Using Surface Segregation To Design Stable Ru‐Ir Oxides for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Acidic Environments

The methods used to improve catalytic activity are well‐established, however elucidating the factors that simultaneously control activity and stability is still lacking, especially for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts. Here, by studying fundamental links between the activity and stability of well‐characterized monometallic and bimetallic oxides, we found that there is generally an inverse relationship between activity and stability. To overcome this limitation, we developed a new synthesis strategy that is based on tuning the near‐surface composition of Ru and Ir elements by surface segregation, thereby resulting in the formation of a nanosegregated domain that balances the stability and activity of surface atoms. We demonstrate that a Ru_0.5Ir_0.5 alloy synthesized by using this method exhibits four‐times higher stability than the best Ru‐Ir oxygen evolution reaction materials, while still preserving the same activity.     

Nanoporous ultra-high-entropy alloys containing fourteen elements for water splitting electrocatalysis

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are near-equimolar alloys comprising five or more elements. In recent years, catalysis using HEAs has attracted considerable attention across various fields. Herein, we demonstrate the facile synthesis of nanoporous ultra-high-entropy alloys (np-UHEAs) with hierarchical porosity via dealloying. These np-UHEAs contain up to 14 elements, namely, Al, Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Ir, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, and Ti. Furthermore, they exhibit high catalytic activities and electrochemical stabilities in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic media, superior to that of commercial Pt/graphene and IrO₂ catalysts. Our results offer valuable insights for the selection of elements as catalysts for various applications.

Nanoporous ultra-high-entropy alloys containing 14 elements (Al, Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Ir, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, and Ti) were obtained by dealloying. The products showed excellent electrocatalytic performance for water splitting in acidic media.     

Water‐Splitting Electrocatalysis in Acid Conditions Using Ruthenate‐Iridate Pyrochlores

The pyrochlore solid solution (Na_0.33Ce_0.67)₂(Ir_1?xRu_x)₂O₇ (0≤x≤1), containing B‐site Ru^IV and Ir^IV is prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and used as a catalyst layer for electrochemical oxygen evolution from water at pH<7. The materials have atomically mixed Ru and Ir and their nanocrystalline form allows effective fabrication of electrode coatings with improved charge densities over a typical (Ru,Ir)O₂ catalyst. An in situ study of the catalyst layers using XANES spectroscopy at the Ir L_III and Ru K edges shows that both Ru and Ir participate in redox chemistry at oxygen evolution conditions and that Ru is more active than Ir, being oxidized by almost one oxidation state at maximum applied potential, with no evidence for ruthenate or iridate in +6 or higher oxidation states.     

Pressure‐Induced Intersite BiM (M=Ru, Ir) Valence Transitions in Hexagonal Perovskites

Pressure‐induced charge transfer from Bi to Ir/Ru is observed in the hexagonal perovskites Ba_3+nBiM_2+nO_9+3n (n=0,1; M=Ir,Ru). These compounds show first‐order, circa 1 % volume contractions at room temperature above 5 GPa, which are due to the large reduction in the effective ionic radius of Bi when the 6s shell is emptied on oxidation, compared to the relatively negligible effect of reduction on the radii of Ir or Ru. They are the first such transitions involving 4d and 5d compounds, and they double the total number of cases known. Ab initio calculations suggest that magnetic interactions through very short (ca. 2.6 Å) M? M bonds contribute to the finely balanced nature of their electronic states.     

Pressure‐Induced Intersite Bi?M (M=Ru, Ir) Valence Transitions in Hexagonal Perovskites

Pressure‐induced charge transfer from Bi to Ir/Ru is observed in the hexagonal perovskites Ba_3+nBiM_2+nO_9+3n (n=0,1; M=Ir,Ru). These compounds show first‐order, circa 1 % volume contractions at room temperature above 5 GPa, which are due to the large reduction in the effective ionic radius of Bi when the 6s shell is emptied on oxidation, compared to the relatively negligible effect of reduction on the radii of Ir or Ru. They are the first such transitions involving 4d and 5d compounds, and they double the total number of cases known. Ab initio calculations suggest that magnetic interactions through very short (ca. 2.6 Å) M M bonds contribute to the finely balanced nature of their electronic states.     

