Ruthenium Oxide Anodes for Solid Polymer Electrolyte Water Electrolyzers: Electrochemical and Ellipsometric Studies

Conference · Sat Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:5939554

Lu, P. W.T.; Srinivasan, S.

Ruthenium oxide (RuO_x is of considerable interest for the development of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) water electrolyzers because of its high catalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction. As a first approach toward the understanding of the kinetics of this reaction, ellipsometric investigation of oxide films on Ru anodes was carried out in a 25% trifluoromethane sulfonic acid. The formation of Ru(OH)₃ film commences at approx. 0.73 V. At potentials above 0.94 V, Ru(OH)₃ is further oxidized to RuO₂ YH₂O film. In situ optical analysis of Ru electrodes confirms that oxide films formed anodically can be removed by electroreduction. The critical potential at which Ru corrodes rapidly to H₂RuO₅ is approx. 1.45 V. A dissolution-precipitation mechanism is proposed to explain the observed performance degradation with time during oxygen evolution on RuO_x anodes.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-02-0016; AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 5939554
• Report Number(s): BNL-24914; CONF-780571-7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
080101* -- Hydrogen-- Production-- Electrolysis
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400400 -- Electrochemistry
ANODES
CATALYSTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
ELECTROCATALYSTS
ELECTRODES
ELECTROLYTES
ELECTROLYTIC CELLS
KINETICS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLYMERS
REACTION KINETICS
RUTHENIUM COMPOUNDS
RUTHENIUM OXIDES
SOLID ELECTROLYTES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS