Yuan Yalong, Fang Huiling, Chen Kai, Huang Junheng, Chen Junxiang, Lu Zhiwen, Wang Huibing, Zhao Zhixuan, Chen Wenxing, Wen Zhenhai
State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials and Techniques toward Hydrogen Energy, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China.
College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China.
Adv Mater. 2025 May;37(18):e2501607. doi: 10.1002/adma.202501607. Epub 2025 Mar 23.
The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE) has long stood as a formidable challenge for green hydrogen sustainable production, hindered by sluggish kinetics, high overpotentials, and poor durability. Here, these barriers are transcended through a novel material design: strategic engineering of high-density grain boundaries within solid-solution RuIrO ultrathin nanosheets. These carefully tailored grain boundaries and synergistic Ir─Ru interactions, reduce the coordination of Ru atoms and optimize the distribution of charge, thereby enhancing both the catalytic activity and stability of the nanosheets, as verified by merely requiring an overpotential of 189 mV to achieve 10 mA cm in acidic electrolyte. In situ electrochemical techniques, complemented by theoretical calculations, reveal that the OER follows an adsorption evolution mechanism, demonstrating the pivotal role of grain boundary engineering and electronic modulation in accelerating reaction kinetics. Most notably, the RuIrO exhibits outstanding industrial-scale performance in PEMWE, reaching 4.0 A cm at 2 V and maintaining stability for >1000 h at 500 mA cm. This efficiency reduces hydrogen production costs to $0.88 kg. This work marks a transformative step forward in designing efficient, durable OER catalysts, offering a promising pathway toward hydrogen production technologies and advancing the global transition to sustainable energy.
质子交换膜水电解槽（PEMWE）中的析氧反应（OER）长期以来一直是绿色氢气可持续生产面临的巨大挑战，受限于反应动力学缓慢、过电位高和耐久性差。在此，通过一种新颖的材料设计克服了这些障碍：在固溶体RuIrO超薄纳米片中对高密度晶界进行策略性工程设计。这些精心定制的晶界以及协同的Ir─Ru相互作用，减少了Ru原子的配位并优化了电荷分布，从而提高了纳米片的催化活性和稳定性，在酸性电解质中仅需189 mV的过电位即可达到10 mA cm²，这证明了上述结论。原位电化学技术与理论计算相辅相成，揭示了OER遵循吸附演化机制，证明了晶界工程和电子调制在加速反应动力学中的关键作用。最值得注意的是，RuIrO在PEMWE中表现出出色的工业规模性能，在2 V时达到4.0 A cm²，并在500 mA cm²下保持>1000 h的稳定性。这种效率将制氢成本降低至0.88美元/千克。这项工作标志着在设计高效、耐用的OER催化剂方面向前迈出了变革性的一步，为制氢技术提供了一条有前景的途径，并推动全球向可持续能源的转型。
