Plasma-Engineered LaMO₃ Perovskites as Catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction: Unlocking Potential by Oxygen...

The development of efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for advancing green hydrogen production via water electrolysis. While perovskite oxides represent promising non-noble metal catalysts, their OER performance is often limited by poor conductivity and insufficient active site exposure. In this work, we report a rapid and versatile plasma engineering strategy to significantly enhance the OER activity of perovskite oxides LaMO₃ (M = Fe, Co, Ni). The modified catalyst (V-LaFeO₃) exhibits increased specific surface area, abundant oxygen vacancies, and improved charge transfer capability. As a result, V-LaFeO₃ achieves a low overpotential of 332 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^{- 2}, outperforming both pristine LaFeO₃ and commercial RuO₂. The universality of this approach is further demonstrated with LaCoO₃ and LaNiO₃ oxides, which also show enhanced OER performance after plasma treatment. This study highlights plasma engineering as a general and efficient strategy for designing high-performance perovskite-based electrocatalysts for sustainable energy applications.