Modulating Support Effect in High-Entropy Sulfide via La Single-Atom for Boosted Oxygen Evolution

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Efficient electrocatalysts are crucial for accelerating the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
• High-entropy sulfide (HES) materials offer tunable electronic properties for catalytic applications.
• Single-atom modification can precisely control catalyst activity and electronic structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the positive effect of lanthanum (La) single-atom modified hollow carbon sphere (HCS) support on the OER activity of a high-entropy sulfide (HES) material.
• To elucidate the mechanism by which La single-atoms enhance OER performance.
• To develop an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of lanthanum single-atom modified hollow carbon sphere supported high-entropy sulfide ((FeCoNiCrCuAl)S@La-HCS).
• Electrochemical characterization of the synthesized catalyst for OER performance evaluation.
• Analysis of electronic structure modifications induced by La single-atom doping.

Main Results:

• The (FeCoNiCrCuAl)S@La-HCS catalyst exhibited superior OER performance with a low overpotential of 297 mV at 100 mA cm⁻².
• This performance surpasses that of the unmodified (FeCoNiCrCuAl)S@HCS (324 mV) and commercial RuO₂ (419 mV).
• La single-atom doping facilitated electron redistribution and down-shifted the d-band center, reducing adsorption energy of OER intermediates.

Conclusions:

• Lanthanum single-atom modification is an effective strategy to enhance the OER activity of high-entropy sulfide electrocatalysts.
• The synergistic integration of single-atom catalysts with HES materials provides a promising pathway for efficient oxygen evolution.
• This work offers valuable insights into designing advanced electrocatalysts for energy conversion applications.