Enhancing Acidic Oxygen Evolution Activity by Supporting Iridium Electrocatalysts on Tantalum Carbide

Kang, Sinwoo; Han, Xue; Nichols, Nathaniel N.; Mou, Tianyou; Yuan, Yong; Gil, Byeongjun; Zhu, Yimei; Pan, Long; Furusawa, Hideki; Katayama, Koichi; Liu, Ping; Chen, Jingguang G.

doi:10.1021/acscatal.6c00063

Title: Enhancing Acidic Oxygen Evolution Activity by Supporting Iridium Electrocatalysts on Tantalum Carbide

Journal Article · Sun Apr 05 00:00:00 UTC 2026 · ACS Catalysis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.6c00063 · OSTI ID:3362588

^[1]; Han, Xue ^[1]; Nichols, Nathaniel N. ^[2]; Mou, Tianyou ^[1];

^[1]; Gil, Byeongjun ^[1];

^[3]; Pan, Long ^[4]; Furusawa, Hideki ^[4]; Katayama, Koichi ^[4];

^[1];

^[5]

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)
JX Advanced Metals Corporation (Japan)
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)

For a high-performance proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE), acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts require highly dispersed iridium oxide (IrO_x) nanoparticles. Although carbon-based materials have been explored as promising supports for IrO_x nanoparticles, their limited stability under harsh oxidative and acidic PEMWE conditions remains a significant challenge. Here, in this study, we report the synthesis and in situ characterization of active and durable IrOx electrocatalysts supported on electrochemically stable and electrically conducting tantalum carbide (TaC). When applied in a PEMWE, the IrO_x/TaC electrocatalyst achieves a cell voltage of 1.71 V at 1.0 A cm^–2, outperforming the commercial IrO₂ catalyst (1.82 V at 1.0 A cm^–2). Furthermore, the IrO_x/TaC catalyst maintains a stable operation for 200 h at 0.5 A cm^–2 with a low degradation rate of 36 μV h^–1. Density functional theory calculations further confirm that Ir–O–Ta bond formation at the IrO_x/TaC interface reduces the overpotential of the OER compared to IrO₂. This study underscores the pivotal role of supporting IrO_x over stable and conducting metal carbides, providing guidance for the design of advanced acidic OER catalysts.

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Research Organization:: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division (CSGB); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0009476; SC0012653; SC0012704

OSTI ID:: 3362588

Report Number(s):: BNL--229672-2026-JAAM

Journal Information:: ACS Catalysis, Journal Name: ACS Catalysis Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 16; ISSN 2155-5435

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Enhancing Acidic Oxygen Evolution Activity by Supporting Iridium Electrocatalysts on Tantalum Carbide

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