Metal–oxygen covalency engineering activates stable lattice oxygen in NiCo2O4 spinel for efficient oxygen evolution
- 1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangzhou University Guangzhou 510006 P. R. China
- 2School of Chemistry, South China Normal University Guangzhou 510006 China
Abstract
Transition-metal spinels hold immense promise for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), yet their inherently strong metal–oxygen bonds severely restrict the activation of lattice oxygen, locking the reaction into the kinetically sluggish adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM). Herein, we propose a metal–oxygen covalency engineering strategy to modulate the octahedral sites of NiCo2O4 spinel by modifying the tailored Ru and Fe bimetallic ions. The preferential incorporation of high-valent Ru significantly enhances M–O bond covalency and upshifts the O 2p band center, lowering the thermodynamic barrier for the lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM) pathway. Concurrently, the synergistic Fe species functions as an electronic buffer that effectively suppresses metal dissolution and stabilizes the lattice framework, thereby preventing structural collapse. Impressively, the optimal RuFe–NiCo2O4 catalyst bypasses the inherent AEM scaling relationships, delivers an exceptionally low overpotential of 390 mV at 500 mA cm−2 and retains excellent catalytic stability for 800 h in a prototype anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE). This work establishes a highly rational and feasible route for the design of next-generation, industrial-grade water splitting electrocatalysts.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026metaloxygen,
title = {{Metal–oxygen covalency engineering activates stable lattice oxygen in NiCo2O4 spinel for efficient oxygen evolution}},
author = {Hui-Jian Zhang and Zi-Qiang Chen and Ren-Hao Ma and Zheng-Hao Xuan and Xiao-Tong Wang and Zhao-Qing Liu},
journal = {Chemical Science},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1039/d6sc05929e},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc05929e},
note = {CC BY-NC 3.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Metal–oxygen covalency engineering activates stable lattice oxygen in NiCo2O4 spinel for efficient oxygen evolution
AU - Hui-Jian Zhang
AU - Zi-Qiang Chen
AU - Ren-Hao Ma
AU - Zheng-Hao Xuan
AU - Xiao-Tong Wang
AU - Zhao-Qing Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/31
JO - Chemical Science
DO - 10.1039/d6sc05929e
UR - https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc05929e
AB - Transition-metal spinels hold immense promise for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), yet their inherently strong metal–oxygen bonds severely restrict the activation of lattice oxygen, locking the reaction into the kinetically sluggish adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM). Herein, we propose a metal–oxygen covalency engineering strategy to modulate the octahedral sites of NiCo2O4 spinel by modifying the tailored Ru and Fe bimetallic ions. The preferential incorporation of high-valent Ru significantly enhances M–O bond covalency and upshifts the O 2p band center, lowering the thermodynamic barrier for the lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM) pathway. Concurrently, the synergistic Fe species functions as an electronic buffer that effectively suppresses metal dissolution and stabilizes the lattice framework, thereby preventing structural collapse. Impressively, the optimal RuFe–NiCo2O4 catalyst bypasses the inherent AEM scaling relationships, delivers an exceptionally low overpotential of 390 mV at 500 mA cm−2 and retains excellent catalytic stability for 800 h in a prototype anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE). This work establishes a highly rational and feasible route for the design of next-generation, industrial-grade water splitting electrocatalysts.
SN - 2041-6520
SN - 2041-6539
ER -