Platinum Activated IrO2/SnO2 Nanocatalysts and Their Electrode Structures for High Performance Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

In order to improve proton exchange membrane water electrolysis performance, anode catalyst and catalyst layer were examined in this work. SnO2 supported IrO2 nanocatalyst and its analogue with platinum enhancement were firstly synthesized for the oxygen evolution reaction. The effect of the introduction of Pt on the properties of the composites was explored by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical test.

Interaction between the introduced Pt nanoparticles and the bulk IrO2/SnO2 was evidenced in XRD. Electrochemical characterization showed the enhanced activitiy for the Pt activated IrO2/SnO2, which was attributed to the cooperative effects of improved electric conductivity and synergistic effect of Pt and IrO2/SnO2.

Furthermore, catalyst layers based on IrO2/SnO2 catalysts were optimized with respect to microstructures, pore volume and pore size distribution. The performance was obviously improved due to the appropriate porosity and pore size distribution. The highest electrolyser performance of 1.63 V at 2 A cm-2 was achieved at 80 °C for optimized catalyst layers containing platinum activated IrO2/SnO2 catalyst.