La- and Mn-doped cobalt spinel oxygen evolution catalyst for proton exchange membrane electrolysis

Discovery of earth-abundant electrocatalysts to replace iridium for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) represents a critical step in reducing the cost for green hydrogen production. We report a nanofibrous cobalt spinel catalyst codoped with lanthanum (La) and manganese (Mn) prepared from a zeolitic imidazolate framework embedded in electrospun polymer fiber. The catalyst demonstrated a low overpotential of 353 millivolts at 10 milliamperes per square centimeter and a low degradation for OER over 360 hours in acidic electrolyte. A PEMWE containing this catalyst at the anode demonstrated a current density of 2000 milliamperes per square centimeter at…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Awards: DE-NA0003525, AC02-06CH11357, DEAC02-06CH11357, NA0003525, -NA0003525, DE-AC02, 06CH11357, DE-AC02-06CH11357, DE-AC02-
• OO
  Office of Science

  Awards: DE-AC02-06CH11357, DE-NA0003525, DEAC02-06CH11357, DE-AC02, 06CH11357, AC02-06CH11357
• NN
  National Nuclear Security Administration

  Awards: DE-AC02-06CH11357, DE-NA0003525, NA0003525
• BE
  Basic Energy Sciences

  Awards: DE-AC02, DEAC02-06CH11357, DE-NA0003525, AC02-06CH11357, 06CH11357
• LD
  Laboratory Directed Research and Development

  Awards: NA0003525, DEAC02-06CH11357, DE-NA0003525, DE-AC02-06CH11357
• HA
  Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office

  Awards: DE-NA0003525, DE-AC02-06CH11357
• OO
  Office of Energy Efficiency
• AN
  Argonne National Laboratory

  Awards: DE-AC02, 06CH11357, DEAC02-06CH11357, AC02-06CH11357
• SN
  Sandia National Laboratories

  Awards: NA0003525, DE-NA0003525
• LB
  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  Awards: DE-AC02-06CH11357, DEAC02-06CH11357