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Stable Acidic Water Oxidation with a Cobalt–Iron–Lead Oxide Catalyst Operating via a Cobalt‐Selective Self‐Healing Mechanism
Author(s) -
Simondson Darcy,
Chatti Manjunath,
Bonke Shan A.,
Tesch Marc F.,
Golnak Ronny,
Xiao Jie,
Hoogeveen Dijon A.,
Cherepanov Pavel V.,
Gardiner James L.,
Tricoli Antonio,
MacFarlane Douglas R.,
Simonov Alexandr N.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.202104123
Subject(s) - cobalt , overpotential , catalysis , electrocatalyst , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , cobalt oxide , oxide , platinum , electrode , electrochemistry , organic chemistry
The instability and expense of anodes for water electrolyzers with acidic electrolytes can be overcome through the implementation of a cobalt‐iron‐lead oxide electrocatalyst, [Co–Fe–Pb]O x , that is self‐healing in the presence of dissolved metal precursors. However, the latter requirement is pernicious for the membrane and especially the cathode half‐reaction since Pb 2+ and Fe 3+ precursors poison the state‐of‐the‐art platinum H 2 evolving catalyst. To address this, we demonstrate the invariably stable operation of [Co–Fe–Pb]O x in acidic solutions through a cobalt‐selective self‐healing mechanism without the addition of Pb 2+ and Fe 3+ and investigate the kinetics of the process. Soft X‐ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that low concentrations of Co 2+ in the solution stabilize the catalytically active Co(Fe) sites. The highly promising performance of this system is showcased by steady water electrooxidation at 80±1 °C and 10 mA cm −2 , using a flat electrode, at an overpotential of 0.56±0.01 V on a one‐week timescale.