Interpolation between W Dopant and Co Vacancy in CoOOH for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Catalysis.

Dou, Yuhai; Yuan, Ding; Yu, Linping; Zhang, Weiping; Zhang, Lei; Fan, Kaicai; Al-Mamun, Mohammad; Liu, Porun et al. · Adv Mater · 2022

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Electronic structure engineering via integrating two defect structures with opposite modulation effects holds the key to fully unlocking the power of a catalyst. Herein, an interpolation principle is proposed to activate CoOOH via W doping and Co vacancies for the oxygen evolution reaction. Density functional theory suggests opposite roles for the W dopant and the Co vacancy but a synergy between them in tuning the electronic states of the Co site, leading to near-ideal intermediate energetics and dramatically lowered catalytic overpotential. Experimental studies confirm the modulation of the electronic structure and validate the greatly enhanced catalytic activity with a small overpotential of 298.5 mV to drive 50 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> . The discovery of the interpolation between dopants and vacancies opens up a new methodology to design efficient catalysts for various electrochemical reactions.