Oxygen Evolution on Tantalum-Polypyrrole-Platinum Anodes

Gerald Cooper; Rommel Noufi; Arthur J. Frank; Arthur J. Nozik

doi:10.1038/295578a0

Oxygen Evolution on Tantalum-Polypyrrole-Platinum Anodes

Gerald Cooper, Rommel Noufi, Arthur J. Frank, Arthur J. Nozik

Chemistry and Nanoscience

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

27 Scopus Citations

Abstract

Electrically conducting polymer films of polypyrrole were previously reported^1-6 to provide greatly enhanced stability against the photodegradation of semiconductor photoanodes in electrochemical photovoltaic cells. To determine the feasibility of protecting photoanodes with polypyrrole in photoelectrolysis cells where O₂ is evolved some basic questions had to be answered. To achieve this we have performed experiments using polypyrrole films as protective coatings on Ta metal electrodes; Ta is known to form insulating oxides that prevent O₂ evolution from aqueous solution. We found that polypyrrole is stable in the presence of O₂; that while polypyrrole itself is a poor electrocatalyst for O₂ evolution, metal catalysts can be deposited on its surface to enhance O ₂ evolution; and that Ta-polypyrrole-Pt electrode structures are electrochemically indistinguishable from naked Pt electrodes with respect to O₂ evolution.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	578-580
Number of pages	3
Journal	Nature
Volume	295
Issue number	5850
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/295578a0 https://doi.org/10.1038/295578a0
State	Published - 1982

NREL Publication Number

ACNR/JA-236-4424

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title = "Oxygen Evolution on Tantalum-Polypyrrole-Platinum Anodes",

abstract = "Electrically conducting polymer films of polypyrrole were previously reported1-6 to provide greatly enhanced stability against the photodegradation of semiconductor photoanodes in electrochemical photovoltaic cells. To determine the feasibility of protecting photoanodes with polypyrrole in photoelectrolysis cells where O2 is evolved some basic questions had to be answered. To achieve this we have performed experiments using polypyrrole films as protective coatings on Ta metal electrodes; Ta is known to form insulating oxides that prevent O2 evolution from aqueous solution. We found that polypyrrole is stable in the presence of O2; that while polypyrrole itself is a poor electrocatalyst for O2 evolution, metal catalysts can be deposited on its surface to enhance O 2 evolution; and that Ta-polypyrrole-Pt electrode structures are electrochemically indistinguishable from naked Pt electrodes with respect to O2 evolution.",

author = "Gerald Cooper and Rommel Noufi and Frank, {Arthur J.} and Nozik, {Arthur J.}",

year = "1982",

doi = "10.1038/295578a0",

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volume = "295",

pages = "578--580",

journal = "Nature",

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T1 - Oxygen Evolution on Tantalum-Polypyrrole-Platinum Anodes

AU - Cooper, Gerald

AU - Noufi, Rommel

AU - Frank, Arthur J.

AU - Nozik, Arthur J.

PY - 1982

Y1 - 1982

N2 - Electrically conducting polymer films of polypyrrole were previously reported1-6 to provide greatly enhanced stability against the photodegradation of semiconductor photoanodes in electrochemical photovoltaic cells. To determine the feasibility of protecting photoanodes with polypyrrole in photoelectrolysis cells where O2 is evolved some basic questions had to be answered. To achieve this we have performed experiments using polypyrrole films as protective coatings on Ta metal electrodes; Ta is known to form insulating oxides that prevent O2 evolution from aqueous solution. We found that polypyrrole is stable in the presence of O2; that while polypyrrole itself is a poor electrocatalyst for O2 evolution, metal catalysts can be deposited on its surface to enhance O 2 evolution; and that Ta-polypyrrole-Pt electrode structures are electrochemically indistinguishable from naked Pt electrodes with respect to O2 evolution.

AB - Electrically conducting polymer films of polypyrrole were previously reported1-6 to provide greatly enhanced stability against the photodegradation of semiconductor photoanodes in electrochemical photovoltaic cells. To determine the feasibility of protecting photoanodes with polypyrrole in photoelectrolysis cells where O2 is evolved some basic questions had to be answered. To achieve this we have performed experiments using polypyrrole films as protective coatings on Ta metal electrodes; Ta is known to form insulating oxides that prevent O2 evolution from aqueous solution. We found that polypyrrole is stable in the presence of O2; that while polypyrrole itself is a poor electrocatalyst for O2 evolution, metal catalysts can be deposited on its surface to enhance O 2 evolution; and that Ta-polypyrrole-Pt electrode structures are electrochemically indistinguishable from naked Pt electrodes with respect to O2 evolution.

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ER -

Oxygen Evolution on Tantalum-Polypyrrole-Platinum Anodes

Abstract

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