Issue 14, 2024

Activating lattice oxygen by a defect-engineered Fe2O3–CeO2 nano-heterojunction for efficient electrochemical water oxidation

Abstract

The sluggish anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is currently the major hinderance for hydrogen production from water splitting. Iron-based materials are promising cost-effective candidates for OER electrocatalysts, however their low intrinsic activity limits their performance. Here we report a defect-engineered Fe2O3–CeO2 heterojunction with rich oxygen vacancies (Fe2O3@CeO2–OV), exhibiting ultralow overpotential of 172 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and 317 mV at 1000 mA cm−2, respectively, alongside superior stability and durability. Advanced characterization and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that defect engineering combined with heterojunction formation activates the lattice oxygen, switching the reaction pathway from the conventional adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM) to the lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM). The oxygen vacancies are revealed to form preferably on CeO2 and induce not only electronic but also geometric modulation, contributing to strong Fe2O3–CeO2 interfacial interaction and charge transfer from CeO2 to Fe2O3, facilitating the O2 desorption and boosting the intrinsic activity.

Graphical abstract: Activating lattice oxygen by a defect-engineered Fe2O3–CeO2 nano-heterojunction for efficient electrochemical water oxidation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
11 Apr 2024
Accepted
07 Jun 2024
First published
14 Jun 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Energy Environ. Sci., 2024,17, 5260-5272

Activating lattice oxygen by a defect-engineered Fe2O3–CeO2 nano-heterojunction for efficient electrochemical water oxidation

Q. Huang, G. Xia, B. Huang, D. Xie, J. Wang, D. Wen, D. Lin, C. Xu, L. Gao, Z. Wu, J. Wu, F. Xie, W. Guo and R. Zou, Energy Environ. Sci., 2024, 17, 5260 DOI: 10.1039/D4EE01588F

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