High-stability K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 Anode Catalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis under Industrial Operation Conditions

High-stability K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 Anode Catalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis under Industrial Operation Conditions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article High-stability K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 Anode Catalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis under Industrial Operation Conditions Deren Yang, Yue Yang, Yufeng Qin, Yubo Liu, Kang Hua, Gang Wang, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8829508/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract While reducing Ir with Ru has emerged as a prominent research trend in anode catalysts for cost reduction and activity enhancement, achieving long-term durability in proton-exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer (PEMWE) technology remains a significant challenge. Here, we develop a 1D K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 nanowire as anode catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Comprehensive characterization confirms that K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 possesses a novel crystal structure in which K⁺ intercalated between Ir and Ru atomic columns provides sufficient stabilization in neighboring bimetallic sites. Synergy between bimetallic atomic columns in this Ru-rich catalyst reduces the Gibbs free energy and weakens O* adsorption in the Ir-like AEM pathway. Therefore, the K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 catalyst exhibits exceptional OER activity, achieving an ultralow overpotential of 184 mV at 10 mA cmgeo-2 in a three-electrode system and a low cell voltage of 1.775 V at 3.0 A cmgeo-2 in a PEMWE system. The long-term stability of the Ru-rich structure in this potassium-metal oxides is further demonstrated under both steady-state operation (>6500 h) and simulated dynamic power inputs (>2800 h). By synergistically merging Ru-like activity with Ir-like durability, K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 holds great potential to bridge the gap between fundamental research and industrial PEMWE application for Ru-based catalysts. Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for energy and catalysis/Electrocatalysis Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupportingInformation.docx Supporting Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8829508","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":596560726,"identity":"8ce69d01-6941-4cf5-aecb-1482bed47f32","order_by":0,"name":"Deren Yang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLACHhDB3gDjJhCrhecAyVok4CoJaDE4fvbwizcV9+TMJd8e/PBxx2EGfvYcA4afO/BoOZOXZjnnTLGx5ey8ZMmZZw4zSPa8MWDsPYNHy4EcM2PetoTEDbdzzJh52w4zGNzIMWBmbMOj5fwboJZ/CfUbbp4xY/4L1GJPUMuNHOPHvA0JCQY3eMyAKoG2SBDQInnjjRnjnGMJhhvO5BhL9p5J55E486zgYC8eLXznc4w/vKlJkDc4fsbww88d1nL87ckbH/zEo0XhAAObBJzH2ACJowO4NTAwyDcwMH9A1jIKRsEoGAWjAAMAADoRVWk7cQ4gAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2133-8612","institution":"North China Electric Power University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Deren","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":596560728,"identity":"8b1b12b4-6103-4413-a2e5-8f6b56cd9f9a","order_by":1,"name":"Yue Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North China Electric Power University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yue","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":596560731,"identity":"b0271296-97a5-486c-8509-154f985e3364","order_by":2,"name":"Yufeng Qin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North China Electric Power University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yufeng","middleName":"","lastName":"Qin","suffix":""},{"id":596560733,"identity":"c5f2ec1e-7b7f-4652-ba40-4d1e6fe5920d","order_by":3,"name":"Yubo Liu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North China Electric Power University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yubo","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""},{"id":596560736,"identity":"c39fa540-3f5b-4b00-bb80-4c696b1b65c7","order_by":4,"name":"Kang Hua","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North China Electric Power University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kang","middleName":"","lastName":"Hua","suffix":""},{"id":596560738,"identity":"5843d564-7e90-416d-a64d-b9f98aa3acf1","order_by":5,"name":"Gang Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North China Electric Power University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gang","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":596560741,"identity":"33cfce43-dc69-44b5-82ef-706f49339d1e","order_by":6,"name":"Jianguo Liu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North China Electric Power University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jianguo","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-09 10:58:34","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8829508/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8829508/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103774664,"identity":"96e6156d-9508-490c-bf65-b913b45d18a8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-02 18:12:31","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1205960,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8829508/v1_covered_168eaebf-ec94-4a74-b017-c8ae8b086ea4.pdf"},{"id":103774641,"identity":"54943ea6-b19b-42c0-b02e-2eb231026828","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-02 18:12:25","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":180292458,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Supporting Information","description":"","filename":"SupportingInformation.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8829508/v1/f3aed50cd154a0d29cdbfde1.docx"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"High-stability K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 Anode Catalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis under Industrial Operation Conditions","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8829508/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8829508/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"While reducing Ir with Ru has emerged as a prominent research trend in anode catalysts for cost reduction and activity enhancement, achieving long-term durability in proton-exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer (PEMWE) technology remains a significant challenge. Here, we develop a 1D K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 nanowire as anode catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Comprehensive characterization confirms that K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 possesses a novel crystal structure in which K⁺ intercalated between Ir and Ru atomic columns provides sufficient stabilization in neighboring bimetallic sites. Synergy between bimetallic atomic columns in this Ru-rich catalyst reduces the Gibbs free energy and weakens O* adsorption in the Ir-like AEM pathway. Therefore, the K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 catalyst exhibits exceptional OER activity, achieving an ultralow overpotential of 184 mV at 10 mA cmgeo-2 in a three-electrode system and a low cell voltage of 1.775 V at 3.0 A cmgeo-2 in a PEMWE system. The long-term stability of the Ru-rich structure in this potassium-metal oxides is further demonstrated under both steady-state operation (\u003e6500 h) and simulated dynamic power inputs (\u003e2800 h). By synergistically merging Ru-like activity with Ir-like durability, K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 holds great potential to bridge the gap between fundamental research and industrial PEMWE application for Ru-based catalysts.","manuscriptTitle":"High-stability K0.25Ir0.5Ru0.5O2 Anode Catalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis under Industrial Operation Conditions","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-02 18:12:18","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8829508/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-synthesis","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"natsynth","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nature Synthesis](https://www.nature.com/natsynth/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://mts-natsynth.nature.com/cgi-bin/main.plex","title":"Nature Synthesis","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Nature Research","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"217c8f17-4475-4a48-9957-a22e286b64e4","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 2nd, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":63477692,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials"},{"id":63477693,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for energy and catalysis/Electrocatalysis"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-10T01:00:15+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-02 18:12:18","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8829508","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8829508","identity":"rs-8829508","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}