A Density Functional + U Assessment of Oxygen Evolution Reaction Mechanisms on β-NiOOH

Toward Realistic Models of the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) supplies the protons and electrons needed to transform renewable electricity into chemicals and fuels. However, the OER is kinetically sluggish; it operates at significant rates only when the applied potential far exceeds the reversible voltage. The origin of this overpotential is hidden in a complex mechanism involving multiple electron transfers and chemical bond making/breaking steps. Our desire to improve catalytic performance has then made mechanistic studies of the OER an area of major scientific inquiry, though the complexity of the reaction has made understanding difficult. While historically, mechanistic studies have relied solely on experiment and phenomenological models, over the past twenty years ab initio simulation has been playing an increasingly important role in developing our understanding of the electrocatalytic OER and its reaction mechanisms. In this Review we cover advances in our mechanistic understanding of the OER, organized by increasing complexity in the way through which the OER is modeled. We begin with phenomenological models built using experimental data before reviewing early efforts to incorporate ab initio methods into mechanistic studies. We go on to cover how the assumptions in these early ab initio simulations─no electric field, electrolyte, or explicit kinetics─have been relaxed. Through comparison with experimental literature, we explore the veracity of these different assumptions. We summarize by discussing the most critical open challenges in developing models to understand the mechanisms of the OER.

Dual-site OER mechanism exploration through regulating asymmetric multi-site NiOOH

Asymmetric nickel oxyhydroxide (NiOOH) possesses multi-OH and O active sites on different surfaces, (001) and (001̄), which possibly causes a complicated catalytic process. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the unconventional dual-site mechanism (UDSM) of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on NiOOH (001) and (001̄) exhibits significantly lower overpotentials of 0.80 and 0.77 V, compared to 1.24 and 1.62 V for the single-site mechanism (SSM), respectively. Through chemical doping or heterojunction modifications, the constructed NiOOH@FeOOH (001̄) heterojunction reduces the thermodynamic overpotential to 0.49 V from original 0.77 V undergoing the UDSM. Although Fe/Co-doping or physical compression yield similar or slightly higher overpotentials and are not conductive to facilitating the OER process by the UDSM, all dual-site paths exhibit obviously lower overpotentials than the SSM for pristine and regulated NiOOH (001) and (001̄) from the whole viewpoint. This work identifies a more reasonable and efficient dual-site OER mechanism, which is expected to help the rational design of highly-efficient electrocatalysts.

Strongly facet-dependent activity of iron-doped β-nickel oxyhydroxide for the oxygen evolution reaction

Iron (Fe)-doped β-nickel oxyhydroxide (β-NiOOH) is a highly active, noble-metal-free electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), with the latter being the bottleneck in electrochemical water splitting for sustainable hydrogen production. The mechanisms underlying how the Fe dopant modulates this host material's water electro-oxidation activity are still not entirely clear. Here, we combine hybrid density functional theory (DFT) and Hubbard-corrected DFT to investigate the OER activity of the most thermodynamically favorable (and therefore, expected to be the majority) crystallographic facets of β-NiOOH, namely (0001) and (101̄0). By considering active sites involving both oxidation and reduction of the transition-metal active center during the redox cycle on these two different facets, we show that six-fold-lattice-coordinated Fe in β-NiOOH is redox inactive towards both oxidation and reduction while five-fold-lattice-coordinated Fe in β-NiOOH does exhibit redox activity. However, the determined redox activity of Fe (or lack of it) is not indicative of good (or bad) performance as a dopant on these two facets. Three of the four active sites investigated (oxo and hydroxo sites on (0001) and a hydrated site on (101̄0)) exhibit only a marginal (<0.1 V) decrease or increase in the thermodynamic overpotential upon doping with Fe. Only one of the redox-active sites investigated, the hydroxo site on (101̄0), exhibits a large attenuation in the thermodynamic overpotential upon doping (to ∼0.52 V from 0.86 V), although the doped overpotential is larger than that observed experimentally for Fe-doped NiOOH. Thus, although pure β-NiOOH facets containing four-, five-, or six-fold lattice-coordinated Ni sites have roughly equal OER activities, yielding similar OER onset potentials (shown in A. Govind Rajan, J. M. P. Martirez and E. A. Carter, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020, 142, 3600-3612), only those facets containing four-fold lattice-coordinated Fe (e.g., as shown in J. M. P. Martirez and E. A. Carter, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2019, 141, 693-705) would be active under analogous conditions for the Fe-doped material. It follows that, while undoped β-NiOOH demonstrates a roughly facet-independent oxygen evolution activity, the activity of Fe-doped β-NiOOH strongly depends on the crystallographic facet. Our study further motivates the investigation of strategies for the selective growth of facets with low iron coordination number to enhance the water splitting activity of Fe-doped β-NiOOH.

