Oxide-hybridized carbon as a catalyst support for efficient anion exchange membrane water electrolysis

Abstract

The performance of anion exchange membrane water electrolysis, a key technology for achieving net-zero carbon emissions, can be improved by introducing an appropriate catalyst support. However, the ideal support material for water electrolysis remains debatable. Recent efforts focused on enhancing the corrosion resistance by using highly crystalline carbon as a carbon-based support. Despite this progress, the defects intrinsic to carbon emphasize the need for effective passivation strategies to ensure long-term stability and reliability. Addressing this challenge, here we introduce Ti to passivate these surface defects, resulting in oxide-hybridized supports with significantly improved corrosion resistance. The layered double hydroxide catalyst loaded on the Ti-hybridized carbon demonstrates notable performance (8.5 A cm-2 at 2 V) and durability (0.17 mV h-1 over 900 h at 1 A cm-2). The enhanced activity can be attributed to the efficient OH- supply, as confirmed by in-situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy measurements and theoretical calculations. This study provides a foundation for the development of advanced catalyst supports for water electrolysis.