Quantum mechanics

Catalysis

Oxygen evolution

Engineering

Electrochemistry

Dynamics (music)

Water splitting

Transition metal

Biochemistry

Acoustics

Inorganic chemistry

Chemical engineering

Hydroxide

Electrocatalyst

Physical chemistry

X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Physics

Organic chemistry

Environmental chemistry

Chemistry

Electrode

Nickel

Photocatalysis

Electrolyte

Absorption spectroscopy

Journal of the American Chemical Society

The surface of an electrocatalyst undergoes dynamic chemical and structural transformations under electrochemical operating conditions. There is a dynamic exchange of metal cations between the electrocatalyst and electrolyte. Understanding how iron in the electrolyte gets incorporated in the nickel hydroxide electrocatalyst is critical for pinpointing the roles of Fe during water oxidation. Here, we report that iron incorporation and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are highly coupled, especially at high working potentials. The iron incorporation rate is much higher at OER potentials than that at the OER dormant state (low potentials). At OER potentials, iron incorporation favors electrochemically more reactive edge sites, as visualized by synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy. Using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations, we show that Fe incorporation can suppress the oxidation of Ni and enhance the Ni reducibility, leading to improved OER catalytic activity. Our findings provide a holistic approach to understanding and tailoring Fe incorporation dynamics across the electrocatalyst–electrolyte interface, thus controlling catalytic processes.

Revealing the Dynamics and Roles of Iron Incorporation in Nickel Hydroxide Water Oxidation Catalysts