Electrochemical behavior and corrosion resistance of IrO₂–ZrO₂ binary oxide coatings for promoting oxygen evolution in sulfuric acid solution

In this study, we prepared Ti/IrO₂–ZrO₂ electrodes with different ZrO₂ contents using zirconium-n-butoxide (C₁₆H₃₆O₄Zr) and chloroiridic acid (H₂IrCl₆) via a sol–gel route. To explore the effect of ZrO₂ content on the surface properties and electrochemical behavior of electrodes, we performed physical characterizations and electrochemical measurements. The obtained results revealed that the binary oxide coating was composed of rutile IrO₂, amorphous ZrO₂, and an IrO₂–ZrO₂ solid solution. The IrO₂–ZrO₂ binary oxide coatings exhibited cracked structures with flat regions. A slight incorporation of ZrO₂ promoted the crystallization of the active component IrO₂. However, the crystallization of IrO₂ was hindered when the added ZrO₂ content was greater than 30at%. The appropriate incorporation of ZrO₂ enhanced the electrocatalytic performance of the pure IrO₂ coating. The Ti/70at%IrO₂–30at%ZrO₂ electrode, with its large active surface area, improved electrocatalytic activity, long service lifetime, and especially, lower cost, is the most effective for promoting oxygen evolution in sulfuric acid solution.