Porous 2D Catalyst Covers Improve Photoelectrochemical Water-Oxidation Performance

Confined catalysis under the cover of 2D materials has emerged as a promising approach for achieving highly effective catalysts in various essential reactions. In this work, a porous cover structure is designed to boost the interfacial charge and mass transfer kinetics of 2D-covered catalysts. The improvement in catalytic performance is confirmed by the photoelectrochemical oxidation evolution reaction (OER) on a photoanode based on an n-Si substrate modified with a NiOx thin-film model electrocatalyst covered with a porous graphene (pGr) monolayer. Experimental results demonstrate that the pGr cover enhances the OER kinetics by balancing the charge and mass transfer at the photoanode and electrolyte interface compared to the intrinsic graphene cover and cover-free control samples. Theoretical investigations further corroborate that the pore edges of the pGr cover boost the intrinsic catalytic activity of active sites on NiOx by reducing the reaction overpotential. Furthermore, the optimized pores, which can be easily controlled by plasma bombardment, allow oxygen molecules produced in the OER to pass through without peeling off the pGr cover, thus ensuring the structural stability of the catalyst. This study highlights the significant role of the porous cover structure in 2D-covered catalysts and provides new insight into the design of high-performance catalysts.

Highly efficient anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers via chromium-doped amorphous electrocatalysts

In-depth comprehension and modulation of the electronic structure of the active metal sites is crucial to enhance their intrinsic activity of electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) toward anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs). Here, we elaborate a series of amorphous metal oxide catalysts (FeCrOx, CoCrOx and NiCrOx) with high performance AEMWEs by high-valent chromium dopant. We discover that the positive effect of the transition from low to high valence of the Co site on the adsorption energy of the intermediate and the lower oxidation barrier is the key factor for its increased activity by synchrotron radiation in-situ techniques. Particularly, the CoCrOx anode catalyst achieves the high current density of 1.5 A cm-2 at 2.1 V and maintains for over 120 h with attenuation less than 4.9 mV h-1 in AEMWE testing. Such exceptional performance demonstrates a promising prospect for industrial application and providing general guidelines for the design of high-efficiency AEMWEs systems.

Orbital Occupancy Modulation to Optimize Intermediate Absorption for Efficient Electrocatalysts in Water Electrolysis and Zinc-Ethanol-Air Battery

Spin engineering is a promising way to modulate the interaction between the metal d-orbital and the intermediates and thus enhance the catalytic kinetics. Herein, an innovative strategy is reported to modulate the spin state of Co by regulating its coordinating environment. o-c-CoSe2 -Ni is prepared as pre-catalyst, then in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and in situ Raman spectroscopy are employed to prove phase transition, and CoOOH/Co3 O4 is formed on the surface as active sites. In hybrid water electrolysis, the voltage has a negative shift, and in zinc-ethanol-air battery, the charging voltage is lowered and the cycling stability is greatly increased. Coordinated atom substitution and crystalline symmetry change are combined to regulate the absorption ability of reaction intermediates with balanced optimal adsorption. Coordinated atom substitution weakens the adsorption while the crystalline symmetry change strengthens the adsorption. Importantly, the tetrahedral sites are introduced by Ni doping which enables the co-existence of four-coordinated sites and six-coordination sites in o-c-CoSe2 -Ni. The dz2 + dx2 -y2 orbital occupancy decreases after the atomic substitution, while increases after replacing the CoSe6 -Oh field with CoSe6 -Oh /CoSe4 -Td . This work explores a new direction for the preparation of efficient catalysts for water electrolysis and innovative zinc-ethanol-air battery.

Boosting the Oxygen Evolution Activity of FeNi Oxides/Hydroxides by Molecular and Atomic Engineering

FeNi oxides/hydroxides are the best performing catalysts for oxidizing water at basic pH. Consequently, their improvement is the cornerstone to develop more efficient artificial photosynthetic systems. During the last 5 years different reports have demonstrated an enhancement of their activity by engineering their structures via: (1) modulation of the number of oxygen, iron and nickel vacancies; (2) single atoms (SAs) doping with metals such as Au, Ir, Ru and Pt; and (3) modification of their surface using organic ligands. All these strategies have led to more active and stable electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution rection (OER). In this Concept, we critically analyze these strategies using the most relevant examples.

Theoretical Insights into Single-Atom Catalysts Supported on N-Doped Defective Graphene for Fast Reaction Redox Kinetics in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Single-atom catalysts are proven to be an effective strategy for suppressing shuttle effect at the source by accelerating the redox kinetics of intermediate polysulfides in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, only a few 3d transition metal single-atom catalysts (Ti, Fe, Co, Ni) are currently applied for sulfur reduction/oxidation reactions (SRR/SOR), which remains challenging for screening new efficient catalysts and understanding the relationship between structure-activity of catalysts. Herein, N-doped defective graphene (NG) supported 3d, 4d, and 5d transition metals are used as single-atom catalyst models to explore electrocatalytic SRR/SOR in Li-S batteries by using density functional theory calculations. The results show that M1 /NG (M1 = Ru, Rh, Ir, Os) exhibits lower free energy change of rate-determining step( Δ G Li 2 S ∗ ) $( {\Delta {G}_{{\mathrm{Li}}_{\mathrm{2}}{{\mathrm{S}}}^{\mathrm{*}}\ }} )$ and Li2 S decomposition energy barrier, which significantly enhance the SRR and SOR activity compared to other single-atom catalysts. Furthermore, the study accurately predicts theΔ G Li 2 S ∗ $\Delta {G}_{{\mathrm{Li}}_{\mathrm{2}}{{\mathrm{S}}}^{\mathrm{*}}\ }$ by machine learning based on various descriptors and reveals the origin of the catalyst activity by analyzing the importance of the descriptors. This work provides great significance for understanding the relationships between the structure-activity of catalysts, and manifests that the employed machine learning approach is instructive for theoretical studies of single-atom catalytic reactions.

Engineering Electronic and Morphological Structure of Metal-Organic-Framework-Derived Iron-Doped Ni2P/NC Hollow Polyhedrons for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution

The rational design of an oxygen electrocatalyst with low cost and high activity is greatly desired for realization of the practical water-splitting industry. Herein, we put forward a rational method to construct nonprecious-metal catalysts with high activity by designing the microstructure and modulating the electronic state. Iron (Fe)-doped Ni₂P hollow polyhedrons decorated with nitrogen-doped carbon (Fe-Ni₂P/NC HPs) are prepared by a sequential metal-organic-framework-templated strategy. Benefiting from the strong electronic coupling, rapid charge-transfer capability, and abundant catalytic active sites, the obtained Fe-Ni₂P/NC HPs exhibit an impressive electrocatalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with an ultralow overpotential of 228 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 and a small Tafel slope of 33.4 mV dec^-1, superior to the commercial RuO₂ and most reported electrocatalysts. Notably, this catalyst also shows long durability with an almost negligible activity decay over 210 h for the OER. Combining density functional theory calculations with experiments demonstrates that the doped Fe and the incorporated carbon effectively modulate the electronic structure, enhance the conductivity, and greatly reduce the energy barrier of the rate-determining step in the process of OER. Thus, fast OER kinetics is realized. Moreover, this synthetic strategy can be extended to the synthesis of Fe-NiS₂/NC HPs and Fe-NiSe₂/NC HPs with excellent OER performance and long-term durability. This work furnishes an instructive idea in pursuit of nonprecious-metal materials with robust electrocatalytic activity and long durability.

