Lanthanum-assisted lattice anchoring of iridium in Co3O4 for efficient oxygen evolution reaction in low-iridium water electrolysis

Zhuoming Wei, Yunxuan Ding (), Weili Shi, Feiyang Zhang, Yuxiang Song, Xin Cui, Yu Guo, Licheng Sun, Qike Jiang and Biaobiao Zhang ()
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Zhuoming Wei: Westlake University
Yunxuan Ding: Westlake University
Weili Shi: Westlake University
Feiyang Zhang: Westlake University
Yuxiang Song: Westlake University
Xin Cui: Westlake University
Yu Guo: Westlake University
Licheng Sun: Westlake University
Qike Jiang: Westlake University
Biaobiao Zhang: Westlake University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract The use of single-atom catalysts is an effective way to reduce the amount of iridium in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEM-WE). However, conventional methods can only obtain surface-loaded single atoms or clusters which cannot meet the needs of high current density and stability. In this study, assisted by lanthanum-doping-induced ion exchange, we realize atomically anchoring iridium within the Co3O4 lattice. The lattice anchored iridium in lanthanum-doped Co3O4 exhibits higher atomic dispersion, a larger average coordination number, and an elevated oxidation state. This improvement stimulates the oxide path mechanism (OPM), resulting in enhanced activity (236 mV at 10 mA cm−2) and stability (1000 h at 10 mA cm−2). Impressively, our catalyst demonstrates notable performance in a PEM electrolyzer with an iridium mass loading of just 0.2 mgIr cm−2, achieving a low cell voltage of 1.61 V at 1.0 A cm−2 and maintaining stable operation for over 1000 h. This work presents an effective strategy for fabricating low-noble-metal-loading catalysts with enhanced efficiency for PEM-WE.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63577-x

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