the octahedral shape loss for Pt-Ni nanoparticles. Using small amounts of Rh we were able to suppress the migration rate of platinum atoms and consequently suppress the octahedral shape loss of Pt-Ni nanoparticles.

Identifying key structural features of IrOx water splitting catalysts

Hydrogen production by electrocatalytic water splitting will play a key role in the realization of a sustainable energy supply. Owing to their relatively high stability and activity, iridium (hydr)oxides have been identified as the most promising catalysts for the oxidation of water. Comprehensive spectroscopic and theoretical studies on the basis of rutile IrO2 have provided insight about the electronic structure of the active X-ray amorphous phase. However, due to the absence of long-range order and missing information about the local arrangement of structural units, our present understanding of the active phase is very unsatisfying. In this work, using a combination of real-space atomic scale imaging with atomic pair distribution function analysis and local measurements of the electronic structure, we identify key structural motifs that are associated with high water splitting activity. Comparison of two X-ray amorphous phases with distinctively different electrocatalytic performance reveals that high activity is linked to the ratio between corner- and edge-sharing IrO6 octahedra. We show that the active and stable phase consists of single unit cell sized hollandite-like structural domains that are cross-linked through undercoordinated oxygen/iridium atoms. In the less active phase, the presence of the rutile phase structural motif results in a faster structural collapse and deactivation. The presented results provide insight into the structure-activity relationship and promote a rational synthesis of X-ray amorphous IrOx hydroxides that contain a favorable arrangement of structural units for improved performance in catalytic water splitting.

Temperature evolution of the crystal structure of Bi1 − x Pr x FeO3 solid solutions

The crystal structure of solid solutions in the Bi1 − xPrxFeO3 system near the structural transition between the rhombohedral and orthorhombic phases (0.125 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) has been studied. The structural phase transitions induced by changes in the concentration of praseodymium ions and in the temperature have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. It has been established that the sequence of phase transformations in the crystal structure of Bi1 − xPrxFeO3 solid solutions with variations in the temperature differs significantly from the evolution of the crystal structure of the BiFeO3 compounds with the substitution of other rare-earth elements for bismuth ions. The regions of the existence of the single-phase structural state and regions of the coexistence of the structural phases have been determined in the investigation of the crystal structure of the Bi1 − xPrxFeO3 solid solutions. A three-phase structural state has been revealed for the solid solution with x = 0.125 at temperatures near 400°C. The specific features of the structural phase transitions of the compounds in the vicinity of the morphotropic phase boundary have been determined by analyzing the obtained results. It has been found that the solid solutions based on bismuth ferrite demonstrate a significant improvement in their physical properties.

Atomic scale insight on the increased stability of tungsten modified platinum/carbon fuel cell catalysts

The limited stability of carbon‐supported Pt catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction is a key obstacle for their commercial application in fuel cells. Here we report on the properties of a tungsten‐modified Pt/C catalyst that shows enhanced stability under potential cycling conditions compared to a reference Pt/C catalyst. Although routine structural investigation by XRD and TEM show an inhomogeneous distribution of tungsten species on the modified catalyst surface, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy points to an overall changed catalytic behavior of Pt nanoparticles. Aberration‐corrected atomic‐scale imaging reveals the presence of homogeneously dispersed tungsten atomic species that decorate the surface of the carbon support and the Pt nanoparticles. The presented results demonstrate that detailed and localized imaging at the atomic scale is essential for the identification of the relevant species amongst spectator phases and thus, for the understanding of the improved integral behavior of a modified catalyst.