MoZn-based high entropy alloy catalysts enabled dual activation and stabilization in alkaline oxygen evolution.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39565853.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adq6758 and PMC identifier 11639200.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
It remains a grand challenge to develop electrocatalysts with simultaneously high activity, long durability, and low cost for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), originating from two competing reaction pathways and often trade-off performances. The adsorbed evolution mechanism (AEM) suffers from sluggish kinetics due to a linear scaling relationship, while the lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM) causes unstable structures due to lattice oxygen escape. We propose a MoZnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) incorporating AEM-promoter Mo and LOM-active Zn to achieve dual activation and stabilization for efficient and durable OER. Density functional theory and chemical probe experiments confirmed dual-mechanism activation, with representative Co-Co<sup>†</sup>-Mo sites facilitating AEM and Zn-O<sup>†</sup>-Ni sites enhancing LOM, resulting in an ultralow OER overpotential (η<sub>10</sub> = 221 mV). The multielement interaction, high-entropy structure, and carbon network notably enhance structural stability for durable catalysis (>1500 hours at 100 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>). Our work offers a viable approach to concurrently enhance OER activity and stability by designing HEA catalysts to enable dual-mechanism synergy.