Highly Active IrRuOx/MnOx Electrocatalysts with Ultralow Anode PGM Demand in Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers

Abstract Thrifting the rare iridium in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) anodes is an effective means to preempt undesired future iridium supply shortages aiding wider deployment of PEMWEs in coming years. This work explores a new family of MnO x ‐supported IrO x and IrRuO x electrocatalysts for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Comprehensive ex situ and in situ characterization uncovers synthesis‐structure‐activity relationships of the OER materials with insight into the origin of their exceptional activity: The MnO x support provides beneficial dispersion while the introduction of Ru into IrO x /MnO x leads to a modulation of the chemical state of Ir coupled with a strong surface reconstruction. In half‐cell tests, IrRuO x /MnO x reveals an Ir mass activity of 964.7 A g Ir −1 at 1.53 V RHE , which is 36 times higher than that of the commercial IrO 2 (C‐IrO 2 ). It is also demonstrated that this promising catalytic OER activity translates into a realistic PEMWE performance. IrRuO x /MnO x and IrO x /MnO x thin catalyst layers are developed in low Ir‐loaded membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and an outstanding PEMWE cell performance is reported with cell voltages of 1.66 V at 2 A cm −2 . This translates into a favorable (Ir + Ru) platium group metal (PGM) demand of <0.05 g PGM kW −1 at 70% voltage efficiency, meeting a 2035 technical demand target.