Ruthenium-Chromium Oxide Aerogels Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts: Structure, Activity and Stability

Hydrogen-based technologies have been the focus of extensive research to enable new processes of generating, converting, and storing energy in proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers. Catalysts with enhanced activity and stability are needed for the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) that generate hydrogen and oxygen from water. Ruthenium-oxide based catalysts have shown the highest reported activities of any acidic OER catalysts, but their instability is a major roadblock for wider use. In this work, we report the synthesis, structure and properties of ruthenium-chromium oxide and ruthenium oxide aerogel-derived catalysts obtained after thermal treatment in air. The aerogel catalysts retained high surface area and porosity after the thermal treatment. The temperature used and the addition of chromium was found to significantly influence the structure and OER activity of the catalysts. The 500°C treated ruthenium-chromium catalyst showed more than one order of magnitude (16 times) higher mass activity and similar stability compared to a commercial RuO2 and the activity remained higher than RuO2 after an accelerated durability test. The Ru-600 catalyst exhibited higher stability than the commercial RuO2 after the accelerated durability test. This work shows that chromium introduced into ruthenium oxide aerogels provides high surface area and mesoporosity and enhanced OER activity, and the structure and properties can be modified by thermal treatment temperature.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization

Grantor

Texas State University

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Adame Solorio, Jesus

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Rhodes, Christopher P.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Martin, Benjamin
• Hudnall, Todd
• Ji, Chang
• Hanks, Craig

• water electrolyzers
• oxygen evolution reaction
• ruthenium
• chromium
• stability
• activity
• temperature

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/20012

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/20012