Improving the Oxygen Evolution Reaction on Fe3O4(001) with Single-Atom Catalysts

Doping magnetite surfaces with transition-metal atoms is a promising strategy to improve the catalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which governs the overall efficiency of water electrolysis and hydrogen production. In this work, we investigated the Fe₃O₄(001) surface as a support material for single-atom catalysts of the OER. First, we prepared and optimized models of inexpensive and abundant transition-metal atoms, such as Ti, Co, Ni, and Cu, trapped in various configurations on the Fe₃O₄(001) surface. Then, we studied their structural, electronic, and magnetic properties through HSE06 hybrid functional calculations. As a further step, we investigated the performance of these model electrocatalysts toward the OER, considering different possible mechanisms, in comparison with the pristine magnetite surface, on the basis of the computational hydrogen electrode model developed by Nørskov and co-workers. Cobalt-doped systems were found to be the most promising electrocatalytic systems among those considered in this work. Overpotential values (∼0.35 V) were in the range of those experimentally reported for mixed Co/Fe oxide (0.2-0.5 V).

A High-Entropy Oxide as High-Activity Electrocatalyst for Water Oxidation

High-entropy materials are an emerging pathway in the development of high-activity (electro)catalysts because of the inherent tunability and coexistence of multiple potential active sites, which may lead to earth-abundant catalyst materials for energy-efficient electrochemical energy storage. In this report, we identify how the multication composition in high-entropy perovskite oxides (HEO) contributes to high catalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), i.e., the key kinetically limiting half-reaction in several electrochemical energy conversion technologies, including green hydrogen generation. We compare the activity of the (001) facet of LaCr_0.2Mn_0.2Fe_0.2Co_0.2Ni_0.2O_3-δ with the parent compounds (single B-site in the ABO₃ perovskite). While the single B-site perovskites roughly follow the expected volcano-type activity trends, the HEO clearly outperforms all of its parent compounds with 17 to 680 times higher currents at a fixed overpotential. As all samples were grown as an epitaxial layer, our results indicate an intrinsic composition-function relationship, avoiding the effects of complex geometries or unknown surface composition. In-depth X-ray photoemission studies reveal a synergistic effect of simultaneous oxidation and reduction of different transition metal cations during the adsorption of reaction intermediates. The surprisingly high OER activity demonstrates that HEOs are a highly attractive, earth-abundant material class for high-activity OER electrocatalysts, possibly allowing the activity to be fine-tuned beyond the scaling limits of mono- or bimetallic oxides.

Surface Design Strategy of Catalysts for Water Electrolysis

Hydrogen, a new energy carrier that can replace traditional fossil fuels, is seen as one of the most promising clean energy sources. The use of renewable electricity to drive hydrogen production has very broad prospects for addressing energy and environmental problems. Therefore, many researchers favor electrolytic water due to its green and low-cost advantages. The electrolytic water reaction comprises the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Understanding the OER and HER mechanisms in acidic and alkaline processes contributes to further studying the design of surface regulation of electrolytic water catalysts. The OER and HER catalysts are mainly reviewed for defects, doping, alloying, surface reconstruction, crystal surface structure, and heterostructures. Besides, recent catalysts for overall water splitting are also reviewed. Finally, this review paves the way to the rational design and synthesis of new materials for highly efficient electrocatalysis.

