Dy2NiRuO6 perovskite with high activity and durability for the oxygen evolution reaction in acidic electrolyte

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2024-07, Vol.12 (27), p.16854-16862
• Main Authors: Rodríguez-García, Isabel, José Luis Gómez de la Fuente, Galyamin, Dmitry, Tolosana-Moranchel, Álvaro, Kayser, Paula, Mohamed Abdel Salam, Alonso, José Antonio, Calle-Vallejo, Federico, Rojas, Sergio, Retuerto, María
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acidic oxides; Catalysts; Durability; Dysprosium; Electrolytes; Holmium; Mixed oxides; Oxygen evolution reactions; Perovskites
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/d3ta06788b

Ru mixed oxides may be suitable materials to replace state-of-the-art Ir-based catalysts in the anode of proton exchange membrane electrolyzers. To do this, the activity and especially the durability of Ru for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic electrolyte should be improved. This work reports a family of Ru-based perovskites that combines both high activity and durability for the OER in acidic electrolyte. R2NiRuO6 double perovskites with R3+ = Pr3+, Nd3+, Tb3+, Dy3+, Y3+, Ho3+ and Er3+, and with Ni2+ and Ru4+ occupying B and B′ positions have been synthesized and evaluated for the OER in acidic electrolyte. The OER activities of R2NiRuO6 mixed oxides depend on the nature of R3+, with Dy2NiRuO6 displaying the highest activity (1.507 V at 10 mA cm−2) and being stable for more than 400 consecutive OER cycles measured at a slow scan rate. Characterization data indicate that the shorter Ru–O bonds in Dy2NiRuO6 are beneficial for the OER performance compared to the rest of the series. Computational modelling shows that Ru sites at pristine Dy2NiRuO6 are highly active for the OER, and their activity increases slightly upon Dy dissolution and progressively decreases as the local ratio of Ni to Ru is lowered.