Cationic Defect Engineering in Spinel NiCo2O4 for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution

Built-in electric field in NiO-CuO heterostructures to regulate the hydroxide adsorption sites for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural electrooxidation assisted hydrogen production

The development of catalysts with suitable adsorption behavior for the reaction molecules and the elucidation of their internal structure-adsorption-catalytic activity relationships are crucial for the electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). In this work, NiO-CuO heterostructures with a spontaneous built-in electric field (BEF) are specifically designed and used to regulate the OH- adsorption site for freeing up the active site of HMF for the HMF oxidation reaction (HMFOR). The mechanism driving electron pumping/accumulation of the BEF is examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). Electrochemical data and theoretical calculations show that BEF modulates the adsorption energy and adsorption site of substrate molecules, thereby enhancing the performance of HMFOR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Notably, the NiO-CuO electrode demonstrates high 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) selectivity (99.76 %) and generation rate (13.79 mmol gcat-1 h-1). It only requires 1.33 V to obtain a current density of 10 mA cm-2 for HMFOR-coupled H2 evolution. This research introduces a novel approach by regulating the adsorption of reactive molecules for HMFOR-assisted H2 evolution.

Facet-Dependent Evolution of Active Components on Spinel Co3O4 for Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis

Spinel cobalt oxides (Co3O4) have emerged as a promising class of catalysts for the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (eNO3RR) to ammonia, offering advantages such as low cost, high activity, and selectivity. However, the specific role of crystallographic facets in determining the catalysts' performance remains elusive, impeding the development of efficient catalysts. In this study, we have synthesized various Co3O4 nanostructures with exposed facets of {100}, {111}, {110}, and {112}, aiming to investigate the dependence of the eNO3RR activity on the crystallographic facets. Among the catalysts tested, Co3O4 {111} shows the best performance, achieving an ammonia Faradaic efficiency of 99.1 ± 1.8% with a yield rate of 35.2 ± 0.6 mg h-1 cm-2 at -0.6 V vs RHE. Experimental and theoretical results reveal a transformation process in which the active phases evolve from Co3O4 to Co3O4-x with oxygen vacancy (Ov), followed by a Co3O4-x-Ov/Co(OH)2 hybrid, and finally Co(OH)2. This process is observed for all facets, but the formation of Ov and Co(OH)2 is the most rapid on the (111) surface. The presence of Ov significantly reduces the free energy of the *NH2 intermediate formation from 1.81 to -0.53 eV, and plentiful active sites on the densely reconstructed Co(OH)2 make Co3O4 {111} an ideal catalyst for ammonia synthesis via eNO3RR. This work provides insights into the understanding of the realistic active components, offers a strategy for developing highly efficient Co-based spinel catalysts for ammonia synthesis through tuning the exposed facets, and helps further advance the design and optimization of catalysts in the field of eNO3RR.

Co-doping regulation on Ni-based electrocatalysts to adjust the selectivity of oxygen reduction reaction for Zn-air batteries and H2O2 production

Although Ni-based materials are widely used as electrocatalysts, it remains necessary to further explore their selectivity towards the four- or two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, it is proposed to synthesize NiO@NCNTs (NCNTs = N-doped carbon nanotubes) using a metal-organic framework (MOF), [Ni(BZIDA)(H2O)]n (NiMOF, BZIDA = benzimidazole-5,6-dicarboxylic acid), as a precursor after calcination with dicyandiamide (DCDA). Regarding NiO@NCNTs, small NiO particles are distributed in NCNTs derived from DCDA homogeneously. NiO@NCNTs act as a typical two-electron electrocatalyst. The H2O2 production rate of NiO@NCNTs reaches 0.5 mol g-1 h-1 at 0.46 V (vs. RHE). After the doping of Co2+ in NiMOF, Co/NiO@NCNTs were synthesized using a similar method, with the four-electron character shown in ORR. A Zn-air battery was assembled by applying Co/NiO@NCNTs as the cathode material. When discharge occurs at 5 and 10 mA cm-2, its specific capacitance reaches 779.3 and 832.2 mA h g-1 with an energy density of 928.6 and 948.5 W h kg-1, respectively. Theoretical calculations suggest a variation in ORR selectivity between NiO@NCNTs and Co/NiO@NCNTs, which results from their different interactions with OOH*. This study demonstrates the effect of the structure on ORR selectivity for Ni-based electrocatalysts.

