Advances in engineering RuO2 electrocatalysts towards oxygen evolution reaction

Water electrolysis technology holds the perfect promise of the hydrogen production, yet control of efficiency and rate of water electrolysis greatly relies on the availability of high-performance electrode materials for kinetic-sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Accordingly, substantial endeavors have been made to explore advanced electrode materials over the past decade. Recently, RuO2 and RuO2-based materials have been demonstrated to be promising for OER due to their remarkable electrocatalytic activity and pH-universal application. Herein, the great achievements and progresses of this flourishing spot are comprehensively reviewed, which are started by a general description of OER to understand the reaction mechanism in detail. Subsequently, the key advantages and issues of RuO2 towards OER are also introduced, followed by proposing many advanced strategies for further promoting the electrocatalytic OER performance of RuO2. Finally, the daunting challenges and future progresses of RuO2 electrocatalysts toward practical water oxidation are highlighted, aiming to provide guidance for the fabrication of desirable RuO2-based electrocatalysts toward OER. (C) 2021 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This article comprehensively reviews the significant role and promising applications of RuO2 and its derivatives in oxygen evolution reaction (OER), starting from the description of OER and detailing the electrocatalytic performance and strategies of RuO2, as well as the challenges and future prospects ahead.