Rapid and Facile Preparation of Carbon Tape Electrodes for the Evaluation of Metal Oxides as OER Catalysts

While solid-state syntheses continue to advance, so do the methodologies required to make a robust working electrode with such materials. These include vapor deposition, electrodeposition, and single layer deposition. Although these avenues provide incredibly precise electrodes, it consequently widens the gap between state of the art and practicality in traditional laboratory facilities, especially with less specialized equipment and limited time in the undergraduate laboratory. Carbon tape electrodes bridge this gap by providing appropriate stability and ease of preparation. Carbon tape electrodes are shown herein to be effective in surveying metal oxide powders as Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) catalysts in a straightforward inorganic chemistry laboratory experiment. The electrodes’ versatility allows for the catalysts to be comparatively benchmarked against one another while also observing the pH dependence of water splitting. These electrodes show robust, consistent behavior under aqueous and nonaqueous conditions that facilitates their use as a general-purpose electrode for solids, helping to overcome a longstanding aversion to the use of electrochemistry in undergraduate inorganic chemistry laboratories.