Transcending the Magnetothermal Limit: Electron-Driven Structural Regulation in AMF-Enhanced OER Catalysis

As a novel regulatory dimension, the alternating magnetic field (AMF) holds significant potential in enhancing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, conventional AMF enhancements primarily rely on the suboptimal magnetothermal effect, which induces nonselective bulk heating and fails to provide targeted driving forces for catalysts, thereby severely limiting OER performance improvements. Here, a novel strategy has been demonstrated to precisely guide AMF energy from inefficient thermal dissipation to electron-driven structural regulation by constructing energy dissipation channels for catalysts, which leads to the mechanism transformation from magnetothermal catalysis to electron-driven catalysis. Typically, taking Fe₂O₃@CNTs as the research model, AMF induces localized electric fields that energize intrinsic charge carriers within Fe₂O₃. These energized electrons are then rapidly extracted by the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) network before they can undergo thermal relaxation. This efficient charge separation generates a high density of electron-deficient, highly valent Fe sites on the Fe₂O₃ surface, creating a potent localized chemical potential that drives deep structural reconstruction. Notably, the observed Duplex α/β-FeOOH phase is highly active, lowering the overpotential by 73 mV (∼22%) at 100 mA cm^-2. This work provides novel insight into magneto-electrocatalysis and demonstrates that constructing energy dissipation channels is an efficient strategy for enhanced OER activity.