Decoupled Hydrogen Production through Hybrid Water Electrolysis Utilizing Ruthenium-tin Oxide Electrocatalyst

Hybrid water electrolysis system was designed by using Ruthenium-Tin Oxide (RuSn12.4O2) electrocatalyst as anode material for efficient hydrogen production enhancing energy conversion efficiency. The RuSn12.4O2 Electrocatalyst was synthesized by hydrothermal method and exhibited exceptional activity, making it an optimal choice for Iodide oxidation reaction (IOR) and enabling energy-saving hydrogen production. The two-electrode acidic electrolyzer reduced voltage consumption by 0.51 V at 10 mA cm-2 compared to oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the same current density. This hybrid electrolysis system achieved a remarkable reduction in energy consumption of over 40 % compared to OER process. The Chrono-potentiometric test demonstrated that the RuSn12.4O2 electro-catalyst’s superior stability and low overpotential increase of 70 mV at 10 mAcm-2 . The RuSn12.4O2 electro-catalyst Tafel slope is also a crucial metric for understanding kinetic characteristics in both IOR and OER processes. Thus, RuSn12.4O2 electro-catalyst in IOR has a lower Tafel slope (61 mV dec-1) than that in OER, according to the Tafel slopes determined from linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) curves. Additionally, at various potentials, the electro-catalyst's activity toward IOR to produce hydrogen demonstrated exceptional performance in this electrolysis system without causing any catalyst degradation.