Visualizing dual-sites synergistic catalysis in non-iridium catalysts for acidic oxygen evolution reaction.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42443215.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-75396-9.
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Abstract
Understanding electron transfer at the solid/liquid electrochemical interface is critical for deciphering synergistic catalysis, yet elucidating how metal dopants mediate charge transfer between adjacent active centers remains challenging. Here, we incorporate a series of metal dopants (Cu, Mn, W) into RuO<sub>2</sub> to investigate how dual-site (M-Ru) electron transfer affects catalytic activity and stability. Combining in situ characterization with theoretical simulations, we reveal that Mn doping intensifies Ru 4d-O 2p orbital coupling and establishes unidirectional electron transfer, which peroxidizes Ru under high voltage and accelerates performance degradation. In contrast, W doping modulates the Ru 4d- and O 2p-band centers to reduce orbital overlap, weakening Ru-O covalency and enabling bidirectional electron transfer. Functioning as a voltage-gated electron regulator, the W site dynamically switches roles: at low potentials it acts as an electron acceptor to activate Ru sites and promote water dissociation, while at high potentials it serves as an electron donor to suppress Ru peroxidation. This mechanism endows the catalyst with good stability, showing negligible activity decay during 300 hours of operation at 500 mA cm⁻².