Peeling off the OER catalyst from the electrode surface in alkaline solution is one of the main problems. Because of high anodic potential and continues bubble formation destabilizes the catalyst for the  long run, but three cycles are too minimum. Please check the following before start the OER, catalyst ink and corresponding solvent, the ratio of catalyst to Nafion, concentration of alkaline solution and of course, loading of catalyst. My experience says that the peeling off phenomena is not only due to binder,here nafion, but also catalyst whioch plays a vital role.

If you're doing alkaline water splitting, Nafion is just about the worst binder possible, because unless you've thoroughly neutralized and hydroxide-doped it, it'll block anion transport to your active sites, and even then it's pretty bad.

What pH is your solution? For pH >12, there are effectively two commercial options for ionomer (binder) - FuMA-tech FAA-3 in NMP (high-boiling) and Tokuyama AS-4, in IPA.

How do you form electrodes? The Tokuyama materials are soluble in low-boiling solvent, so are better for making electrodes in general, but if you can heat your substrate up quite a bit and do many layers of deposition, the FAA-3 works fine too, or if you're doing a paint-on, they'll be similar. For pH =< 12, they have another material, FAB, as well, but I'm not sure if they supply it as ionomer (I've only ever seen it as reinforced membrane). Work with FuMA-tech if you can - they're great people to deal with and you'll get materials substantially faster. If you're only working in research-sized quantities, there's a number of possible collaborations you can make, including my lab, but be prepared to really sell what you're doing to the PIs, since the field is really focused on synthesis right now.

Finally, try a 15-20 wt% ionomer:catalyst ratio to hit the optimal, or even less if you're going for low-activity catalysts - these materials swell more than Nafion, so you'll get added mass transport losses at the typical 30 wt%. Good luck!

Dear Benjamin Britton,

                Thank you very much for your timely help!