Water electrolysis: from textbook knowledge to the latest scientific strategies and industrial developments

Replacing fossil fuels with energy sources and carriers that are sustainable, environmentally benign, and affordable is amongst the most pressing challenges for future socio-economic development. To that goal, hydrogen is presumed to be the most promising energy carrier. Electrocatalytic water splitting, if driven by green electricity, would provide hydrogen with minimal CO2 footprint. The viability of water electrolysis still hinges on the availability of durable earth-abundant electrocatalyst materials and the overall process efficiency. This review spans from the fundamentals of electrocatalytically initiated water splitting to the very latest scientific findings from university and institutional research, also covering specifications and special features of the current industrial processes and those processes currently being tested in large-scale applications. Recently developed strategies are described for the optimisation and discovery of active and durable materials for electrodes that ever-increasingly harness first-principles calculations and machine learning. In addition, a technoeconomic analysis of water electrolysis is included that allows an assessment of the extent to which a large-scale implementation of water splitting can help to combat climate change. This review article is intended to cross-pollinate and strengthen efforts from fundamental understanding to technical implementation and to improve the 'junctions' between the field's physical chemists, materials scientists and engineers, as well as stimulate much-needed exchange among these groups on challenges encountered in the different domains.

Polymer Modification of Surface Electronic Properties of Electrocatalysts

Finding alternative ways to tailor the electronic properties of a catalyst to actively and selectively drive reactions of interest has been a growing research topic in the field of electrochemistry. In this Letter, we investigate the tuning of the surface electronic properties of electrocatalysts via polymer modification. We show that when a nickel oxide water oxidation catalyst is coated with polytetrafluoroethylene, stable Ni-CF _x bonds are introduced at the nickel oxide/polymer interface, resulting in shifting of the reaction selectivity away from the oxygen evolution reaction and toward hydrogen peroxide formation. It is shown that the electron-withdrawing character of the surface fluorocarbon molecule leaves a slight positive charge on the water oxidation intermediates at the adjacent active nickel sites, making their bonds weaker. The concept of modifying the surface electronic properties of an electrocatalyst via stable polymer modification offers an additional route to tune multipathway reactions in polymer/electrocatalyst environments, like with ionomer-modified catalysts or with membrane electrode assemblies.

W Doping in Ni12P5 as a Platform to Enhance Overall Electrochemical Water Splitting

Bifunctional electrocatalysts for efficient hydrogen generation from water splitting must overcome both the sluggish water dissociation step of the alkaline hydrogen evolution half-reaction (HER) and the kinetic barrier of the anodic oxygen evolution half-reaction (OER). Nickel phosphides are a promising catalysts family and are known to develop a thin active layer of oxidized Ni in an alkaline medium. Here, Ni₁₂P₅ was recognized as a suitable platform for the electrochemical production of γ-NiOOH─a particularly active phase─because of its matching crystallographic structure. The incorporation of tungsten by doping produces additional surface roughness, increases the electrochemical surface area (ESCA), and reduces the energy barrier for electron-coupled water dissociation (the Volmer step for the formation of H_ads). When serving as both the anode and cathode, the 15% W-Ni₁₂P₅ catalyst provides an overall water splitting current density of 10 mA cm^-2 at a cell voltage of only 1.73 V with good durability, making it a promising bifunctional catalyst for practical water electrolysis.

Magnetic Nanostructures: Rational Design and Fabrication Strategies toward Diverse Applications

In recent years, the continuous development of magnetic nanostructures (MNSs) has tremendously promoted both fundamental scientific research and technological applications. Different from the bulk magnet, the systematic engineering on MNSs has brought a great breakthrough in some emerging fields such as the construction of MNSs, the magnetism exploration of multidimensional MNSs, and their potential translational applications. In this review, we give a detailed description of the synthetic strategies of MNSs based on the fundamental features and application potential of MNSs and discuss the recent progress of MNSs in the fields of nanomedicines, advanced nanobiotechnology, catalysis, and electromagnetic wave adsorption (EMWA), aiming to provide guidance for fabrication strategies of MNSs toward diverse applications.

