Catalytic Activity and Stability of Non-Platinum Group Metal Oxides for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers

The activities and stabilities of non-platinum group metals (PGMs) in the forms of monometallic (Mn₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, Co₃O₄, NiO) and bimetallic (NiFe₂O₄, CoNiO₂) oxides were assessed for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media and compared with IrO₂. Both half-cell, rotating disc electrode (RDE) apparatus and single-cell, membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) were used to study kinetic and device-level performance in parallel and to provide insights into the use of these materials in anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzers. Normalization of RDE results by geometric and physical surface areas, double layer capacitance, and metal content probed differences in physically vs electrochemically accessible surface areas and ensured reported trends were independent of the normalization method. The results showed that: (i) Ni- and Co- containing materials met or exceeded IrO₂ performance in both RDE and MEA testing, (ii) Co₃O₄ deactivated over time-on-stream (1.8 V for 13.5 h) due to oxide and, relatedly, particle growth, (iii) NiFe₂O₄ increased in activity over time-on-stream due to dissolution of Fe and an increased Ni/Fe ratio, and (iv) reduction of catalyst layer resistance is an avenue to further increase device-level performance. These results demonstrated the clear viability for non-PGMs to be used as anode catalysts in AEM devices.