Constructing Built-In Electric Field in NiCo2O4-CeO2 Heterostructures to Regulate Li2O2 Formation Routes at High Current Densities

Developing catalysts with suitable adsorption energy for oxygen-containing intermediates and elucidating their internal structure-performance relationships are essential for the commercialization of Li-O2 batteries (LOBs), especially under high current densities. Herein, NiCo2O4-CeO2 heterostructure with a spontaneous built-in electric field (BIEF) is designed and utilized as a cathode catalyst for LOBs at high current density. The driving mechanism of electron pumping/accumulation at heterointerface is studied via experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, elucidating the growth mechanism of discharge products. The results show that BIEF induced by work function difference optimizes the affinity for LiO2 and promotes the formation of nano-flocculent Li2O2, thus improving LOBs performance at high current density. Specifically, NiCo2O4-CeO2 cathode exhibits a large discharge capacity (9546 mAh g-1 at 4000 mA g-1) and high stability (>430 cycles at 4000 mA g-1), which are better than the majority of previously reported metal-based catalysts. This work provides a new method for tuning the nucleation and decomposition of Li2O2 and inspires the design of ideal catalysts for LOBs to operate at high current density.

Defect Engineering for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reaction on Transition Metal Oxides: The Role of Metal Defects

Metal defect engineering is a highly effective strategy for addressing the prevalent high overpotential issues associated with transition metal oxides functioning as dual-function commercial oxygen reduction reaction/oxygen evolution reaction catalysts for increasing their activity and stability. However, the high formation energy of metal defects poses a challenge to the development of strategies to precisely control the selectivity during metal defect formation. Here, density functional theory calculations are used to demonstrate that altering the pathway of metal defect formation releases metal atoms as metal chlorides, which effectively reduces the formation energy of defects. The metal defects on the monometallic metal oxide surface (Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) are selectively produced using chlorine plasma. The characterization and density functional theory calculations reveal that catalytic activity is enhanced owing to electronic delocalization induced by metal defects, which reduces the theoretical overpotential. Notably, ab initio molecular dynamics calculations, ex situ XPS, and in situ ATR-SEIRAS suggest that metal defects effectively improve the adsorption of reactive species on active sites and enhance the efficiency of product desorption, thereby boosting catalytic performance.

Spinel cobalt-based binary metal oxides as emerging materials for energy harvesting devices: synthesis, characterization and synchrotron radiation-enabled investigation

The synthesis and characterization of spinel cobalt-based metal oxides (MCo2O4) with varying 3d-transition metal ions (Ni, Fe, Cu, and Zn) were explored using a hydrothermal process (140 °C for two hours) to be used as alternative counter electrodes for Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed distinct morphologies for each metal oxide, such as NiCo2O4 nanosheets, Cu Co2O4 nanoleaves, Fe Co2O4 diamond-like, and Zn Co2O4 hexagonal-like structures. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the cubic spinel structure for the prepared MCo2O4 films. The functional groups of MCo2O4 materials were recognized in metal oxides throughout Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The local structure analysis using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) at Fe and Co K-edge identified octahedral (Oh) Co3+ and tetrahedral (Td) Co2+ coordination, with Zn2+ and Cu2+ favoring Td sites, while Ni3+ and Fe3+ preferred Oh active sites. Further investigations utilizing the Fourier transformation (FT) analysis showed comparable coordination numbers and interatomic distances ranked as Co-Cu > Co-Fe > Zn-Co > Co-Ni. Furthermore, the utilization of MCo2O4 thin films as counter electrodes in DSSC fabrication showed promising results. Notably, solar cells based on CuCo2O4 and ZnCo2O4 counter electrodes showed 1.9% and 1.13% power conversion efficiency, respectively. These findings indicate the potential of employing these binary metal oxides for efficient and cost-effective photovoltaic device production.

