- By:
- Qiu, Chang; Yu wu, Zhen; Sellers, Chase; Cullen, David A; Stavitski, Eli; Tayal, Akhil; Ung wi, Tae; Kodali, Mounika; Erb, Bryan; Smeltz, Andrew; Chen, Feng-Yang; Feng, Yuge; Zhou, Yunshen; Elgazzar, Ahmad; Terlier, Tanguy; Senftle, Thomas; Wang, Haotian
- Journal Name:
- Nature Nanotechnology
- Page Number:
- 1787-1795
- Volume:
- 20
- Issue Number:
- 12
- Publication Date:
- February 25, 2026
- View DOI Listing:
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-025-02030-y
Abstract
While mixing iridium (Ir) with ruthenium oxide (RuO2) has proven to be an effective strategy for reducing Ir loading in anode catalysts for proton-exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysers, achieving industrially relevant long-term stability typically requires an Ir-rich, Ru-lean combination. Here, by combining density functional theory with Metropolis Monte Carlo methods, we discovered that sufficient stabilization in the RuO2 lattice could be achieved with less than 50 at.% of Ir, and that Ir in the first subsurface layer plays a critical role. By effectively dispersing Ir dopants within the RuO2 lattice, we demonstrated an Ir:Ru atomic ratio of only 1:6 that exhibited exceptional stability for over 1,500 h of continuous water electrolysis at 2 A cm−2. Our Ru6IrOx catalyst has the potential to reduce Ir loading by 80% compared with current commercial PEM water electrolysers, and its stability was further validated under industrial testing conditions in a 25-cm2 PEM electrolyser.
