Leopold Lahn

Leopold Lahn is a Researcher at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin GmbH, Helmholtz Institut Erlangen-Nürnberg, with affiliation to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. His research focuses on developing advanced electrocatalysts for sustainable energy applications.

Dr. Lahn's primary research investigates the activity-stability relationships of Ru-Ir-Ti thin film catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction. His work demonstrates that ternary alloys with low Ti content (up to 5 at.%) significantly enhance catalyst stability while maintaining high activity. XPS analysis reveals Ir surface enrichment and formation of hydrous mixed oxides during electrochemical operation, explaining the improved performance.

His research shows that Ru-Ir-Ti alloys with 30 at.% Ir exhibit stable performance over 28 hours at 25 mA cm^-2, with Ir dissolution limited to just three atomic layers (compared to 11 layers in Ti-free alloys). Stability numbers indicate Ti additions boost Ir stability by a factor of 3 compared to binary Ru-Ir alloys.

• Developed combinatorial magnetron sputtering techniques for thin film catalyst libraries
• Implemented SFC-ICP-MS methodology for simultaneous activity-stability measurements
• Demonstrated 5-6x higher stability numbers compared to pure Ir metal

Dr. Lahn's work contributes to reducing noble metal loading in electrolyzer anodes while maintaining performance, addressing critical challenges in hydrogen production through water electrolysis.