In Situ Reconstruction of High-Entropy Heterostructure Catalysts for Stable Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis under...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrochemical water splitting is crucial for clean energy production.
• Developing stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts for industrial applications remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate a novel FeCoNiMnCr high-entropy alloy and high-entropy oxide (HEA-HEO) heterocatalyst.
• To demonstrate the catalyst's stability and efficiency for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under demanding industrial conditions.

Main Methods:

• In situ synthesis of HEA-HEO heterocatalyst via a Cr-induced spontaneous reconstruction strategy.
• Electrochemical testing to evaluate OER performance, including overpotential and long-term stability.
• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the electronic structure and stability of the heterocatalyst.

Main Results:

• The HEA-HEO heterocatalyst exhibited excellent OER performance with a low overpotential of 320 mV at 500 mA cm⁻².
• Demonstrated ultrastable performance with negligible activity loss after 240 hours at 100 mA cm⁻².
• Maintained outstanding long-term stability in 6 m KOH at 85 °C and 500 mA cm⁻² for over 500 hours.

Conclusions:

• The Cr-induced HEA-HEO heterostructure provides robust electroactive sites for a stable OER process.
• This work offers a new strategy for designing efficient and highly stable high-entropy electrocatalysts for industrial water splitting.