Iridium-based electrocatalyst is still the only practical anode catalyst for proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer due to its excellent stability under acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), but is greatly limited by its high cost and low reserves. Here we report a nickel stabilized ruthenium dioxide (Ni-RuO2) catalyst, a promising alternative to iridium, with high activity and durability in acidic OER for PEM water electrolysis. While pristine RuO2 showed poor acidic OER stability and degraded within a short period of continuous operation, the Ni-incorporation can greatly stabilize the RuO2 lattice and extend its durability by more than one order of magnitude. When applied on the anode of a PEM water electrolyzer, our Ni-RuO2 catalyst demonstrated over 1000-hour stability under the water splitting current of 200 mA cm-2, suggesting its great potential for practical applications. Density functional theory studies coupled with Operando differential electrochemical mass spectroscopy analysis confirmed the adsorbate evolving mechanism on Ni-RuO2 as well as the critical role of Ni dopants in stabilizing the surface Ru and subsurface oxygen for improved OER durability.

Non-iridium based electrocatalyst for durable acidic oxygen evolution reaction in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis

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