Fe, N-Inducing Interfacial Electron Redistribution in NiCo Spinel on Biomass-Derived Carbon for Bi-functional Oxygen Conversion

Herein, an interfacial electron redistribution is proposed to boost the activity of carbon-supported spinel NiCo2O4 catalyst toward oxygen conversion via Fe, N-doping strategy. Fe-doping into octahedron induces a redistribution of electrons between Co and Ni atoms on NiCo1.8Fe0.2O4@N-carbon. The increased electron density of Co promotes the coordination of water to Co sites and further dissociation. The generation of proton from water improves the overall activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The increased electron density of Ni facilitates the generation of oxygen vacancies. The Ni-VO-Fe structure accelerates the deprotonation of *OOH to improve the activity toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER). N-doping modulates the electron density of carbon to form active sites for the adsorption and protonation of oxygen species. Fir wood-derived carbon endows catalyst with an integral structure to enable outstanding electrocatalytic performance. The NiCo1.8Fe0.2O4@N-carbon express high half-wave potential up to 0.86 V in ORR and low overpotential of 270 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in OER. The zinc-air batteries (ZABs) assembled with the as-prepared catalyst achieve long-term cycle stability (over 2000 cycles) with peak power density (180 mWcm-2). Fe, N-doping strategy drives the catalysis of biomass-derived carbon-based catalysts to the highest level for the oxygen conversion in ZABs.

3D Hierarchical MOF-Derived Defect-Rich NiFe Spinel Ferrite as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Redox Reactions in Zinc-Air Batteries

The strategy of defect engineering is increasingly recognized for its pivotal role in modulating the electronic structure, thereby significantly improving the electrocatalytic performance of materials. In this study, we present defect-enriched nickel and iron oxides as highly active and cost-effective electrocatalysts, denoted as Ni0.6Fe2.4O4@NC, derived from NiFe-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER). XANES and EXAFS confirm that the crystals have a distorted structure and metal vacancies. The cation defect-rich Ni0.6Fe2.4O4@NC electrocatalyst exhibits exceptional ORR and OER activities (ΔE = 0.68 V). Mechanistic pathways of electrochemical reactions are studied by DFT calculations. Furthermore, a rechargeable zinc-air battery (RZAB) using the Ni0.6Fe2.4O4@NC catalyst demonstrates a peak power density of 187 mW cm-2 and remarkable long-term cycling stability. The flexible solid-state ZAB using the Ni0.6Fe2.4O4@NC catalyst exhibits a power density of 66 mW cm-2. The proposed structural design strategy allows for the rational design of electronic delocalization of cation defect-rich NiFe spinel ferrite attached to ultrathin N-doped graphitic carbon sheets in order to enhance active site availability and facilitate mass and electron transport.

Waste to treasure: Electrocatalytic upcycling of n-valeraldehyde to octane by Zn-Co bimetallic oxide with atomic level cation defect

n-Valeraldehyde is widely used in organic synthesis field as an important intermediate and feedstock, which makes it a significant class of environmental pollutants. In view of the high poisonous and harmful of n-valeraldehyde to human health and ecological environment, it is important to develop green and sustainable technology to reduce the pollution of n-valeraldehyde. In this work, electrocatalytic n-valeraldehyde oxidation using Zn-Co bimetallic oxides was applied to control n-valeraldehyde contamination and highly valuable octane production. To further improve the performance of Zn-Co bimetallic oxides, atomic level Zn vacancies were created across the Zn-Co bimetallic oxides (dx-ZnCo2O4) by post-etching and oxygen vacancy filling methods. Electrochemical experiments results showed that dx-ZnCo2O4 owned a much higher octane yield (1193.4 µmol g-1 h-1) and octane selectivity (octane/butene ≈10). Theoretical calculations demonstrated that the introduction of atomic level Zn vacancies in Zn-Co bimetallic oxide changed the electronic distribution around O, Co and Zn atoms, resulted in an alteration in n-valeraldehyde adsorption sites from Co to Zn, reduced the formation barrier of key intermediate *C4H9 and facilitated the transfer of n-valeraldehyde to octane. This study provides a new idea for the development of high-performance electrocatalysts for controlling n-valeraldehyde pollution.

Alkali Etching of Porous PdCoZn Nanosheets for Boosting C-C Bond Cleavage of Ethylene Glycol Oxidation

Pd-based electrocatalysts are the most effective catalysts for ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR), while the disadvantages of poor stability, low resistance to neutrophilic, and low catalytic activity seriously hamper the development of direct ethylene glycol fuel cells (DEGFCs). In this work, defect-riched PdCoZn nanosheets (D-PdCoZn NSs) with ultrathin 2D NSs and porous structures are fabricated through the solvothermal and alkali etching processes. Benefiting from the presence of defects and ultrathin 2D structures, D-PdCoZn NSs demonstrate excellent electrocatalytic activity and good durability against EGOR in alkaline media. The mass activity and specific activity of D-PdCoZn NSs for EGOR are 9.5 A mg-1 and 15.7 mA cm-2 , respectively, which are higher than that of PdCoZn NSs, PdCo NSs, and Pd black. The D-PdCoZn NSs still maintain satisfactory mass activity after long-term durability tests. Meanwhile, in situ IR spectroscopy demonstrates that the presence of defects attenuated the adsorption of intermediates, which improves the selectivity of the C1 pathway with excellent anti-CO poisoning performance. This work not only provides an effective synthetic strategy for the preparation of Pd-based nanomaterials with defective structures but also indicates significant guidance for optimum C1 pathway selectivity of ethylene glycol and other challenging chemical transformations.

Adjusted Preferential Adsorption of Intermediates via Regulation of the Electronic Structure during the Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction Process

The surface electronic structures of catalysts play a crucial role in CO2 adsorption and activation. Here, sulfur vacancies are introduced into CuInS2 nanosheets (Vs-CuInS2) to evaluate the effect of electronic structures at the surface-active sites on the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). Vs-CuInS2 exhibits a significant disparity in the highest FEformate/FECO (6.50) compared to that of CuInS2 (1.86). Specifically, the maximum current density (Jmax) of carbon products on Vs-CuInS2 is 78.78 mA cm-2, and a Faraday efficiency of carbon products (FEcarbon products) of ≥80% is achieved in 600 mV wide potential windows. In situ Raman measurements and density functional theory calculations elucidate the origin of the apparent alterations in the carbon product selectivity. The introduction of sulfur vacancies realizes the controllable regulation of the local electronic density around the metal active sites, inducing the transformation of *COOH and *OCHO from competitive adsorption on CuInS2 to specific adsorption on Vs-CuInS2. In addition, the regulation of electronic structures on Vs-CuInS2 inhibits *H adsorption. This work reveals the transfer of adsorption of CO2RR intermediates via regulation of the electronic structure, complementing the understanding of the mechanism for the enhanced CO2RR.

Heteroatom-modulated NiCo2O4 apparent energy activation of PMS for tetracycline removal: Mechanism and toxicity analysis

Heteroatom doping to reconfigure the electronic structure of heterogeneous catalysts is expected to lead to the development of advanced oxidation water purification materials with superior performance and greater stability. Herein, a series of catalysts with different elemental doping was developed by a simple and environmentally friendly one-step self-propagating combustion method to remove Tetracycline (TC). After S-doping, the normalized kinetic constant of TC was significantly increased from 30.49 to 159.41 min-1M-1 within 30 min, which is even higher than most recent heterogeneous catalysts. The prepared S-doped NiCo2O4 (NCO-S) exhibits an extremely promising catalytic performance for oxidation (92.8 %) and mineralization (65.9 %) of TC in a wide pH range (3-11). The resistance to interference is excellent for inorganic ions and even in real water samples. Quenching experiments, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and electrochemical analyses demonstrated that the non-radical oxidation pathway, including electron transfer and 1O2, dominated the degradation process after S doping. It is speculated that possible intermediates and toxicological studies are discussed, finding that the overall degradation process is moving towards low toxicity to reveal prospects for large-scale applications. This work not only provides a way to remove TC, but may also inspire the design of more efficient and stable materials for water treatment and other applications.

Activating the Basal Planes and Oxidized Oxygens in Layer-Structured Na0.6 CoO2 for Boosted OER Activity

With the CoO2 slabs consisting of Co4 O4 cubane structure, layered Nax CoO2 are considered promising candidates for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media given their earth-abundant and structural advantages. However, due to the strong adsorption of intermediates on the large basal planes, Nax CoO2 cannot meet the activity demands. Here, a novel one-pot synthesis strategy is proposed to realize the high solubility of iron in Nax CoO2 in an air atmosphere. The optimist Na0.6 Co0.9 Fe0.1 O2 exhibits enhanced OER activity compared to their pristine and other reported Fe-doped Nax CoO2 counterparts. Such an enhancement is mainly ascribed to the abundant active sites on the activated basal planes and the participation of oxidized oxygen as active sites independently, which breaks the scaling relationship limit in the OER process. This work is expected to contribute to the understanding of the modification mechanism of Fe-doped cobalt-based oxides and the exploitation of layer-structured oxides for energy application.

MOF-derived S-doped NiCo2O4 hollow cubic nanocage for highly efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

Inducing the surface reconstruction of spinels is critical for improving the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. Herein, S-doped NiCo2O4 hollow cubic nanocage was synthesized by anion etching Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) template and air annealing strategies. The hollow structure possesses a large specific surface area and pore size, facilitating active site exposure and mass transport. S2- doping regulates the electronic structure, reducing the oxidation potential of Ni sites during the OER process, thus promoting the surface reconstruction into γ-NiOOH active species. Meanwhile, S2- doping enhances conductivity, accelerating interfacial charge transfer. As a result, S-NiCo2O4-6 exhibits superior OER activity (262 mV overpotential @ 10 mA cm-2) and stability in 1.0 M KOH solution. Furthermore, 20 % Pt/C‖S-NiCo2O4-6 only needs 1.832 V to achieve 50 mA (the electrochemical active area is 4 cm2) in a homemade anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer. This work proposes a novel approach for preparing efficient anion-doped spinel-based OER electrocatalysts.

ZnGa2-xAlxO4 (x = 0 ≤ 2) spinel for persistent light emission and HER/OER bi-functional catalysis

Spinel materials have demonstrated diverse applications in various fields, especially in the energy sector. Since the pure spinel structure has the limitations of poor inherent activity and low conductivity, defect engineering through octahedral B-site modulation is expected to enhance various properties. Here in this work, we have synthesized ZnGa2-xAlxO4 (x = 0 ≤ 2) spinel and moved from one terminal (ZnGa2O4) to the other (ZnAl2O4) by varying the Ga/Al ratio using solvent-free solid-state reaction. Dopant and rare earth element-free (RE) ZnGa2O4 spinel showed excellent blue luminescence with photoluminescent quantum yields (PLQY) of 13% while exhibiting persistent light emission close to 60 min. The Al3+ incorporation at Ga3+ site doesn't yield any improvement in persistent luminescence lifetime owing to quenching of shallow traps as suggested by thermoluminescence (TL) studies. Moreover our materials have demonstrated bifunctional electrocatalytic activity towards both oxygen evolution (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) which has never been reported for ZnGa2-xAlxO4. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) suggested that mixed Al/Ga-containing spinels possessed enhanced oxygen vacancies/defects. This makes them better electrocatalyst towards OER and HER compare to ZnGa2O4 and ZnAl2O4. The ZnGa1.75Al0.25O4 composition by virtue of enhanced oxygen vacancies and less charge transfer resistance (47.3 ohms) demonstrated best electrocatalytic activity for OER compared to the other synthesized catalysts at the same applied potential (1.6 V). On the other hand, the ZnGa1Al1O4 composition demonstrated excellent faradaic efficiency of ∼ 90% towards HER. From this work we can achieve multifunctional applications towards optoelectronics and electrocatalysis just by modulating Al/Ga ratio in ZnGa2-xAlxO4.

Underlying Mechanisms and Tunability of the Anomalous Hall Effect in NiCo2 O4 Films with Robust Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy

Their high tunability of electronic and magnetic properties makes transition-metal oxides (TMOs) highly intriguing for fundamental studies and promising for a wide range of applications. TMOs with strong ferrimagnetism provide new platforms for tailoring the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) beyond conventional concepts based on ferromagnets, and particularly TMOs with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) are of prime importance for today's spintronics. This study reports on transport phenomena and magnetic characteristics of the ferrimagnetic TMO NiCo2 O4 (NCO) exhibiting PMA. The entire electrical and magnetic properties of NCO films are strongly correlated with their conductivities governed by the cation valence states. The AHE exhibits an unusual sign reversal resulting from a competition between intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms depending on the conductivity, which can be tuned by the synthesis conditions independent of the film thickness. Importantly, skew-scattering is identified as an AHE contribution for the first time in the low-conductivity regime. Application wise, the robust PMA without thickness limitation constitutes a major advantage compared to conventional PMA materials utilized in today's spintronics. The great potential for applications is exemplified by two proposed novel device designs consisting only of NCO films that open a new route for future spintronics, such as ferrimagnetic high-density memories.

Cold plasma synthesis of phosphorus-doped CoFe2O4 with oxygen vacancies for enhanced OER activity

Spinel-type metal oxides are promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to their unique electronic structure and low cost. Herein, we induced oxygen vacancies and doped phosphorus into CoFe2O4 using cold plasma. The abundant oxygen vacancies enhanced hydrophilicity and modified the electronic structure of CoFe2O4, while the phosphorus doping formed numerous new active centers. The doped P and formed FeP promoted the charge transfer and improved the conductivity of the catalyst. The phosphorus-doped CoFe2O4 exhibited exceptional OER activity with an overpotential of 180 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a Tafel slope of 65.8 mV dec-1 in an alkaline electrolyte. DFT calculations confirmed that phosphorus doping can improve the charge distribution near the Fermi level and optimize the d-band center position.

CoMoO4-CoP/NC heterostructure anchored on hollow polyhedral N-doped carbon skeleton for efficient water splitting

We report the synthesis and electrocatalytic properties of a CoMoO₄-CoP heterostructure anchored on a hollow polyhedral N-doped carbon skeleton (CoMoO₄-CoP/NC) for water-splitting applications. The preparation involved the anion exchange of MoO₄^2- to the organic ligand of ZIF-67, the self-hydrolysis of MoO₄^2-, and NaH₂PO₂ phosphating annealing. CoMoO₄ was found to enhance thermal stability and prevent active site agglomeration during annealing, while the hollow structure of CoMoO₄-CoP/NC provided a large specific surface area and high porosity that facilitated mass transport and charge transfer. The interfacial electron transfer from Co to Mo and P sites promoted the generation of electron-deficient Co sites and electron-enriched P sites, which accelerated water dissociation. CoMoO₄-CoP/NC exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 M KOH solution, with overpotentials of 122 mV and 280 mV at 10 mA cm^-2, respectively. The CoMoO₄-CoP/NC‖CoMoO₄-CoP/NC two-electrode system only required an overall water splitting (OWS) cell voltage of 1.62 V to achieve 10 mA cm^-2 in an alkaline electrolytic cell. In addition, the material showed comparable activity to 20% Pt/C‖RuO₂ in a pure water home-made membrane electrode device, demonstrating potential for practical applications in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers. Our results suggest that CoMoO₄-CoP/NC is a promising electrocatalyst for efficient and cost-effective water splitting.