Oxidation of toluene on Bi-doped PbO<Subscript>2</Subscript> studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and UV spectrophotometry

Oxidation of organics in the potential region of O₂ evolution is supposed to proceed through the oxidation of water to hydroxyl radicals, which then may either be further oxidized to give molecular oxygen or interact with organic molecules in an oxygen transfer reaction. Therefore, the electrode material must ensure (1) the preferential adsorption of the organic compound, (2) the production of adsorbed hydroxyl radicals able to react with this compound in a selective oxidation reaction (with as little as possible oxygen evolution), and (3) a long-term stability. In the present paper, the oxidative decomposition of toluene in sulfuric acid solution on PbO₂ coatings deposited on Ti substrate from acidic nitrate + fluoride baths containing Pb²⁺ and Bi³⁺ is investigated by voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and UV spectrophotometry. The chemical composition and structure of the catalytic coatings is characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The catalytic activity is estimated both from current density vs potential and polarization resistance vs potential plots using measurements on the same electrodes in sulfuric acid without toluene to eliminate the oxygen evolution reaction that proceeds in parallel to the oxidation of toluene. A skeletal reaction mechanism of the process is proposed to account for the steady-state and transient response of the catalytic electrodes during oxidation of toluene.     

Promotion of iridium complex catalysts for HCOOH dehydrogenation by trace oxygen

Ir complexes are important homogeneous catalysts for formic acid (FA) dehydrogenation. This paper reports that the activity of Ir complexes can be greatly improved through the activation by trace amounts of oxygen. After activation the activity of the heterodinuclear Ir–Ru catalyst increased 18-fold whereas for the mononuclear catalyst a 23-fold increase was observed. Oxygen is the key factor for the activation. But an excessive concentration of oxygen has a negative effect on the activity. There is an optimal concentration of H₂O₂ for the activation of Ir complex catalysts in HCOOH dehydrogenation. A very low concentration of oxygen (2.4 × 10^–6 M) is needed for the activation of the heterodinuclear Ir–Ru catalyst while the mononuclear catalyst requires the presence of oxygen in a much higher concentration (290 × 10^–6 M). From the results of the study it can be inferred that the activation of complex catalysts is due to the interplay of chemical and structural changes. These findings may be helpful in the attempts to improve the catalytic activity of homogeneous catalysts, which are widely used in formic acid dehydrogenation, CO₂ reduction and in other processes. In addition, this paper indicates that iridium complexes are excellent catalysts for the direct synthesis of H₂O₂ from the H₂ and O₂.     

Optimizing the electronic structure of Fe-doped Co3O4 supported Ru catalyst via metal-support interaction boosting oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction

Metal-support interaction(MSI) is an efficient way in heterogeneous catalysis and electrocatalysis to modulate the electronic structure of metal for enhanced catalytic activity. However, there are still great challenges in promoting the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) and oxygen evolution reaction(OER) simultaneously by this way. Herein, Fe-doped Co₃O₄ supported Ru(Ru/FeCo) catalysts are synthesized by MSI strategies to further improve the electrocatalytic activity and sta...     

Synthesis of 3D IrRuMn Sphere as a Superior Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalyst in Acidic Environment

The design of a three-dimensional structure for an Ir-based catalyst offers a great opportunity to improve the electrocatalytic performance and maximize the use of the precious metal. Herein, a novel wet chemical strategy is reported for the synthesis of an IrRuMn catalyst with a sphere structure and porous features. In the synthetic process, the combined use of citric acid and formamide is requisite for the formation of the sphere structure. This method leads to a favorable 3D IrRuMn sphere structure with many fully exposed active sites. Furthermore, an alloying noble metal, such as Ir or Ru, with the transition metal leads to enhanced oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. The doping of a transition metal, such as Mn, is an interesting example, because it exhibits stability and activity in both acidic and alkaline media. For the OER, the IrRuMn sphere catalyst exhibits an overpotential of 260 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² in strongly acidic 0.1 m HClO₄, which is superior to that of a commercial IrO₂/C catalyst. This approach provides a novel way to synthesize an Ir-based multimetallic spherical electrocatalyst, which exhibits exceptional efficiency for the acidic OER. It will pave the way for new approaches to the practical utilization of PEM electrolyzers.     

