Monitoring the Structural Changes in Iridium Nanoparticles during Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis with Operando X-ray Total Scattering

Understanding the structure of nanoparticles under (electro)catalytic operating conditions is crucial for uncovering structure–property relationships. By combining operando X-ray total scattering and pair distribution function analysis with operando small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we obtained comprehensive structural information on ultrasmall (<3 nm) iridium nanoparticles and tracked their changes during oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acid. When subjected to electrochemical conditions at reducing potentials, the metallic Ir nanoparticles are found to be decahedral. The iridium oxide formed in the electrochemical oxidation contains small rutile-like clusters composed of edge- and corner-connected [IrO₆] octahedra of a very confined range. These rutile domains are smaller than 1 nm. Combined with complementary SAXS data analysis to extract the particle size, we find that the OER-active iridium oxide phase lacks crystalline order. Additionally, we observe an iridium oxide contraction under OER conditions, which is confirmed by operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Our results highlight the need for multitechnique operando studies for a complete understanding of the electrochemically formed Ir oxide active in OER.