Oxidation State Engineering in Octahedral Ni by Anchored Sulfate to Boost Intrinsic Oxygen Evolution Activity

Promoting the electron occupancy of active sites to unity is an effective method to enhance the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of spinel oxides, but it remains a great challenge. Here, an in situ approach is developed to modify the valence state of octahedral Ni cations in NiFe₂O₄ inverse spinel via surface sulfates (SO₄^2-). Different from previous studies, SO₄^2- is directly anchored on the spinel surface instead of forming from uncontrolled conversion or surface reconstruction. Experiment and theoretical calculations reveal the precise adsorption sites and spatial arrangement for SO₄^2- species. As a main promoting factor, surface SO₄^2- effectively converts the crystal field stable Ni state (t_2g⁶e_g²) to the near-unity e_g electron state (t_2g⁶e_g¹). Moreover, the inevitable oxygen vacancies (V_o) further optimize the energy barrier of the potential-determining step (from OH* to O*). This co-modification strategy enhances turnover frequency-based electrocatalytic activity about two orders higher than the control sample without surface sulfates. This work may provide insight into the OER activity enhancement mechanism by the oxyanion groups.

Amorphous Oxysulfide Reconstructed from Spinel NiCo2 S4 for Efficient Water Oxidation

The progress of effective and durable electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is urgent, which is essential to promote the overall efficiency of green hydrogen production. To improve the performance of spinel cobalt-based oxides, which serve as promising water oxidation electrocatalysts in alkaline electrolytes, most researches have been concentrated on cations modification. Here, an anionic regulation mechanism is employed to adopt sulfur(S) anion substitution to supplant NiCo₂ O₄ by NiCo₂ S₄ , which contributed to an impressive OER performance in alkali. It is revealed that the substitution of S constructs a sub-stable spinel structure that facilitates its reconstruction into active amorphous oxysulfide under OER conditions. More importantly, as the active phase in the actual reaction process, the hetero-anionic amorphous oxysulfide has an appropriately tuned electronic structure and efficient OER electrocatalytic activity. This work demonstrates a promising approach for achieving anion conditioning-based tunable structure reconstruction for robust and easy preparation spinel oxide OER electrocatalysts.

Formation of Carbon-Incorporated NiO@Co3O4 Nanostructures via a Direct Calcination Method and Their Application as Battery-Type Electrodes for Hybrid Supercapacitors

Nickel and cobalt oxides are promising electrode materials for supercapacitors, but their poor conductivity and sluggish kinetics seriously hinder their application. Herein, a simple one-step calcination method was proposed to prepare carbon-incorporated NiO@Co₃O₄ (denoted as CNC) using a NiCo Prussian blue analogue (NiCo-PBA) as a precursor. The effect of calcination temperature on the electrochemical behavior of CNC was investigated. Benefiting from the relatively large specific surface area and porous structure characteristics, when used as an electrode for supercapacitors, the CNC obtained at 400 °C shows the typical features of a battery-type electrode, with a good specific capacitance of 208.5 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 and a rate capability of 70.8% at 30 A g^-1. The hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) constructed with the optimum CNC electrode can provide a high energy density of 32.6 Wh kg^-1 at the corresponding power density of 750.0 W kg^-1 and an excellent cycling stability of 87.1% over 5000 cycles. This study provides a simple calcination method for preparing MOF-derived high-conductivity mixed metal oxide electrode materials for supercapacitors.