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Electrochemical behavior and corrosion resistance of IrO2-ZrO2 binary oxide coatings for promoting oxygen evolution in sulfuric acid solution

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Abstract

In this study, we prepared Ti/IrO2-ZrO2 electrodes with different ZrO2 contents using zirconium-n-butoxide (C16H36O4Zr) and chloroiridic acid (H2IrCl6) via a sol-gel route. To explore the effect of ZrO2 content on the surface properties and electrochemical behavior of electrodes, we performed physical characterizations and electrochemical measurements. The obtained results revealed that the binary oxide coating was composed of rutile IrO2, amorphous ZrO2, and an IrO2-ZrO2 solid solution. The IrO2-ZrO2 binary oxide coatings exhibited cracked structures with flat regions. A slight incorporation of ZrO2 promoted the crystallization of the active component IrO2. However, the crystallization of IrO2 was hindered when the added ZrO2 content was greater than 30at%. The appropriate incorporation of ZrO2 enhanced the electrocatalytic performance of the pure IrO2 coating. The Ti/70at%IrO2-30at%ZrO2 electrode, with its large active surface area, improved electrocatalytic activity, long service lifetime, and especially, lower cost, is the most effective for promoting oxygen evolution in sulfuric acid solution.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U1802253, 51974025 and 51674026), the Guangxi Innovation-Driven Development Project (No. AA18242042-1), the Beijing Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 2182040), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (FRF22TT-19-001).

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  1. School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Bao Liu, Shuo Wang, Cheng-yan Wang, Bao-zhong Ma & Yong-qiang Chen

  2. Beijing Key Laboratory of Rare and Precious Metals Green Recycling and Extraction, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Cheng-yan Wang, Bao-zhong Ma & Yong-qiang Chen

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  1. Bao Liu
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Correspondence to Cheng-yan Wang or Bao-zhong Ma.

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Liu, B., Wang, S., Wang, Cy. et al. Electrochemical behavior and corrosion resistance of IrO2-ZrO2 binary oxide coatings for promoting oxygen evolution in sulfuric acid solution. Int J Miner Metall Mater 27, 264–273 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1847-0

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