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EP-4737613-A1 - WATER ELECTROLYSIS ELECTRODE, MANUFACTURING METHOD OF WATER ELECTROLYSIS ELECTRODE, WATER ELECTROLYSIS DEVICE, AND USE OF WATER ELECTROLYSIS ELECTRODE

EP4737613A1EP 4737613 A1EP4737613 A1EP 4737613A1EP-4737613-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a water electrolysis electrode, manufacturing method of the water electrolysis electrode, and water electrolysis device, in an embodiment, the water electrolysis electrode may comprise a metal layer and a catalyst layer formed on the metal layer, wherein the catalyst layer may include silver, iridium and ruthenium. The present disclosure further relates to a use of a water electrolysis electrode or a water electrolysis device, for water electrolysis, and to a use of a water electrolysis electrode which is included in a water electrolysis device.

Inventors

  • LIM, YUN JI
  • HAN, HYUN SU
  • SEOK, Tae Hong
  • LEE, TAE KYOUNG

Assignees

  • SK Innovation Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251030

Claims (15)

  1. A water electrolysis electrode (100) comprising: a metal layer (10); and a catalyst layer (20) formed on the metal layer (10), wherein the catalyst layer (20) includes silver, iridium and ruthenium.
  2. The water electrolysis electrode (100) according to claim 1, wherein the metal layer (10) includes (a) one or more selected from the group consisting of a metal mesh, a metal foam, a metal foil, a metal felt, and a metal fiber, and/or (b) one or more metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, nickel, and stainless steel, or an alloy thereof, preferably a titanium felt.
  3. The water electrolysis electrode (100) according to claims 1 or 2, wherein at least some of the silver, iridium and ruthenium included in the catalyst layer (20) electrically interact with each other.
  4. The water electrolysis electrode (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the catalyst layer (20) includes: a first layer (21) including the silver and in contact with the metal layer (10); optionally wherein at least some of the silver included in the first layer (21) is chemically bonded with a metal of the metal layer (10); and a second layer (22) including the iridium and ruthenium and being formed on the first layer (21).
  5. The water electrolysis electrode (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the catalyst layer (20) does not include a binder, optionally wherein the catalyst layer (20) does not include one or more binder substance(s) selected from the group consisting of polymeric binder such as Nafion, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyacrylonitrile, carboxymethylcellulose, or a rubber binder; more specifically the catalyst layer (20) does not include polymeric binder, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyacrylonitrile, carboxymethylcellulose, and a rubber binder.
  6. The water electrolysis electrode according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: the iridium and ruthenium in a weight ratio of 9:1 to 5:5.
  7. The water electrolysis electrode (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, (a) wherein the iridium is included in 0.3wt% to 0.5wt% based on the total weight of the water electrolysis electrode, and/or (b) wherein the ruthenium is included in 0.05wt% to 0.5wt% based on the total weight of the water electrolysis electrode.
  8. A method for manufacturing a water electrolysis electrode (100), comprising: a step of forming a catalyst layer (20) on a metal substrate; wherein the catalyst layer (20) includes silver, iridium, and ruthenium.
  9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the metal substrate includes (a) one or more selected from the group consisting of a metal mesh, a metal foam, a metal foil, a metal felt, and a metal fiber, and/or (b) one or more metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, nickel, and stainless steel, or an alloy thereof, preferably a titanium felt.
  10. The method according to claims 8 or 9, wherein the step of forming the catalyst layer (20) on the metal substrate includes: a step of contacting the metal substrate with a first precursor solution containing silver ions and obtaining a metal substrate having a first layer (21) including silver formed thereon, and a step of contacting the metal substrate having the first layer (21) formed thereon with a second precursor solution containing iridium ions and ruthenium ions, optionally the second precursor solution contains iridium ions and ruthenium ions in a molarity ratio of 9:1 to 5:5, and forming a second layer (22) including iridium and ruthenium on the first layer (21).
  11. The method according to claim 10, (a) wherein the step of obtaining the metal substrate having the first layer (21) includes a step of heat-treating the metal substrate having the first layer (21), and/or (b) wherein the step of forming the second layer (22) includes a step of heat-treating the metal substrate having the second layer (22).
  12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising: a step of acid-treating the metal substrate before the step of forming the catalyst layer (20) on the metal substrate.
  13. A water electrolysis device, comprising: an anode; a cathode; and a membrane positioned between the anode and the cathode, wherein the anode includes a metal layer (10) and a catalyst layer (20) formed on the metal layer (10), the catalyst layer (20) includes silver, iridium, and ruthenium.
  14. Use of a water electrolysis electrode as defined in any of claims 1 to 7, or a water electrolysis device of claim 13, for water electrolysis.
  15. Use of a water electrolysis electrode as defined in any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the water electrolysis electrode is included in a water electrolysis device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field The present disclosure relates to a water electrolysis electrode, a method of manufacturing a water electrolysis electrode, a water electrolysis device, and a use of a water electrolysis electrode. 2. Description of the Related Art Hydrogen energy is a clean energy and is attracting attention as one of the promising alternative energies to solve energy problems in the long term. Among hydrogen production methods, the water electrolysis method, which uses electric energy to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, i.e., does not emit carbon dioxide, has attracted much attention because it is environmentally friendly and can contribute significantly to achieving carbon neutrality. The water electrolysis reaction includes the Oxygen Generating reaction (also referred to as "Oxygen Evolution Reaction") (OER), which occurs at the oxygen generating (evolution) electrode of the water electrolysis system, and the Hydrogen Generating reaction (also referred to as "Hydrogen Evolution Reaction") (HER), which occurs at the hydrogen generating (evolution) electrode, and the half-cell reaction and full-cell reaction in acidic and alkaline media, respectively, can be represented as shown in the following Reactions 1 and 2.         [Reaction 1] (in acidic media)     Oxygen generating reaction: 2H2O(l)→ O2(g) + 4H+ + 4e- Hydrogen generating reaction: 4H+ + 4e-→ 2H2(g) Overall reaction: H2O(l)→ H2(g) + 1/2O2 (g)         [Reaction 2] (in alkaline media)     Oxygen generating reaction: 2OH-→ 1/2O2(g) + H2O(l) + 2e- Hydrogen generating reaction: 2H2O(l) + 2e-→H2(g) + 2OH- Overall reaction: H2O(l)→ H2(g) + 1/2O2(g) On the other hand, due to the slower reaction rate of the oxygen generating reaction than the hydrogen generating reaction in the water electrolysis reaction, an overpotential higher than the theoretical oxygen generating reaction voltage can be generated, so in order to reduce the reaction overpotential and improve the oxygen generating performance and efficiency, catalysts for precious metal electrodes such as platinum and iridium and electrodes applied to them are mainly used. However, the application of precious metal-based catalysts is associated with high costs and difficulty in controlling supply and demand. Therefore, there is a need to develop a water electrolysis electrode, specifically an oxygen generating electrode, that can replace precious metal-based catalysts or reduce the precious metal content, while at the same time having an improved oxygen generating reaction performance. Thus, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, a water electrolysis electrode having a comparably low precious metal loading and at the same time an excellent oxygen generating reaction performance and a water electrolysis device including the same is provided. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a water electrolysis electrode capable of efficiently manufacturing a water electrolysis electrode is provided. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a use of a water electrolysis electrode as disclosed herein for water electrolysis is provided. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a use of a water electrolysis electrode that is included in a water electrolysis device, is provided. Meanwhile, the present disclosure can be widely applied to electric vehicles, battery charging stations, energy storage systems (ESS), and other green technology fields such as photovoltaics and wind power using battery cells. In addition, the electrode assembly according to the present disclosure and the battery cell including the same can be used for eco-friendly mobility and the like including electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles for preventing climate change by suppressing air pollution and greenhouse fluid emission. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure refers to the following: A water electrolysis electrode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a metal layer; and a catalyst layer formed on the metal layer, wherein the catalyst layer includes silver, iridium and ruthenium. In an embodiment, the metal layer may include one or more selected from the group consisting of a metal mesh, a metal foam, a metal foil, a metal felt, and a metal fiber. In an embodiment, the metal layer includes, or is, a metal mesh or a metal felt. In a preferred embodiment, the metal layer is a metal felt. In a further preferred embodiment if the metal layer comprises or is titanium, the metal layer is a metal felt. In an embodiment, the metal layer may include one or more metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, nickel, and stainless steel, or an alloy thereof. In an embodiment, the metal layer may include a titanium felt. In an embodiment, at least some of the silver, iridium and ruthenium included in the catalyst layer may be electrically interact with each other. In an embodiment, the catalyst layer may