Reconstruction of Oxygen Evolution Precatalysts: Effects of Leaching, Electrolyte Concentration and Iron Incorporation
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Chemistry: Metalorganics and Inorganic Materials, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße Des 17. Juni 135, Sekr. C2, Berlin 10623, Germany
- 2Department of Materials Chemistry for Catalysis, Helmholtz−Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin 14109, Germany
- 3Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, Berlin 14195, Germany
- 4School of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China, Xueyuan Road 3, Taiyuan 030051, China
Abstract
Fe-containing Ni oxyhydroxides are among the most active alkaline oxygen evolution catalysts, whose structures and performances strongly depend on precursor reconstruction and Fe location. However, achieving precise control over precursor design, reconstruction, and Fe incorporation remains highly challenging. Here, we report the low-temperature synthesis of intermetallic Ni2In3 nanoparticles as a precursor and uncover their in situ reconstruction behavior modulated by electrolyte concentration. Compared with similarly sized Ni nanoparticle-derived catalysts, the Ni2In3-derived catalysts exhibit significantly enhanced activity and stability. The optimal catalyst, after activation in 6 M KOH with Fe spiking, requires an overpotential of only 284 mV for 10 mA cm–2, along with a low Tafel slope of 31 mV dec–1. Combined electrochemical analyses, in situ/ex situ characterizations, and theoretical calculations reveal that In leaching induces electronic structure modulation and surface undercoordinated site enrichment, thereby facilitating interfacial Fe incorporation to form NiFe active centers. In an anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer, the catalyst demonstrates excellent stability of 260 h at 1 A cm–2 at 80 °C. These findings highlight the importance of electrolyte- and precursor-dependent reconstruction in modulating the electronic structure and promoting interfacial Fe incorporation, thereby enabling the design of oxygen evolution electrocatalysts.
Related
- Trimetallic synergy in Ni2-x-y Co x Fe y P precatalysts enables robust oxygen evolution.
- Concentration-Dependent Speciation in ZnCl2 Electrolyte Solutions: Transferability of Machine-Learning Interatomic Potentials and Speciation Sensitivity of EXAFS
- Superior electrocatalytic activity of cobalt–nickel oxide nanoneedle films toward oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolyte and alkaline simulated seawater electrolyte
- CeO₂-Based Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction: Design, Dynamic Mechanisms, and Electrolyte Adaptability.
- Cellulose Coating Altered the Electro-Chemo-Mechanical Evolution of Sodium Thioantimonate Electrolyte in Solid-state Sodium Batteries: An Operando Raman Study
BibTeX
@article{lin2026reconstruction,
title = {{Reconstruction of Oxygen Evolution Precatalysts: Effects of Leaching, Electrolyte Concentration and Iron Incorporation}},
author = {Xinzhang Lin and J. Niklas Hausmann and Na An and Suptish Ghosh and Stefan Mebs and Zhe Xue and Holger Dau and Matthias Driess and Prashanth W. Menezes},
journal = {ACS Nano},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acsnano.6c08336},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c08336},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Reconstruction of Oxygen Evolution Precatalysts: Effects of Leaching, Electrolyte Concentration and Iron Incorporation
AU - Xinzhang Lin
AU - J. Niklas Hausmann
AU - Na An
AU - Suptish Ghosh
AU - Stefan Mebs
AU - Zhe Xue
AU - Holger Dau
AU - Matthias Driess
AU - Prashanth W. Menezes
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - ACS Nano
DO - 10.1021/acsnano.6c08336
UR - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c08336
AB - Fe-containing Ni oxyhydroxides are among the most active alkaline oxygen evolution catalysts, whose structures and performances strongly depend on precursor reconstruction and Fe location. However, achieving precise control over precursor design, reconstruction, and Fe incorporation remains highly challenging. Here, we report the low-temperature synthesis of intermetallic Ni2In3 nanoparticles as a precursor and uncover their in situ reconstruction behavior modulated by electrolyte concentration. Compared with similarly sized Ni nanoparticle-derived catalysts, the Ni2In3-derived catalysts exhibit significantly enhanced activity and stability. The optimal catalyst, after activation in 6 M KOH with Fe spiking, requires an overpotential of only 284 mV for 10 mA cm–2, along with a low Tafel slope of 31 mV dec–1. Combined electrochemical analyses, in situ/ex situ characterizations, and theoretical calculations reveal that In leaching induces electronic structure modulation and surface undercoordinated site enrichment, thereby facilitating interfacial Fe incorporation to form NiFe active centers. In an anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer, the catalyst demonstrates excellent stability of 260 h at 1 A cm–2 at 80 °C. These findings highlight the importance of electrolyte- and precursor-dependent reconstruction in modulating the electronic structure and promoting interfacial Fe incorporation, thereby enabling the design of oxygen evolution electrocatalysts.
SN - 1936-0851
SN - 1936-086X
ER -