Characterization of Nanoporous Metal-Ionic Liquid Composites for the Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The activity for an electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is most often assessed using bare metal electrodes in direct contact with an aqueous electrolyte. This architecture allows all reactants and products to have equivalent geometric access to the catalyst surface, but this does not always lead to an optimal reaction environment. By adding an intermediate phase as a layer between the catalyst and the electrolyte, diffusive driving forces can be engineered into the system to force reactants to the catalyst and products away from it, increasing the overall system activity. For instance, previous research explored nanoporous Ni/Pt electrodes encapsulated with the ionic liquid [MTBD][beti]. The high oxygen solubility in this ionic liquid was thought to explain the nearly doubled increase in the composite electrocatalyst activity, but it is possible that other ionic liquid properties (water solubility, oxygen diffusivity, ionic conductivity, viscosity) might also be affecting ORR activity. In this work, we surveyed a number of ionic liquids in nanoporous NiPt/ionic liquid composite catalysts with an eye toward clarifying to what extent the physical properties of the IL have on the activity of the composite ORR catalyst. Overall, we find the oxygen solubility and water solubility most strongly affect the decrease in ORR overpotential.