Unlocking the Transition of Electrochemical Water Oxidation Mechanism Induced by Heteroatom Doping

Heteroatom doping has emerged as a highly effective strategy to enhance the activity of metal-based electrocatalysts toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). It is widely accepted that the doping does not switch the OER mechanism from the adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM) to the lattice-oxygen-mediated mechanism (LOM), and the enhanced activity is attributed to the optimized binding energies toward oxygen intermediates. However, this seems inconsistent with the fact that the overpotential of doped OER electrocatalysts (<300 mV) is considerably smaller than the limit of AEM (>370 mV). To determine the origin of this inconsistency, we select phosphorus (P)-doped nickel-iron mixed oxides as the model electrocatalysts and observe that the doping enhances the covalency of the metal-oxygen bonds to drive the OER pathway transition from the AEM to the LOM, thereby breaking the adsorption linear relation between *OH and *OOH in the AEM. Consequently, the obtained P-doped oxides display a small overpotential of 237 mV at 10 mA cm⁻². Beyond P, the similar pathway transition is also observed on the sulfur doping. These findings offer new insights into the substantially enhanced OER activity originating from heteroatom doping.     

Examining the Structure Sensitivity of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction on Pt Single-Crystal Electrodes: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

In the present work we investigate the structure sensitivity of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) combining electrochemistry, in situ spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The intrinsic difficulty of such studies is the fact that at electrode potentials where the OER is observed, the electrode material is highly oxidized. As a consequence, the surface structure during the reaction is in general ill-defined and only scarce knowledge exists concerning the structure-activity relationship of this important reaction. To alleviate these challenging conditions, we chose as starting point well-defined Pt single-crystal electrodes, which we exposed to well-defined conditioning before studying their OER rate. Using this approach, a potential region is identified where the OER on Pt is indeed structure-sensitive with Pt(100) being significantly more active than Pt(111). This experimental finding is in contrast to a DFT analysis of the adsorption strength of the reaction intermediates O*, OH*, and OOH* often used to plot the activity in a volcano curve. It is proposed that as a consequence of the highly oxidizing conditions, the structure-sensitive charge-transfer resistance through the interface determines the observed reaction rate.     

Frontispiece: Activating Lattice Oxygen in Spinel ZnCo2O4 through Filling Oxygen Vacancies with Fluorine for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution

The development of productive catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remains a major challenge requiring significant progress in both mechanism and material design. Conventionally, the thermodynamic barrier of lattice oxidation mechanism (LOM) is lower than that of absorbate evolution mechanism (AEM) because the former can overcome certain limitations. However, controlling the OER pathway from the AEM to the LOM by exploiting the intrinsic properties of the catalyst remains challenging. Herein, we incorporated F anions into the oxygen vacancies of spinel ZnCo₂O₄ and established a link between the electronic structure and the OER catalytic mechanism. Theoretical density calculations revealed that F upshifts the O 2p center and activates the redox capability of lattice O, successfully triggering the LOM pathway. Moreover, the high electronegativity of F anions is favourable for balancing the residual protonation, which can stabilize the structure of the catalyst.     

Chemical Recognition of Active Oxygen Species on the Surface of Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts

Owing to the transient nature of the intermediates formed during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on the surface of transition metal oxides, their nature remains largely elusive by the means of simple techniques. The use of chemical probes is proposed, which, owing to their specific affinities towards different oxygen species, unravel the role played by these species on the OER mechanism. For that, tetraalkylammonium (TAA) cations, previously known for their surfactant properties, are introduced, which interact with the active oxygen sites and modify the hydrogen bond network on the surface of OER catalysts. Combining chemical probes with isotopic and pH‐dependent measurements, it is further demonstrated that the introduction of iron into amorphous Ni oxyhydroxide films used as model catalysts deeply modifies the proton exchange properties, and therefore the OER mechanism and activity.     

NiMn-Based Bimetal–Organic Framework Nanosheets Supported on Multi-Channel Carbon Fibers for Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalysis

Developing noble-metal-free bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts is of great significance for energy conversion and storage systems. Herein, we have developed a transformation method for growing NiMn-based bimetal–organic framework (NiMn-MOF) nanosheets on multi-channel carbon fibers (MCCF) as a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst. Owing to the desired components and architecture, the MCCF/NiMn-MOFs manifest comparable electrocatalytic performance towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst and superior performance towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER) to the benchmark RuO₂ electrocatalyst. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the strong synergetic effect of adjacent Ni and Mn nodes within MCCF/NiMn-MOFs effectively promotes the thermodynamic formation of key *O and *OOH intermediates over active NiO₆ centers towards fast ORR and OER kinetics.     

