Origin of enhanced water oxidation activity in an iridium single atom anchored on NiFe oxyhydroxide catalyst.

ABSTRACT: The efficiency of the synthesis of renewable fuels and feedstocks from electrical sources is limited, at present, by the sluggish water oxidation reaction. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) with a controllable coordination environment and exceptional atom utilization efficiency open new paradigms toward designing high-performance water oxidation catalysts. Here, using operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements with calculations of spectra and electrochemical activity, we demonstrate that the origin of water oxidation activity of IrNiFe SACs is the presence of highly oxidized Ir single atom (Ir5.3+) in the NiFe oxyhydroxide under operating conditions. We show that the optimal water oxidation catalyst could be achieved by systematically increasing the oxidation state and modulating the c

SUBMITTER: Zheng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8433498 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature