Megalibrary Platform for Oxygen Evolution Reaction Catalysts

NU2023-039

INVENTORS

Chad Mirkin*
Jin Huang

SHORT DESCRIPTION
A high-throughput nanoparticle megalibrary platform for discovering multielemental catalysts with enhanced activity and stability for oxygen evolution reactions in electrochemical energy systems.

BACKGROUND
The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical reaction in electrochemical processes, such as water electrolysis and CO₂ reduction. However, current OER catalysts often rely on expensive noble metals like iridium and platinum, which limits scalability. Traditional discovery methods are slow and inefficient due to the complexity of the materials genome. There is a pressing need for a rapid, cost-effective approach to identify high-performance, stable catalysts that reduce reliance on rare elements.

ABSTRACT
This technology introduces a megalibrary-based platform containing over 100 million distinct nanoparticles on a compact chip, enabling high-throughput screening of multielemental catalysts for the acidic OER. By integrating stable and active elements into alloy compositions, the platform identifies catalysts with superior intrinsic activity and reduced precious metal content. Compositions such as Ir48Ru27Co9Pt16 and Ir31Ru46Co13Pt10 have demonstrated promising performance and stability in rotating disk electrode (RDE) tests. This approach not only accelerates catalyst discovery but also supports scalable synthesis for deployment in water electrolyzers and CO₂ conversion systems.

APPLICATIONS

Water Electrolysis Catalysts: for efficient green hydrogen production.
CO₂ Conversion Systems: enhances OER in electrochemical CO₂ reduction.
Electrolyzers for Ammonia Synthesis: supports nitrogen reduction reactions.
Materials Discovery Platforms: enables rapid screening of catalytic materials.

ADVANTAGES

Superior catalytic activity: Outperforms unitary, binary, and ternary catalysts.
Enhanced stability: Performs well under high overpotential and low particle density.
Cost-effective: Reduces reliance on expensive Ir-based catalysts.
Data-driven discovery: Supports machine learning and materials database development.

IP STATUS
Patent Pending