Oxygen vacancies in heterostructures induce a robust acidic oxygen evolution reaction performance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for energy conversion technologies.
• Ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂) is a benchmark catalyst for OER, but its activity needs improvement.
• Heterostructures offer opportunities to enhance catalytic performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an oxygen vacancy-rich RuO₂/TiO₂ heterostructure for acidic OER.
• To investigate the role of oxygen vacancies and heterostructure formation on catalytic activity.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of RuO₂/TiO₂ heterostructures with controlled oxygen vacancies.
• Electrochemical characterization of the catalyst in acidic media.
• Analysis of mass activity at 1.7 V vs. RHE.

Main Results:

• The RuO₂/TiO₂ heterostructure demonstrated a 7-fold increase in mass activity compared to benchmark RuO₂.
• The enhanced activity is linked to improved proton deportation capability.
• Oxygen vacancies play a significant role in the catalytic performance.

Conclusions:

• Oxygen vacancy-rich RuO₂/TiO₂ heterostructures are highly effective electrocatalysts for acidic OER.
• The improved deportation capability is a key factor for enhanced OER performance.
• This work provides insights into designing advanced OER electrocatalysts.