Active copper delafossite anode for oxygen evolution reaction

• CuRhO2 was first found to have excellent OER characteristics.
• The eg occupancy at the B site had a strong correlation with OER activity.
• The eg occupancy was obtained from DFT calculation of the bulk structure.
• Electronic conductivity of Cu delafossites affected the OER characteristics.

The design of highly active anode catalysts for water electrolysis is a critical challenge to achieve a sustainable energy-powered economy. Here we report on copper delafossite oxide (ABO2; A = Cu) as a novel anode for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Among the copper delafossites we synthesized, copper rhodium delafossite (CuRhO2) showed excellent cyclic voltammogram (CV) characteristics for OER in 1 M KOH (aq), comparable to that of Co3O4. We also confirmed that the eg orbital occupancy at the B site of delafossites, calculated from the bulk structure, had a strong correlation with the electrochemical OER activity of those materials. The CV characteristics of Cu delafossites were more accurately explained by considering the electronic conductivity.

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