The design of high-performance and
cost-effective electrocatalysts
for water splitting is of prime importance for efficient and sustainable
hydrogen production. In this work, a surface defect engineering method
is developed for optimizing the electrocatalytic activity of perovskite
oxides for water electrolysis. A typical ferrite-based perovskite
oxide material La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ (LSCF) is used and regulated
by selective acid etching. The optimal parameters for the surface
treatment are identified. An efficient bifunctional perovskite oxide,
denoted LSCF-30, is prepared by selectively corroding the A-site Sr
element in the surface region, which is found to not only increase
the exposure and decrease the coordination of B-site metals but also
effectively modulate the electronic structure of these metals. The
crystal lattice of the perovskite bulk is kept constant during surface
engineering, which ensures the structural stability of the perovskite
catalyst. The findings demonstrate an effective strategy of surface
defect engineering in enhancing the performance of perovskite oxide
electrocatalysts for water splitting.
One core reaction involved in many electrochemical energy conversion systems is the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which usually dominates the overall polarization loss due to its sluggish kinetics. Activating O2...
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