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Abstract: The development of affordable, low-iridium-loading, scalable, active, and stable catalysts for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) is a requirement for the commercialization of proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs). However, the synthesis of high-performance OER catalysts with minimal use of the rare and expensive element Ir is very challenging and requires the identification of electrically conductive and stable high-surface-area support materials. We developed a synthesis procedure for the production of large quantities of a nanocomposite powder containing titanium oxynitride (TiONx) and Ir. The catalysts were synthesized with an anodic oxidation process followed by detachment, milling, thermal treatment, and the deposition of Ir nanoparticles. The anodization time was varied to grow three different types of nanotubular structures exhibiting different lengths and wall thicknesses and thus a variety of properties. A comparison of milled samples with different degrees of nanotubular clustering and morphology retention, but with identical chemical compositions and Ir nanoparticle size distributions and dispersions, revealed that the nanotubular support morphology is the determining factor governing the catalyst’s OER activity and stability. Our study is supported by various state-of-the-art materials’ characterization techniques, like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, Xray powder diffraction and absorption spectroscopy, and electrochemical cyclic voltammetry. Anodic oxidation proved to be a very suitable way to produce high-surface-area powder-type catalysts as the produced material greatly outperformed the IrO2 benchmarks as well as the Ir-supported samples on morphologically different TiONx from previous studies. The highest activity was achieved for the sample prepared with 3 h of anodization, which had the most appropriate morphology for the effective removal of oxygen bubbles.
Keywords: electrocatalysis, oxygen-evolution reaction, TiONx-Ir powder catalyst, iridium nanoparticles, anodic oxidation, morphology−activity correlation
Published in RUNG: 04.01.2021; Views: 3945; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: In this study the uptake capacity of Mn(II) ions by zeolite A beads was investigated for different initial Mn concentration (100e400 mg Mn dm^-3) in batch mode at 25e55 C. The obtained adsorption capacity varying from 30 to 50 mg Mn g^-1 demonstrated a high affinity of zeolite A towards Mn(II) present in solutions. Kinetic studies indicated the intra-particle diffusion as the rate limiting step up to 45 C with apparent diffusivities in the range (1.2e2.0) x 10^-13 m2 s^-1 and the activation energy of 21.9 kJ mol^-1, which implies strong interactions between the zeolite A and Mn ions. At 55 C ion-exchange became the rate limiting step. The adsorption isotherms were studied at 25 C showing that the Mn adsorption is the best described by the Langmuir model suggesting a homogenous zeolite surface. XPS analysis of the Mnloaded beads showed that there is no surface accumulation of Mn but an almost uniform Mn distribution inside zeolite A, whereas XANES and EXAFS suggested that the adsorption of Mn(II) was followed by the Mn(II) oxidation and oxide formation. Regeneration of the spent zeolite was examined in 8 adsorption/desorption cycles by a chelating Na2EDTA in a fluidized column. It has been found that zeolite A beads could be reused for at least 4 cycles with satisfactory Mn(II) adsorption efficiencies of about 70%.
Keywords: Zeolite A Manganese Adsorption kinetics EXAFS/XANES XPS
Published in RUNG: 01.04.2016; Views: 6773; Downloads: 0
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