Preparation of Quaternary FeCoMoCu Metal Oxides for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Molybdenum doping is an effective way to improve the oxygen evolution reaction(OER) properties of catalysts, which can efficiently improve the electronic conductivity, mass transport process, and intrinsic activity of transition metal oxides or hydroxides, especially for those multi-component oxides with more abundant active sites. Herein, we have prepared a quaternary FeCoMoCu metal oxide on Cu foam(FeCoMoCuO_x@Cu) as an efficient OER catalyst. As expected, FeCoMoCuO_x@Cu could exhibit a low overpotential(252 mV at the current density of 10 mA/cm²) and exceptional stability(10000 cycles of CV scans or constant electrolysis for 48 h).     

泡沫铜基底原位生长的铜基导电金属有机框架作为双功能电催化剂

以泡沫铜为基底生长氢氧化铜纳米线,通过原位转化合成二维导电金属有机框架(MOF)材料Cu_3HITP_2(HITP=2,3,6,7,10,11-六氨基三亚苯)作为双功能催化剂,可直接用作析氧及氧还原反应的工作电极,而无需使用额外的基底或粘合剂,且无需后续热处理。研究发现以氢氧化铜纳米线为模板的Cu_3HITP_2表现出了更大的电化学比表面积,这种新型的电极可在碱性溶液(0.1和1.0 mol·L~(-1) KOH)中可以稳定运行,析氧反应中在电流密度达到10 mA·cm~(-2)时的过电位仅为1.53 V,超越了商业二氧化钌的催化性能。此外,该催化剂在氧还原反应中的半波电位达到0.75 V,优于大多数MOF材料。     

Toward Understanding the Formation Mechanism and OER Catalytic Mechanism of Hydroxides by In Situ and Operando Techniques

Developing efficient and affordable electrocatalysts for the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remains a significant barrier that needs to be overcome for the practical applications of hydrogen production via water electrolysis, transforming CO₂ to value-added chemicals, and metal-air batteries. Recently, hydroxides have shown promise as electrocatalysts for OER. In situ or operando techniques are particularly indispensable for monitoring the key intermediates together with understanding the reaction process, which is extremely important for revealing the formation/OER catalytic mechanism of hydroxides and preparing cost-effective electrocatalysts for OER. However, there is a lack of comprehensive discussion on the current status and challenges of studying these mechanisms using in situ or operando techniques, which hinders our ability to identify and address the obstacles present in this field. This review offers an overview of in situ or operando techniques, outlining their capabilities, advantages, and disadvantages. Recent findings related to the formation mechanism and OER catalytic mechanism of hydroxides revealed by in situ or operando techniques are also discussed in detail. Additionally, some current challenges in this field are concluded and appropriate solution strategies are provided.     

NiMn‐Based Bimetal–Organic Framework Nanosheets Supported on Multi‐Channel Carbon Fibers for Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalysis

Developing noble‐metal‐free bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts is of great significance for energy conversion and storage systems. Herein, we have developed a transformation method for growing NiMn‐based bimetal–organic framework (NiMn‐MOF) nanosheets on multi‐channel carbon fibers (MCCF) as a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst. Owing to the desired components and architecture, the MCCF/NiMn‐MOFs manifest comparable electrocatalytic performance towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst and superior performance towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER) to the benchmark RuO₂ electrocatalyst. X‐ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the strong synergetic effect of adjacent Ni and Mn nodes within MCCF/NiMn‐MOFs effectively promotes the thermodynamic formation of key *O and *OOH intermediates over active NiO₆ centers towards fast ORR and OER kinetics.     

Electrodeposition of (hydro)oxides for an oxygen evolution electrode

Electrochemical water splitting is a promising technology for hydrogen production and sustainable energy conversion, but the electrolyzers that are currently available do not have anodic electrodes that are robust enough and highly active for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Electrodeposition provides a feasible route for preparing freestanding OER electrodes with high active site utilization, fast mass transport and a simple fabrication process, which is highly attractive from both academic and commercial points of view. This minireview focuses on the recent electrodeposition strategies for metal (hydro)oxide design and water oxidation applications. First, the intrinsic advantages of electrodeposition in comparison with traditional technologies are introduced. Then, the unique properties and underlying principles of electrodeposited metal (hydro)oxides in the OER are unveiled. In parallel, illustrative examples of the latest advances in materials structural design, controllable synthesis, and mechanism understanding through the electrochemical synthesis of (hydro)oxides are presented. Finally, the latest representative OER mechanism and electrodeposition routes for OER catalysts are briefly overviewed. Such observations provide new insights into freestanding (hydro)oxides electrodes prepared via electrodeposition, which show significant practical application potential in water splitting devices. We hope that this review will provide inspiration for researchers and stimulate the development of water splitting technology.

This minireview looks at recent electrodeposition strategies for metal (hydro)oxide design and water oxidation applications, unveiling the unique properties and underlying principles of electrodeposited metal (hydro)oxides in the OER.     