A Dissolution/Precipitation Equilibrium on the Surface of Iridium‐Based Perovskites Controls Their Activity as Oxygen Evolution Reaction Catalysts in Acidic Media

Recently, Ir^V‐based perovskite‐like materials were proposed as oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts in acidic media with promising performance. However, iridium dissolution and surface reconstruction were observed, questioning the real active sites on the surface of these catalysts. In this work, Sr₂MIr^(V)O₆ (M=Fe, Co) and Sr₂Fe_0.5Ir_0.5^(V)O₄ were explored as OER catalysts in acidic media. Their activities were observed to be roughly equal to those previously reported for La₂LiIrO₆ or Ba₂PrIrO₆. Coupling electrochemical measurements with iridium dissolution studies under chemical or electrochemical conditions, we show that the deposition of an IrO_x layer on the surface of these perovskites is responsible for their OER activity. Furthermore, we experimentally reconstruct the iridium Pourbaix diagram, which will help guide future research in controlling the dissolution/precipitation equilibrium of iridium species for the design of better Ir‐based OER catalysts.     

Fast Modulation of d-Band Holes Quantity in the Early Reaction Stages for Boosting Acidic Oxygen Evolution

Synthesis of highly active and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts applied in acidic water electrolysis remains a grand challenge. Here, we construct a type of high-loading iridium single atom catalysts with tunable d-band holes character (h-HL−Ir SACs, ∼17.2 wt % Ir) realized in the early OER operation stages. The in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that the quantity of the d-band holes of Ir active sites can be fast increased by 0.56 unit from the open circuit to a low working potential of 1.35 V. More remarkably, in situ synchrotron infrared and Raman spectroscopies demonstrate the quick accumulation of *OOH and *OH intermediates over holes-modulated Ir sites in the early reaction voltages, achieving a rapid OER kinetics. As a result, this well-designed h-HL−Ir SACs exhibits superior performance for acidic OER with overpotentials of 216 mV @10 mA cm⁻² and 259 mV @100 mA cm⁻², corresponding to a small Tafel slope of 43 mV dec⁻¹. The activity of catalyst shows no evident attenuation after 60 h operation in acidic environment. This work provides some useful hints for the design of superior acidic OER catalysts.     

Strong Ligand Stabilization Based on π-Extension in a Series of Ruthenium Terpyridine Water Oxidation Catalysts

The substitution behavior of the monodentate Cl ligand of a series of ruthenium(II) terpyridine complexes (terpyridine (tpy)=2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine) has been investigated. ¹H NMR kinetic experiments of the dissociation of the chloro ligand in D₂O for the complexes [Ru(tpy)(bpy)Cl]Cl ( 1 , bpy=2,2’-bipyridine) and [Ru(tpy)(dppz)Cl]Cl ( 2 , dppz=dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine) as well as the binuclear complex [Ru(bpy)₂(tpphz)Ru(tpy)Cl]Cl₃ ( 3 b , tpphz=tetrapyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c:3′′,2′′-h:2′′′,3′′′-j]phenazine) were conducted, showing increased stability of the chloride ligand for compounds 2 and 3 due to the extended π-system. Compounds 1 – 5 ( 4 =[Ru(tbbpy)₂(tpphz)Ru(tpy)Cl](PF₆)₃, 5 =[Ru(bpy)₂(tpphz)Ru(tpy)(C₃H₈OS)/(H₂O)](PF₆)₃, tbbpy=4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine) are tested for their ability to run water oxidation catalysis (WOC) using cerium(IV) as sacrificial oxidant. The WOC experiments suggest that the stability of monodentate (chloride) ligand strongly correlates to catalytic performance, which follows the trend 1 > 2 > 5 ≥ 3 > 4 . This is also substantiated by quantum chemical calculations, which indicate a stronger binding for the chloride ligand based on the extended π-systems in compounds 2 and 3 . Additionally, a theoretical model of the mechanism of the oxygen evolution of compounds 1 and 2 is presented; this suggests no differences in the elementary steps of the catalytic cycle within the bpy to the dppz complex, thus suggesting that differences in the catalytic performance are indeed based on ligand stability. Due to the presence of a photosensitizer and a catalytic unit, binuclear complexes 3 and 4 were tested for photocatalytic water oxidation. The bridging ligand architecture, however, inhibits the effective electron-transfer cascade that would allow photocatalysis to run efficiently. The findings of this study can elucidate critical factors in catalyst design.     

