Abstract
Improving the electrocatalytic performance of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is essential for oxygen-involved electrochemical devices, including water splitting and rechargeable metal–air batteries. In this work, we report that the OER performance of commercial catalysts of IrO2, Co3O4, and Pt-C can be improved by replacing the traditional Nafion® ionomer with newly synthesized copolymers consisting of protonated imidazolium moieties such as ion conductors and binders in electrodes. Specifically, such an improvement in OER performance for all the tested catalysts is more significant in basic and neutral environments than that under acidic conditions. We anticipate that the results will provide new ideas for the conceptual design of electrodes for oxygen-involved electrochemical devices.
Highlights
The development of advanced energy storage and conversion technologies is essential to cope with the increasing environmental pollution and the global energy crisis caused by the depletion of fossil fuels [1,2]
The motivation of this work is to understand whether protonated imidazolium polymers can replace perfluoronated sulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomers as ion conductors and binders for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance
16 mV under neutral phosphate buffer saline (PBS) buffer solution and 0.1 M HClO4 solution, respectively, indicating that the improvement in OER performance by using PS1-b-P(VImH+)nTFSI as ion conductor was more pronounced in a basic environment than that under neutral and acidic conditions
Summary
The development of advanced energy storage and conversion technologies is essential to cope with the increasing environmental pollution and the global energy crisis caused by the depletion of fossil fuels [1,2]. Ion-conductive polymers in electrodes for oxygen-involved electrochemical reactions function as ion conductors and as binders to ensure the mechanical stability of the catalyst layers and to improve the interactions between electrolytes and electrocatalysts [12,13,14,15,16]. The development of new ion-conductive polymers applied to the electrocatalyst layer to reduce the resistance of oxygen transport could be an effective approach to enhance the electrocatalytic activity of oxygen-involved electrochemical reactions. The leaching of small RTIL molecules and the interaction of ionic segments with sulfonate acid groups on PFSA can limit their functions in electrodes This has inspired researchers to synthesize new polymers containing protonated imidazolium segments as an alternative ion conductor to replace PFSA ionomers in oxygen electrodes. This work may provide new ideas for design of air electrode with widespread applications
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
