Corrosion-Regulated Surface Reconstruction for High-Performance Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts

Abstract

Surface reconstruction is a common phenomenon during electrode processes, occurring on the surface of electrocatalysts. While corrosion-engineering approaches show promise in this reconstruction, the precise control of surface reaction kinetics remains a significant challenge. In this work, a corrosion kinetics-controlled strategy using a hypophosphite corrosion inhibitor was proposed to achieve a uniform nickel-iron oxyhydroxide (p-(Fe,Ni)OOH) layer through controlled corrosion-induced reconstruction. This p-(Fe,Ni)OOH electrocatalyst shows excellent oxygen-evolving performance, achieving a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 at an overpotential of 217 mV and maintaining stability for over 100 h at 100 mA cm^-2. The operando spectroscopic characterization and first-principles computations demonstrate that the uniformly reconstructed layer, obtained through controlled corrosion, possesses more favorable interfacial water components and enhanced intrinsic activity. Real-time analyses of ferric ion concentrations and pH values further indicate that the corrosion kinetics-controlled process can be categorized into three distinct stages. This work provides insights into the precise fabrication of electrocatalyst materials through corrosion-induced reconstruction, highlighting the connection between corrosion chemistry and electrocatalyst design.

Keywords: Corrosion reconstruction; electrocatalysts; oxygen evolution; oxyhydroxide nanoflowers; real-time analysis.