Effect of TiCN Sublayer in Improving the Efficiency and Durability of Bifunctional Oxygen Electrode in URFC
Sinyakov M. Mensharapov R. Spasov D. Pak Y. Ivanova N.
January 2026John Wiley and Sons Inc
Electroanalysis
2026#38Issue 1
A unitized reversible fuel cell (URFC) is a promising technology that combines the functions of hydrogen production and electricity generation in a single device. However, the insufficient corrosion resistance of the bifunctional oxygen electrode significantly limits the large-scale implementation of this technology. This work investigates the influence of different architectures of the catalytic layer (CL) (layered and mixed loading of electrocatalysts, as well as the application of a titanium carbonitride (TiCN) sublayer) on the efficiency and durability of the oxygen electrode in fuel cell (FC) and water electrolyzer (WE) modes. A protocol for assessing electrode durability is proposed, involving cyclic recording of i–V curves in FC/WE modes, followed by testing the electrode in a potentiostatic mode at 1.65 V and 80°C for 30 min. The use of an electrode with a TiCN sublayer deposited by magnetron sputtering between platinum and iridium electrocatalysts doubled the devices service life compared to using a mixed loading of electrocatalysts. This effect is attributed to the reduced rate of Ir conversion to its oxidized form (IrOx) due to the competitive oxidation of titanium in the sublayer, which also inhibits further corrosion processes.
bifunctional oxygen electrode , corrosion-resistant coating , electrode architecture , electrode corrosion , magnetron sputtering , unitized reversible fuel cell
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Electrochemical and hydrogen technology, National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russian Federation
Isotope Technology and Hydrogen Power Engineering, D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation
Chemistry and electrochemical power engineering, National Research University “Moscow Power Engineering Institute”, Moscow, Russian Federation
Department of Electrochemistry and Nanotechnology, D.V. Sokolskiy Institute of Fuel, Catalysis and Electrochemistry JSC, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Electrochemical and hydrogen technology
Isotope Technology and Hydrogen Power Engineering
Chemistry and electrochemical power engineering
Department of Electrochemistry and Nanotechnology
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026