In situ activation of Br-confined Ni-based metal-organic framework hollow prisms toward efficient electrochemical oxygen evolution

Fundamental insights into the structural evolution of oxygen electrocatalysts under operating conditions are of substantial importance for designing efficient catalysts. Here, on the basis of operando x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, we probe the in situ activation of Br-confined conductive Ni-based metal-organic framework (Br-Ni-MOF) hollow prisms toward an active oxygen electrocatalyst during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process. The successive structural transformations from pristine Br-Ni-MOF to a β-Ni(OH)₂ analog then subsequently to a γ-NiOOH phase during OER are observed. This post-formed γ-NiOOH analog manifests high OER performance with a superior overpotential of 306 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and a high turnover frequency value of 0.051 s⁻¹ at an overpotential of 300 mV, making Br-Ni-MOF one of the most active oxygen electrocatalysts reported. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the strong electronic coupling between Br and Ni atoms accelerates the generation of the key *O intermediate toward fast OER kinetics.

Ni2P nanocrystals embedded Ni-MOF nanosheets supported on nickel foam as bifunctional electrocatalyst for urea electrolysis

It’s highly desired but challenging to synthesize self-supporting nanohybrid made of conductive nanoparticles with metal organic framework (MOF) materials for the application in the electrochemical field. In this work, we report the preparation of Ni₂P embedded Ni-MOF nanosheets supported on nickel foam through partial phosphidation (Ni₂P@Ni-MOF/NF). The self-supporting Ni₂P@Ni-MOF/NF was directly tested as electrode for urea electrolysis. When served as anode for urea oxidation reaction (UOR), it only demands 1.41 V (vs RHE) to deliver a current of 100 mA cm⁻². And the overpotential of Ni₂P@Ni-MOF/NF to reach 10 mA cm⁻² for hydrogen evolution reaction HER was only 66 mV, remarkably lower than Ni₂P/NF (133 mV). The exceptional electrochemical performance was attributed to the unique structure of Ni₂P@Ni-MOF and the well exposed surface of Ni₂P. Furthermore, the Ni₂P@Ni-MOF/NF demonstrated outstanding longevity for both HER and UOR. The electrolyzer constructed with Ni₂P@Ni-MOF/NF as bifunctional electrode can attain a current density of 100 mA cm⁻² at a cell voltage as low as 1.65 V. Our work provides new insights for prepare MOF based nanohydrid for electrochemical application.

Interfacial processes in electrochemical energy systems

Electrochemical energy systems such as batteries, water electrolyzers, and fuel cells are considered as promising and sustainable energy storage and conversion devices due to their high energy densities and zero or negative carbon dioxide emission. However, their widespread applications are hindered by many technical challenges, such as the low efficiency and poor long-term cyclability, which are mostly affected by the changes at the reactant/electrode/electrolyte interfaces. These interfacial processes involve ion/electron transfer, molecular/ion adsorption/desorption, and complex interface restructuring, which lead to irreversible modifications to the electrodes and the electrolyte. The understanding of these interfacial processes is thus crucial to provide strategies for solving those problems. In this review, we will discuss different interfacial processes at three representative interfaces, namely, solid-gas, solid-liquid, and solid-solid, in various electrochemical energy systems, and how they could influence the performance of electrochemical systems.

