@article{Yun2025, 
author = {Young Hwa Yun and KyeongSoo Yoon and Segi Byun and HyeongJung Park and Gisu Doo and SangKyung Kim and MinJoong Kim and Hyun-Seok Cho and Byeong-Seon An and Bonjae Koo and Changsoo Lee},
title = {Hollow Bi2Te3 nanowire supported Ir for highly active and durable oxygen evolution reaction in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis},
year = {2025},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {18},
number = {11},
pages = {94908097},
keywords = {oxygen evolution reaction (OER), Bi2Te3, support, Ir based electrocatalysts, hollow nanowire},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2025.94908097},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2025.94908097},
abstract = {The imperative demand for energy paradigm shift toward renewable and sustainable energy sources has intensified interest in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) as a clean and efficient hydrogen production technology. However, the practical application of PEMWE is hindered by the scarcity and high cost of iridium (Ir), the state-of-the-art electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). To reduce Ir loading without compromising performance, we report a novel hollow Bi2Te3 (h-Bi2Te3) nanowire as a conductive and acid-tolerant support for Ir-based OER electrocatalysts. The h-Bi2Te3 nanowires were synthesized via a two-step wet chemical synthesis involving Te nanowire growth and subsequent Bi incorporation, with controlled hollowness induced by modulating the reducing agent concentration. Ir nanoparticles were uniformly deposited onto h-Bi2Te3 via polyol method, forming amorphous and well-dispersed Ir catalytic layers. Ir/h-Bi2Te3 catalyst achieved an outstanding OER overpotential of 268 mV at 10 mA/cm2, a mass activity of 460 mA/mgIr at 1.55 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), and superior stability over 5 h, surpassing commercial IrOx/TiO2, commercial Ir black, and Ir/Te benchmarks. The enhanced performance was attributed to the strong metal–support interaction, improved charge transfer, and enlarged electrochemically active surface area. Moreover, Ir/h-Bi2Te3 catalyst demonstrated outstanding single-cell performance of 1.811 V at 2.0 A/cm2 with extremely low Ir loading (0.1 mgIr/cm2) and long-term durability (a cell voltage increase of 36.6 mV during 100 h at 1.0 A/cm2), confirming its strong potential as a practical anode electrocatalyst for PEMWE. This study highlights the promise of morphology-engineered h-Bi2Te3 supports for advancing cost-effective and durable PEMWE systems.}
}