Reconstructing Hydrogen‐Bond Network for Efficient Acidic Oxygen Evolution
Shicheng Zhu, Ruoou Yang, Huangjingwei Li, Sirui Huang, Haozhi Wang, Youwen Liu, Huiqiao Li, Tianyou Zhai
Abstract
Abstract Developing highly active oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts in acidic conditions is a pressing demand for proton‐exchange membrane water electrolysis. Manipulating proton character at the electrified interface, as the crux of all proton‐coupled electrochemical reactions, is highly desirable but elusive. Herein we present a promising protocol, which reconstructs a connected hydrogen‐bond network between the catalyst‐electrolyte interface by coupling hydrophilic units to boost acidic OER activity. Modelling on N‐doped‐carbon‐layer clothed Mn‐doped‐Co 3 O 4 (Mn−Co 3 O 4 @CN), we unravel that the hydrogen‐bond interaction between CN units and H 2 O molecule not only drags the free water to enrich the surface of Mn−Co 3 O 4 but also serves as a channel to promote the dehydrogenation process. Meanwhile, the modulated local charge of the Co sites from CN units/Mn dopant lowers the OER barrier. Therefore, Mn−Co 3 O 4 @CN surpasses RuO 2 at high current density (100 mA cm −2 @ ~538 mV).