单核钌催化剂化学催化和光催化水氧化反应

合成了一系列含有不同对位取代基团的吡啶轴向配体的单核钌化合物Ru(bda)(pic)₂ (H₂bda=2,2''-联吡啶-6,6''-二羧酸; pic=对甲基吡啶),对化合物的结构进行了核磁、质谱和X射线单晶衍射表征,并在中性和酸性条件下研究了这些化合物的电化学性质.以硝酸铈铵为氧化剂,对催化剂的催化活性进行了测试,并以[Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺为光敏剂,S₂O₈^2-为电子牺牲剂,在三组分体系中考察了这些化合物的光催化活性.研究发现,在化学法水氧化反应中,化合物1由于其轴向配体4,4''-联吡啶在酸性条件下能够发生质子化,从而增强了吸电子效应,因此表现出最高的催化活性,催化循环数达到4000.在光催化水氧化反应中,化合物2因其轴向配体具有最强的吸电子能力而表现出最高的催化活性,反应2h的催化循环数达到270.结果表明,轴向配体的吸电子能力明显提高了这类Ru催化剂催化水氧化反应活性.     

Low Ruthenium Content Confined on Boron Carbon Nitride as an Efficient and Stable Electrocatalyst for Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

To date, only a few noble metal oxides exhibit the required efficiency and stability as oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts under the acidic, high-voltage conditions that exist during proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE). The high cost and scarcity of these catalysts hinder the large-scale application of PEMWE. Here, we report a novel OER electrocatalyst for OER comprised of uniformly dispersed Ru clusters confined on boron carbon nitride (BCN) support. Compared to RuO₂, our BCN-supported catalyst shows enhanced charge transfer. It displays a low overpotential of 164 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², suggesting its excellent OER catalytic activity. This catalyst was able to operate continuously for over 12 h under acidic conditions, whereas RuO₂ without any support fails in 1 h. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the interaction between the N on BCN support and Ru clusters changes the adsorption capacity and reduces the OER energy barrier, which increases the electrocatalytic activity of Ru.     

Asymmetric Coordination of Iridium Single-atom IrN3O Boosting Formic Acid Oxidation Catalysis

Rational design of the proximal coordination of an active site to achieve its optimum catalytic activity is the ultimate goal in single-atom catalysis, but still challenging. Here, we report theoretical prediction and experimental realization of an asymmetrically coordinated iridium single-atom catalyst (IrN₃O) for the formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR). Theoretical calculations reveal that the substitution of one or two nitrogen with more electronegative oxygen in the symmetric IrN₄ motif splits and downshifts the Ir 5d orbitals with respect to the Fermi level, moderating the binding strength of key intermediates on IrN_4−xO_x (x=1, 2) sites, especially that the IrN₃O motif shows ideal activity for FAOR with a near-zero overpotential. The as-designed asymmetric Ir motifs were realized by pyrolyzing Ir precursor with oxygen-rich glucose and nitrogen-rich melamine, exhibiting a mass activity of 25 and 87 times greater than those of state-of-the-art Pd/C and Pt/C, respectively.     

Activating Inert,Nonprecious Perovskites with Iridium Dopants for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction under Acidic Conditions

Simultaneous realization of improved activity, enhanced stability, and reduced cost remains a desirable yet challenging goal in the search of oxygen evolution electrocatalysts in acid. Herein we report iridium‐containing strontium titanates (Ir‐STO) as active and stable, low‐iridium perovskite electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acid. The Ir‐STO contains 57 wt % less iridium relative to the benchmark catalyst IrO₂, but it exhibits more than 10 times higher catalytic activity for OER. It is shown to be among the most efficient iridium‐based oxide electrocatalysts for OER in acid. Theoretical results reveal that the incorporation of iridium dopants in the STO matrix activates the intrinsically inert titanium sites, strengthening the surface oxygen adsorption on titanium sites and thereby giving nonprecious titanium catalytic sites that have activities close to or even better than iridium sites.     

