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Updated: Oct 29, 2025
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Probing and Mapping Electrode Surfaces in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Published on: September 20, 2012
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Recent advances in activating surface reconstruction for the high-efficiency oxygen evolution reaction
Likun Gao1, Xun Cui, Christopher D Sewell
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. zhiqun.lin@mse.gatech.edu.
Chemical Society Reviews
|July 14, 2021
Summary
Surface reconstruction in transition metal electrocatalysts is crucial for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) efficiency. Understanding and controlling this dynamic process is key to developing advanced catalysts for sustainable energy technologies.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Transition metal-based electrocatalysts are vital for sustainable energy conversion.
- Surface reconstruction of catalysts during oxygen evolution reaction (OER) complicates activity prediction.
- Operando and in situ techniques reveal in situ formation of active species with higher oxidation states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent progress in understanding transition metal-based OER catalyst surface reconstruction.
- To emphasize the role of operando analysis and theoretical calculations in elucidating reconstruction behavior.
- To outline strategies for tailoring surface reconstruction for enhanced electrocatalytic activity.
Main Methods:
- Summarization of recent advancements in surface reconstruction of various transition metal catalysts (oxides, non-oxides, hydroxides, alloys).
- Emphasis on operando analysis and theoretical calculations to understand reconstruction from precatalysts to active catalysts.
- Introduction of state-of-the-art strategies for tailoring surface reconstruction.
Main Results:
- Surface reconstruction leads to the formation of active species with increased oxidation states during OER in alkaline media.
- Strategies like metal substitution/doping, anion introduction, oxygen vacancy incorporation, morphology tuning, and plasmonic/thermal/photothermal effects can tailor reconstruction.
- Operando/in situ characterization combined with computational calculations are essential for understanding OER improvement mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- A thorough understanding of surface reconstruction is critical for establishing structure-composition-property relationships.
- Rational manipulation of in situ catalyst surface reconstruction is necessary for achieving high electrocatalytic activities.
- This review provides insights and guidelines for the rational development of transition metal-based OER catalysts.
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