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Engineering the interfacial water microenvironment to accelerate proton transfer for acidic oxygen evolution at
Xiaolong Liang1, Ke Xu1, Hengkun Yu1
1State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology 116024 Dalian China.
Chemical Science
|March 12, 2026
Summary
Engineering interfacial water environments accelerates proton transfer kinetics for acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysis. A CdO-Co3-x Cd x O4 heterostructure enhances OER activity by disrupting hydrogen bonds and lowering energy barriers.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
Background:
- Proton transfer (PT) kinetics at the electric double layer are a key bottleneck in acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
- High potential conditions exacerbate these kinetic limitations in industrial applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer the interfacial water microenvironment to enhance PT kinetics for acidic OER.
- To investigate the role of a built-in electric field in a heterostructure catalyst on water structure and PT rates.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a CdO-Co3-x Cd x O4 heterostructure with a built-in electric field.
- In situ Attenuated Total Reflection Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS).
- Kinetic Isotope Effect (KIE) analysis and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations.
Main Results:
- The built-in electric field disrupts the interfacial hydrogen-bond network, favoring isolated water molecules.
- This disordered water structure lowers the energy barrier for water reorientation, accelerating PT kinetics.
- The engineered catalyst showed an order-of-magnitude increase in intrinsic OER activity at 1.70 V vs. RHE compared to pure Co3O4.
Conclusions:
- Rational engineering of the interfacial H-bond network is a decisive strategy for high-potential electrocatalysis.
- Disrupting water structure via built-in electric fields effectively overcomes PT kinetic limitations.
- This approach offers a new pathway for designing efficient electrocatalysts for OER.
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