Activating Inert,Nonprecious Perovskites with Iridium Dopants for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction under Acidic Conditions

Simultaneous realization of improved activity, enhanced stability, and reduced cost remains a desirable yet challenging goal in the search of oxygen evolution electrocatalysts in acid. Herein we report iridium‐containing strontium titanates (Ir‐STO) as active and stable, low‐iridium perovskite electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acid. The Ir‐STO contains 57 wt % less iridium relative to the benchmark catalyst IrO₂, but it exhibits more than 10 times higher catalytic activity for OER. It is shown to be among the most efficient iridium‐based oxide electrocatalysts for OER in acid. Theoretical results reveal that the incorporation of iridium dopants in the STO matrix activates the intrinsically inert titanium sites, strengthening the surface oxygen adsorption on titanium sites and thereby giving nonprecious titanium catalytic sites that have activities close to or even better than iridium sites.     

Pyrazole Based Mono‐ and Di‐Substituted Half Sandwich d6 Platinum Group Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Spectral Characterization

Reactions of pyrazole based ligand and halide bridged arene d⁶ metal precursors resulted a series of mono and di‐substituted pyrazole based half sandwich d⁶ metal complexes. In general, they are formulated as [(arene)MLCl₂] [M = Ru, arene = benzene ( 1 ), p‐cymene ( 2 ), arene = Cp*, M = Rh ( 3 ) and Ir ( 4 )] and [(arene)ML₂Cl] [M = Ru, arene = benzene ( 5 ), p‐cymene ( 6 ), arene = Cp*, M = Rh ( 7 ) and Ir ( 8 )]. All these complexes were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques (IR, ¹H NMR, ESI‐MS, and UV/Vis). The molecular structures were confirmed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction technique. Spectroscopic studies revealed that complexation i.e., mono‐ and di‐substitution occurred by the ratio‐based reaction between pyrazole ligand and metal precursor through the neutral nitrogen rather than protic nitrogen. In these complexes deprotonation of the protic nitrogen does not occur unlike the other complexes containing pyrazole derivatives, in which the pyrazole ligand is anionic.     

Ligand Effect on the Stability of Water-Soluble Iridium Catalysts for High-Pressure Hydrogen Gas Production by Dehydrogenation of Formic Acid

Aiming to develop a highly effective and durable catalyst for high-pressure H₂ production from dehydrogenation of formic acid (DFA), the ligand effect on the catalytic activity and stability of Cp*Ir (Cp*:pentamethylcyclopentadienyl anion) complexes were investigated using 5 different kinds of N,N’-bidentate ligands (bipyridine, biimidazoline, pyridyl-imidazoline, pyridyl-pyrazole and picolinamide). The Ir complex with biimidazoline ligand exhibited the highest catalytic activity, but deactivation occurred readily at high pressure. The pyridine moiety in the ligand can enhance the stability of Ir complex catalysts for the high-pressure reaction. The Ir complex catalyst containing pyridyl-imidazoline ligand showed the high activity and best stability under the high-pressure conditions.     

Catalytic activity of the VIII Group metals in the hydrogenation and isomerization of α- and β-pinenes

The kinetic regularities of the liquid-phase hydrogenation and isomerization of α- and β-pinenes over the Pd/C, Ru/C, Rh/C, Pt/C, and Ir/C catalysts were studied at temperatures ranging from 20 to 100 °C and at hydrogen pressures of 1–11 bar using n-octane as the solvent. The hydrogenation and isomerization of α- and β-pinenes occur simultaneously on the Ru/C, Rh/C, Pt/C, and Ir/C catalysts, and the reaction mixture contains the products of double bond hydrogenation, viz., cis- and trans-pinanes. The Ru, Rh, and Pd metals have a higher catalytic activity in β-pinene isomerization than Ir and Pt. Among the VIII Group metals studied, the Pd-based catalyst has the highest catalytic activity in double bond isomerization of α- and β-pinenes. The general scheme of the mechanism of hydrogenation and isomerization of α- and β-pinenes on the Pd/C catalyst was proposed.