Advancing the extended roles of 3D transition metal based heterostructures with copious active sites for electrocatalytic water splitting

The replacement of noble metals with alternative electrocatalysts is highly demanded for water splitting. From the exploration of 3D -transition metal based heterostructures, engineering at the nano-level brought more enhancements in active sites with reduced overpotentials for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, recent developments in 3D transition metal based heterostructures like direct growth on external substrates (Ni foam, Cu foam) gave highly impressive activities and stabilities. Research needs to be focused on how the active sites can be enhanced further with 3D heterostructures of transition metals by studying them with various counterparts like hydroxides, layered double hydroxides and phosphides for empowering both OER and HER applications. This perspective covers the way to enlarge the utilization of 3D heterostructures successfully in terms of reduced overpotentials, highly exposed active sites, increased electrical conductivity, porosity and high-rate activity. From the various approaches of growth of transition metal based 3D heterostructures, it is easy to fine tune the active sites to have a viable production of hydrogen with less applied energy input. Overall, this perspective outlines a direction to increase the number of active sites on 3D transition metal based heterostructures by growing on 3D foams for enhanced water splitting applications.

In situ identification of the electrocatalytic water oxidation behavior of a nickel-based metal-organic framework nanoarray

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been identified as one of the promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, direct observation of the electrocatalytic behavior of MOF-based electrocatalysts remains extremely challenging, which is of great significance to understand their electrocatalytic mechanism. Herein, we developed a vertically oriented Ni-based MOF nanosheet array doped with 2.09 wt% Ce (denoted as Ce-NiBDC/OG). Ce-NiBDC/OG displayed a low overpotential of 265 mV to deliver a 10 mA cm^-2 current density for the OER. In situ spectroscopy and operando microscopy visualized the phase transformation behavior of Ce-NiBDC/OG to Ce-doped NiOOH induced by electrochemical activation, which was regarded as the real active site. Mechanistic studies revealed that, for the Ce-NiBDC/OG-derived catalyst, the doping of Ce species in NiOOH significantly increased the adsorption of *OH, and further reduced the energy barriers of the rate-determining step (*OH→*O).

A Surface-Oxide-Rich Activation Layer (SOAL) on Ni2 Mo3 N for a Rapid and Durable Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is key to renewable energy technologies such as water electrolysis and metal-air batteries. However, the multiple steps associated with proton-coupled electron transfer result in sluggish OER kinetics and catalysts are required. Here we demonstrate that a novel nitride, Ni₂ Mo₃ N, is a highly active OER catalyst that outperforms the benchmark material RuO₂ . Ni₂ Mo₃ N exhibits a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 at a nominal overpotential of 270 mV in 0.1 m KOH with outstanding catalytic cyclability and durability. Structural characterization and computational studies reveal that the excellent activity stems from the formation of a surface-oxide-rich activation layer (SOAL). Secondary Mo atoms on the surface act as electron pumps that stabilize oxygen-containing species and facilitate the continuity of the reactions. This discovery will stimulate the further development of ternary nitrides with oxide surface layers as efficient OER catalysts for electrochemical energy devices.

Spin-Related Electron Transfer and Orbital Interactions in Oxygen Electrocatalysis

Oxygen evolution and reduction reactions play a critical role in determining the efficiency of the water cycling (H₂ O ⇔ H₂ + 1 2 O₂ ), in which the hydrogen serves as the energy carrier. That calls for a comprehensive understanding of oxygen electrocatalysis for efficient catalyst design. Current opinions on oxygen electrocatalysis have been focused on the thermodynamics of the reactant/intermediate adsorption on the catalysts. Because the oxygen molecule is paramagnetic, its production from or its reduction to diamagnetic hydroxide/water involves spin-related electron transfer. Both electron transfer and orbital interactions between the catalyst and the reactant/intermediate show spin-dependent character, making the reaction kinetics and thermodynamics sensitive to the spin configurations. Herein, a brief introduction on the spintronic explanation of the catalytic phenomena on oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is given. The local spin configurations and orbital interactions in the benchmark transition-metal-based catalysts for OER and ORR are analyzed as examples. To further understand the spintronic oxygen electrocatalysis and to develop more efficient spintronic catalysts, the challenges are summarized and future opportunities proposed. Spin electrocatalysis may emerge as an important topic in the near future and help integrate a comprehensive understanding of oxygen electrocatalysis.

Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity of Murdochite-Type Ni6MnO8 for Water Oxidation via Surface Reconstruction

Ni-Mn-based binary oxides are deemed as prospective electrocatalysts for water oxidation. Here, a murdochite-type Ni₆MnO₈ electrocatalyst for water oxidation is reported. Murdochite-type Ni₆MnO₈ with hollow sphere (NMO-HS) and microflower (NMO-MF) structures has been controllably synthesized. After an in-situ activation process, the NMO-MF affords a superior activity for oxygen evolution reaction in 0.1 M KOH. A low overpotential of 370 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 is obtained, and the mass activity of activated NMO-MF is 1.96 times that of commercial IrO₂/C. As revealed by in-situ Raman spectra, Ni species in activated NMO-MF act as intrinsic active sites, and the in-situ formed NiOOH on the surface during the activation process is identified to contribute to the significantly enhanced catalytic activity. The Zn-air battery assembled with a NMO-MF cathode showed an exceptional power density (0.228 W cm^-2) and long-term cycling stability (148 h).

Surfactant-Free Approach for Engineering an Ultrathin Ti-Doped Ni(OH)2 Nanosheet on Carbon Cloth: Experimental and Theoretical Insight into Boosted Alkaline Water Oxidation Activity

Ti-based layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have enormous potential in photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and photoelectrocatalysis. However, Ti-based LDHs are rarely reported because of the difficulties of the preparation process, in which the Ti precursors are more prone to hydrolysis into titanium hydroxide. In this work, toward robust, efficient, and earth-abundant electrocatalysts for water oxidation in alkaline environments, we have engineered Ti-doped Ni(OH)₂ nanosheet arrays on carbon cloth [Ti-Ni(OH)₂/CC] with a facile solvothermal and surfactant-free method. The experimental tests show that the activity of Ti-Ni(OH)₂-1/CC (∼12.5 atom % Ti substitution) is optimal among these materials. In addition, the activity is correlated with the Ti substitution ratio and reversed with higher Ti doping level (≥25 atom % Ti substitution). Therein, η₁₀ of Ti-Ni(OH)₂-1/CC is as low as 196 mV, and it is still maintained at 210 mV after a long-term chronopotentiometry (CP) test at a constant current density of 10 mA cm^-2 for 32 h, demonstrating superior activity and long-term durability. Density functional theory calculations further reveal that dilute Ti substitution produces extra active sites and promotes more optimal OH* adsorption to the surface of the electrocatalyst.

Two-sites are better than one: revisiting the OER mechanism on CoOOH by DFT with electrode polarization

We uncover the existence of several competitive mechanisms of water oxidation on the β-CoOOH (10-14) surface by going beyond the classical 4-step mechanism frequently used to study this reaction at the DFT level. Our results demonstrate the importance of two-site reactivity and of purely chemical steps with the associated activation energies. Taking the electrochemical potential explicitly into account leads to modifications of the reaction energy profiles finally leading to the proposition of a new family of mechanisms involving tetraoxidane intermediates. The two-site mechanisms revealed in this work are of key importance to rationalize and predict the impact of dopants in the design of future catalysts.

Oxygen evolution reaction: a perspective on a decade of atomic scale simulations

Multiple strategies to overcome the intrinsic limitations of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) have been proposed by numerous research groups. Despite the substantial efforts, the driving force required for water oxidation is largely making the reaction inefficient. In the present work, we collected published studies involving DFT calculations for the OER, with the purpose to understand why the progress made so far, for lowering the overpotential of the reaction, is relatively small. The data revealed that the universal scaling relationship between HO* and HOO* intermediates is still present and robust, despite the variety in methods and structures used for calculating the binding energies of the intermediates. On the other hand, the data did not show a clear trend line regarding the O* binding. Our analysis suggested that trends in doped semiconducting oxides behave very differently from those in other oxides. This points towards a computational challenge in describing doped oxides in a realistic manner. We propose a way to overcome these computational challenges, which can be applied to simulations corresponding to doped semiconductors in general.