硫掺杂镍铁层状双氢氧化物的氧析出电催化性能

氧析出反应(OER)是裂解水、二氧化碳还原、以及可充电的锌空电池等许多技术中重要的半反应,但受限于其迟缓的反应动力学,开发高效的氧析出催化剂迫在眉睫.在OER出反应中,性能较好的非贵金属催化剂主要是第四周期过渡金属的一些化合物,如氧化物、氢氧化物、硫化物、硒化物、磷化物等等.在这些材料中,镍铁双金属化合物被认为是最优的氧析出材料,尤其是镍铁层状双氢氧化物(Ni Fe-LDHs)它拥有较大的电化学活性面积以暴露较多活性位点,同时镍铁两种过渡金属元素存在协同效应,使得其具有良好的催化性能.然而,这一类材料的OER性能仍然有优化的空间.研究表明,将硫化物氧化得到的氢氧化物会有少量的硫元素残留,这种硫残留的氢氧化物拥有十分优异的OER性能.为了进一步认识硫的引入对Ni Fe-LDHs的OER行为的影响,本文通过水热法合成了硫掺杂的Ni Fe-LDHs,考察了硫的掺杂量对催化剂性能的影响,验证了微量硫的存在对Ni Fe-LDHs的OER性能的贡献.扫描电镜图片显示,水热合成的催化剂是厚度为几十纳米的薄片,拥有较高的比表面积, X射线荧光光谱分析证明合成的硫掺杂Ni Fe-LDHs中镍铁的元素比例为4:1,而且硫的掺杂量并不影响催化剂的形貌和其中镍铁元素比.X射线光电子能谱分析表明,硫原子的引入使得铁原子结合能降低,即硫与铁的相互作用部分降低了铁的价态,这种硫和铁的相互作用能够优化OER反应中间体OH*与O*在铁活性位点上的吸附自由能,降低氧析出反应的过电势.电化学测试表明,拥有0.43%的硫掺杂Ni Fe-LDHs拥有最好的氧析出性能, 10 m A cm^-1下超电势仅有257 m V, Tafel斜率61.5 m V dec^-1.此后,随着硫掺杂量的提升,其性能先保持稳定,随后有所下降.在稳定测试中,硫掺杂的镍铁层状双氢氧化物在10 m Acm-1电流密度下循环30 h后过电位仅衰减14 m V.在对稳定性测试后的催化剂进行表征表明,催化剂发生了轻微了变形,但这对性能的影响不大.综上,本文提供了一种简便的通过非金属元素掺杂调控过渡金属氧化物的结构和电子态的方法,有望为设计高活性OER电催化剂提供新思路.     

Fast Modulation of d-Band Holes Quantity in the Early Reaction Stages for Boosting Acidic Oxygen Evolution

Synthesis of highly active and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts applied in acidic water electrolysis remains a grand challenge. Here, we construct a type of high-loading iridium single atom catalysts with tunable d-band holes character (h-HL−Ir SACs, ∼17.2 wt % Ir) realized in the early OER operation stages. The in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that the quantity of the d-band holes of Ir active sites can be fast increased by 0.56 unit from the open circuit to a low working potential of 1.35 V. More remarkably, in situ synchrotron infrared and Raman spectroscopies demonstrate the quick accumulation of *OOH and *OH intermediates over holes-modulated Ir sites in the early reaction voltages, achieving a rapid OER kinetics. As a result, this well-designed h-HL−Ir SACs exhibits superior performance for acidic OER with overpotentials of 216 mV @10 mA cm⁻² and 259 mV @100 mA cm⁻², corresponding to a small Tafel slope of 43 mV dec⁻¹. The activity of catalyst shows no evident attenuation after 60 h operation in acidic environment. This work provides some useful hints for the design of superior acidic OER catalysts.     

NiFe Hydroxide Lattice Tensile Strain: Enhancement of Adsorption of Oxygenated Intermediates for Efficient Water Oxidation Catalysis

The binding strength of reactive intermediates with catalytically active sites plays a crucial role in governing catalytic performance of electrocatalysts. NiFe hydroxide offers efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysis in alkaline electrolyte, however weak binding of oxygenated intermediates on NiFe hydroxide still badly limits its catalytic activity. Now, a facile ball‐milling method was developed to enhance binding strength of NiFe hydroxide to oxygenated intermediates via generating tensile strain, which reduced the anti‐bonding filling states in the d orbital and thus facilitated oxygenated intermediates adsorption. The NiFe hydroxide with tensile strain increasing after ball‐milling exhibits an OER onset potential as low as 1.44 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode) and requires only a 270 mV overpotential to reach a water oxidation current density of 10 mA cm^?2.     

