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Füngerlings A, Wohlgemuth M, Antipin D, van der Minne E, Kiens EM, Villalobos J, Risch M, Gunkel F, Pentcheva R, Baeumer C. Crystal-facet-dependent surface transformation dictates the oxygen evolution reaction activity in lanthanum nickelate. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8284. [PMID: 38092726 PMCID: PMC10719283 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43901-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Electrocatalysts are the cornerstone in the transition to sustainable energy technologies and chemical processes. Surface transformations under operation conditions dictate the activity and stability. However, the dependence of the surface structure and transformation on the exposed crystallographic facet remains elusive, impeding rational catalyst design. We investigate the (001), (110) and (111) facets of a LaNiO3-δ electrocatalyst for water oxidation using electrochemical measurements, X-ray spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations with a Hubbard U term. We reveal that the (111) overpotential is ≈ 30-60 mV lower than for the other facets. While a surface transformation into oxyhydroxide-like NiOO(H) may occur for all three orientations, it is more pronounced for (111). A structural mismatch of the transformed layer with the underlying perovskite for (001) and (110) influences the ratio of Ni2+ and Ni3+ to Ni4+ sites during the reaction and thereby the binding energy of reaction intermediates, resulting in the distinct catalytic activities of the transformed facets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achim Füngerlings
- Department of Physics, Theoretical Physics and Center for Nanointegration (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstraße 1, Duisburg, 47057, Germany
| | - Marcus Wohlgemuth
- Peter Gruenberg Institute and JARA-FIT, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Juelich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, Jülich, 52428, Germany
| | - Denis Antipin
- Nachwuchsgruppe Gestaltung des Sauerstoffentwicklungsmechanismus, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin, 14109, Germany
| | - Emma van der Minne
- MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, Hallenweg 15, Enschede, 7522, Netherlands
| | - Ellen Marijn Kiens
- MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, Hallenweg 15, Enschede, 7522, Netherlands
| | - Javier Villalobos
- Nachwuchsgruppe Gestaltung des Sauerstoffentwicklungsmechanismus, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin, 14109, Germany
| | - Marcel Risch
- Nachwuchsgruppe Gestaltung des Sauerstoffentwicklungsmechanismus, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin, 14109, Germany
| | - Felix Gunkel
- Peter Gruenberg Institute and JARA-FIT, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Juelich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, Jülich, 52428, Germany
| | - Rossitza Pentcheva
- Department of Physics, Theoretical Physics and Center for Nanointegration (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstraße 1, Duisburg, 47057, Germany.
| | - Christoph Baeumer
- MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, Hallenweg 15, Enschede, 7522, Netherlands.
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