The energy demands of the world are ever increasing. In our quest for clean and eco-friendly energy solutions, transportable H₂ energy offers considerable promise. In this regard, proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) that convert excess electric energy into transportable H₂ energy through water electrolysis have garnered remarkable interest.

However, the widescale deployment for H₂ production remains limited due to slow rates of oxygen evolution reaction (OER)—an important component of electrolysis—and high loading levels of expensive metal oxide catalysts, such as iridium (Ir) and ruthenium oxides, in electrodes. Therefore, developing cost-effective and high-performance OER catalysts is necessary for the widespread application of PEMWEs.

Recently, a team of researchers from Korea and the U.S., led by Professor Chanho Pak from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in Korea, has developed a novel mesoporous tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅)-supported iridium nanostructure catalyst via a modified formic acid reduction method that achieves efficient PEM water electrolysis. Their study was made available online on May 20, 2023 and will be published in Volume 575 of the Journal of Power Sources on August 15, 2023. The study was co-authored by Dr. Chaekyung Baik, a post-doctoral researcher at Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

"The electron-rich Ir nanostructure was uniformly dispersed on the stable mesoporous Ta₂O₅ support prepared via a soft-template method combined with an ethylenediamine encircling process, which effectively decreased the amount of Ir in a single PEMWE cell to 0.3 mg cm^–2," explains Prof. Pak. Importantly, the innovative Ir/Ta₂O₅ catalyst design not only improved the utilization of Ir but also facilitated higher electrical conductivity and a large electrochemically active surface area.

Additionally, X-ray photoelectron and X-ray absorption spectroscopies revealed strong metal–support interaction between Ir and Ta, while density functional theory calculations indicated a charge transfer from Ta to Ir, which induced the strong binding of adsorbates, such as O and OH, and maintained Ir (III) ratio in the oxidative OER process. This, in turn, led to the enhanced activity of Ir/Ta₂O₅, with a lower overpotential of 0.385 V compared to a 0.48 V for IrO₂.

The team also demonstrated high OER activity of the catalyst experimentally, observing an overpotential of 288 ± 3.9 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and a mass activity of 876.1 ± 125.1 A g⁻¹ of Ir at 1.55 V, significantly higher than the corresponding values for Ir Black. In effect, Ir/Ta₂O₅ exhibited excellent OER activity and stability, as further confirmed through membrane electrode assembly single cell operation of over 120 hr.

The proposed technology offers the dual benefit of reduced Ir loading levels and an enhanced OER efficiency. "The improved OER efficiency complements the cost-effectiveness of the PEMWE process, enhancing its overall performance. This advancement has the potential to revolutionize the commercialization of PEMWEs, accelerating its adoption as a primary method for H₂ production," said an optimistic Prof. Pak.