Surface Reconstruction in Precious and Non-Precious Metal-Based Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction: A pH-Dependent Perspective

Abstract

Extracting hydrogen by electrochemical water splitting is the most important pathway for green hydrogen production at present whereas the corresponding anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts usually suffer from harsh high-potential conditions, either acidic or alkaline, leading to performance degradation and surface reconstruction. Importantly, the surface reconstruction upon some catalysts may lead to a misinterpretation of the true active centers, thereby impeding the rational design of catalysts. Consequently, understanding the dynamic evolution of catalyst surface reconstruction during OER is essential. This paper reviews the recent research progress on the surface reconstruction of both precious-metal and non-precious-metal catalysts across wide pH, i.e., under acidic and alkaline conditions, and highlights the differences between them. In addition, an analysis of the underlying causes for catalyst surface reconstruction and the impact factors that greatly influence these processes are presented. Finally, based on these discussions, perspectives for the rational design of OER catalysts are proposed.