Nanostructured fluorine doped IrO2 thin film (IrO2:F) comprising different F contents (5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 wt.%) has been synthesized by thermal decomposition of a homogeneous mixture of IrCl4 and NH4F ethanol-DI water solution coated onto pretreated Ti foil. The IrO2:F thin film on Ti foil has been studied as a promising oxygen evolution anode electrocatalyst for proton exchange membrane (PEM) based water electrolysis. Studies reveal that F-doped IrO2 with different F content displays remarkably higher electrochemical activity and comparable electrochemical durability in contrast to pure undoped IrO2 electrocatalyst. Specifically, thin film IrO2:F with 20 wt.% F shows similar to 19% higher electrocatalytic activity and comparable durability compared to pure IrO2 clearly suggesting that F-doped IrO2 is a better anode and a more efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in PEM based water electrolysis. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.