Regulating coordination environment of iridium cluster on graphene–siloxene electrocatalyst for robust anion exchange membrane water electrolysis

Alkaline water electrolysis devices hold great promises for green hydrogen production. However, the limited catalytic activities and inferior stability under high-current remain challenging tasks. Complex fabrication of heterostructure with the decoration of noble metal clusters could provide robust catalytic electrode. Herein, a facile strategy is designed to fabricate the integrated Ir cluster on the heterostructure of siloxene-graphene oxide (Ir@Gr–SL) to provide an efficient catalyst for water splitting application. The double-layer heterostructure of graphene and siloxene nanosheets can provide mechanical support, prevent the agglomeration or degradation of Ir cluster, and effectively stabilize the catalyst. In consequence, the Ir@Gr–SL electrocatalyst displayed a small overpotential of 95 and 249 mV for the HER and OER, respectively, to attain a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² with excellent long-term stability for 60 h. This developed nanostructure strategy offers high promising for further commercial purposes and other energy storage and conversion applications.