Modulating the covalency of Ru-O bonds by dynamic reconstruction for efficient acidic oxygen evolution.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40221408.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-58654-0 and PMC identifier 11993612.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Developing ruthenium-based oxide catalysts capable of suppressing lattice oxygen participation in the catalytic reaction process is crucial for maintaining stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under acidic conditions. Herein, we delicately construct a RuO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticle-anchored LiCoO<sub>2</sub> nanosheet electrocatalyst (RuO<sub>2</sub>/LiCoO<sub>2</sub>), achieving dynamic optimization of RuO<sub>2</sub> during the reaction process and improving catalytic stability. Benefiting from the unique electrochemical delithiation characteristics of the LiCoO<sub>2</sub> support, the covalency of the Ru-O bond is effectively regulated during the OER process. The weakened Ru-O covalent bond inhibits the participation of lattice oxygen in the catalytic reaction and ensures the continuous operation of the Ru active sites. Moreover, the extended Ru-O bond in the optimized RuO<sub>2</sub>/LiCoO<sub>2</sub> catalyst reduces the formation energy barrier of the *OOH intermediates, accelerating the progress of the OER. As a result, the RuO<sub>2</sub>/LiCoO<sub>2</sub> catalyst requires only an overpotential of 150 ± 2 mV at 10 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> in 0.5 M H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> and operates stably for 2000 h at 1 A cm<sup>-2</sup> in a proton exchange membrane water electrolysis. This work opens new avenues for designing efficient ruthenium-based catalysts.