Design of Hierarchical Structured Catalysts: SnO2-Modified TiO2 Nanotube Arrays Enabling Ultra-Low Overpotential Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction
摘要
The construction of the strong oxid-support interaction (SOSI) between the support and the active component is crucial for regulating the atomic configuration and electronic structure of the catalyst. In this study, the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of IrOx in acidic electrolytes was significantly enhanced by constructing a double intermediate layer of titanium dioxide nanotube array (TNT) and SnO2. The overpotential of TNT/SnO2/IrOx at a current density of 10 mA cm− 2 was 220 mV, which is 69 mV and 93 mV lower than that of directly loaded TNT/IrOx (289 mV) and TNT/IrO2 (313 mV), respectively. Additionally, the introduction of SnO2 significantly improved the stability of the catalyst. After a 100 h static chronopotentiometry (CP) test at a current density of 10 mA cm− 2, the potential change was only 18 mV, much lower than that of TNT/IrO2 (175 mV) and TNT/IrOx (50 mV). Through in-depth surface morphology and structure analysis, it was found that IrOx is anchored on the SnO2 mesolayer and uniformly dispersed. Furthermore, the TNT array has exhibits a strong interaction with IrOₓ, and the addition of the intermediate layer SnO₂ effectively stabilizes Ir, preventing its reduction. The results demonstrated that the synergistic effect of SnO2 and TNT significantly enhanced the catalytic activity of IrOx. In summary, this study successfully developed an efficient and stable acidic OER catalyst through multistage interface engineering design, providing a new solution for the industrial application of low-iridium supported catalysts.
Graphical Abstract