Synthesis and evaluation of TNT during anodic oxidation for OER

Water electrolysis has been demonstrated as a promising technology for renewable energy storage, and it has attracted more and more interests in the conversion from the renewable power to hydrogen. However, water electrolysis in acidic condition, such as proton exchange membrane water electrolysis is still hindered by the high cost of electrolysis system for large-scale application use [1]. For example, in the anode, due to harsh condition such as low pH and high oxidize potential of oxygen evolution reaction (OER), pure IrO2 powders are always used as the catalyst to obtain better performance and durability for water electrolysers. To obtain the cost-effective electrode for OER, one alternate way is developing supported IrO2 catalyst. Among many candidates, TiO2 has shown the potential for supporting IrO2 due to the high surface area, excellent corrosion resistance and electrochemical stability. In addition, some research works also mentioned the possible interaction between IrO2 and TiO2. TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTA) which has highly ordered structures has been widely used in many areas. It can be prepared by electrochemically oxidizing the Ti metal, and because nanotubes are in direct contact with the Ti substrates, it is suitable for fabricating a binder-free electrode.