Toward Enhancing Activity and Stability of OER Catalysts in Acidic Media
Sanchayita Mukhopadhyay a, María Escudero Escribano a, Camilo Arturo Mesa Zamora a, Silvia Favero a
a Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), Barcelona 08193 Catalonia, Spain
Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2026 Conference (MATSUSSpring26)
G5 In Situ and Operando Characterization Across Disciplines: Advanced Lab-Based Techniques for Energy Conversion Research
Barcelona, Spain, 2026 March 23rd - 27th
Organizers: Johanna Eichhorn and Verena Streibel
Poster, Sanchayita Mukhopadhyay, 899
Publication date: 15th December 2025

The acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical kinetic bottleneck in proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers, which are essential for efficient, large-scale green hydrogen production. Here I will discuss recent strategies reported in the field to improve the activity and durability of electrocatalysts for acidic OER which include nanostructuring, defect engineering, doping, support interactions etc. which are approaches that aim to enhance catalyst stability under harsh oxidative conditions. In parallel, I will also present our ongoing efforts using well-defined IrOₓ thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) as model systems to probe structure–activity relationships. Their intrinsic OER activity is evaluated using rotating disk electrode (RDE) measurements in acidic media, while in situ UV–vis spectroscopy is employed to monitor Ir oxidation-state changes during anodic scanning. Overall, this discussion combines recent progresses in catalyst design with mechanistic insights from controlled IrOₓ thin-film studies to help guide the development of more efficient and durable electrocatalysts for next-generation water-splitting technologies.

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