Stable RuZnO_X Catalyst for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode is often hindered by the high cost and limited availability of iridium (Ir)-based catalysts, which are typically used in large-scale applications. The ruthenium (Ru)-based catalysts present promising alternatives due to their lower cost and high OER activity. However, their practical use is complicated by the susceptibility to oxidation and subsequent loss of catalytic activity under harsh operating conditions. This study reports the development of a RuZnOX catalyst derived from ZIF-8 that exhibits high performance. The RuZnOX catalyst exhibited an overpotential of only 295 mV at 10 mA cm–2 and remained stable for 18 h. Moreover, a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer using the RuZnOX anode catalyst achieved a voltage of 1.957 V at 2 A cm–2 and maintained stability for 11 h at 1 A cm–2.