Sr dope rutile-RuO2 for enhanced Proton exchange membrane electrolyzed water

As an OER catalyst under acidic conditions, Ir has a high cost and poor activity. Ru is the most promising Ir substitute due to its lower cost and higher catalytic activity, and the development of Ir substitutes has become an urgent need. Herein, we have designed and prepared Sr-doped RuO2 to achieve an ultra-low overpotential (197 mV@ 10 mA cm-2).In the PEM single cell, a low pool voltage (1.686 V) was achieved at a current density of 1 A cm-2, together with a high stability retention over 400 h of testing. In addition, the catalytic degradation rates (4.63 ng h-1) were significantly lower than those of commercial RuO2, and the activity is attributed to the increased number of Ru3+ active sites and the very small size (5.10 nm). This work provides a new approach for the development of non-Ir-based catalysts with high activity and stability for acidic oxygen precipitation.