Recent advances in energy chemistry of precious-metal-free catalysts for oxygen electrocatalysis

The rational design and effective construction of precious-metal-free materials for OER and ORR, respectively, are reviewed in the respects of electronic structure regulation, nanostructure tailor, and freestanding electrode fabrication. This affords fresh concepts for oxygen electrocatalysis and is also enlightening for other energy catalysis with targeted optimization.     

Regulating the Spin State of FeIII by Atomically Anchoring on Ultrathin Titanium Dioxide for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis

Ferric oxides and (oxy)hydroxides, although plentiful and low‐cost, are rarely considered for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) owing to the too high spin state (e_g filling ca. 2.0) suppressing the bonding strength with reaction intermediates. Now, a facile adsorption–oxidation strategy is used to anchor Fe^III atomically on an ultrathin TiO₂ nanobelt to synergistically lower the spin state (e_g filling ca. 1.08) to enhance the adsorption with oxygen‐containing intermediates and improve the electro‐conductibility for lower ohmic loss. The electronic structure of the catalyst is predicted by DFT calculation and perfectly confirmed by experimental results. The catalyst exhibits superior performance for OER with overpotential 270 mV @10 mA cm^?2 and 376 mV @100 mA cm^?2 in alkaline solution, which is much better than IrO₂/C and RuO₂/C and is the best iron‐based OER catalyst free of active metals such as Ni, Co, or precious metals.     

Electrochemical oxidation of molecular nitrogen to nitric acid – towards a molecular level understanding of the challenges

Nitric acid is manufactured by oxidizing ammonia where the ammonia comes from an energy demanding and non-eco-friendly, Haber–Bosch process. Electrochemical oxidation of N₂ to nitric acid using renewable electricity could be a promising alternative to bypass the ammonia route. In this work, we discuss the plausible reaction mechanisms of electrochemical N₂ oxidation (N₂OR) at the molecular level and its competition with the parasitic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). We suggest the design strategies for N₂ oxidation electro-catalysts by first comparing the performance of two catalysts – TiO₂(110) (poor OER catalyst) and IrO₂(110) (good OER catalyst), towards dinitrogen oxidation and then establish trends/scaling relations to correlate OER and N₂OR activities. The challenges associated with electrochemical N₂OR are highlighted.

Electrochemical oxidation of N₂ to HNO₃ (N₂OR) is explored in conjunction with parasitic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on a poor and a good OER catalyst, TiO₂ and IrO₂. We develop scaling relations to correlate OER and N₂OR activities on oxides.     

Phase-Selective Syntheses of Cobalt Telluride Nanofleeces for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Catalysts

Cobalt-based nanomaterials have been intensively explored as promising noble-metal-free oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts. Herein, we report phase-selective syntheses of novel hierarchical CoTe₂ and CoTe nanofleeces for efficient OER catalysts. The CoTe₂ nanofleeces exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and stablity for OER in alkaline media. The CoTe₂ catalyst exhibited superior OER activity compared to the CoTe catalyst, which is comparable to the state-of-the-art RuO₂ catalyst. Density functional theory calculations showed that the binding strength and lateral interaction of the reaction intermediates on CoTe₂ and CoTe are essential for determining the overpotential required under different conditions. This study provides valuable insights for the rational design of noble-metal-free OER catalysts with high performance and low cost by use of Co-based chalcogenides.     

Phosphate-induced interfacial electronic engineering in VPO4-Ni2P heterostructure for improved electrochemical water oxidation

Anodic oxygen evolution reaction（OER） is the key bottleneck for water electrolysis technique owing to its sluggish reaction kinetics. Interfacial engineering on the rationally designed heterostructure can regulate the electronic states efficiently for intrinsic activity improvement. Here, we report a co-phosphorization approach to construct a VPO₄-Ni₂P heterostructure on nickel foam with strongly chemical binding,wherein phosphate acts as electronic modifier for Ni₂     

Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis of a Single MOF‐Derived Composite Nanoparticle on the Tip of a Nanoelectrode

Determination of the intrinsic electrocatalytic activity of nanomaterials by means of macroelectrode techniques is compromised by ensemble and film effects. Here, a unique “particle on a stick” approach is used to grow a single metal–organic framework (MOF; ZIF‐67) nanoparticle on a nanoelectrode surface which is pyrolyzed to generate a cobalt/nitrogen‐doped carbon (CoN/C) composite nanoparticle that exhibits very high catalytic activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with a current density of up to 230 mA cm^?2 at 1.77 V (vs. RHE), and a high turnover frequency (TOF) of 29.7 s^?1 at 540 mV overpotential. Identical location transmission electron microscopy (IL‐TEM) analysis substantiates the “self‐sacrificial” template nature of the MOF, while post‐electrocatalysis studies reveal agglomeration of Co centers within the CoN/C composite during the OER. “Single‐entity” electrochemical analysis allows for deriving the intrinsic electrocatalytic activity and furnishes insight into the transient behavior of the electrocatalyst under reaction conditions.