(66b) Challenges and Frontiers in Water Oxidation Catalyst Development

Lowering anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions is essential to combat climate change. Three strategies exist for our energy landscape, decarbonization, carbon sequestration, and carbon recycling. All these approaches depend on efficient water oxidation at the anode. Therefore, viable successor technologies urgently need efficient and robust water oxidation electrocatalysts that work in different conditions. The development of new catalysts critically depends on synthetic methods that enable the preparation of tailored nanomaterials. We show how pulsed laser in liquids synthesis can be used as a flexible synthetic strategy for tailored surfactant-free nanomaterials with precisely and independently controlled properties. Highlighting the rational catalyst design criteria for key frontiers in water oxidation electrocatalysis, we identify the main materials challenges and requirements: Viable catalysts must be capable of oxidizing brackish water or seawater but selectivity towards oxygen remains challenging at high activity. At high input current density, electrolysis must occur in acidic water to minimize mass transport resistance losses. Globally scalable catalysts must be earth-abundant but perform at least as well as precious materials and be stable over long periods of time under harsh water oxidation conditions.