Unraveling the electronegativity-dominated intermediate adsorption on high-entropy alloy electrocatalysts

High-entropy alloy catalysts are an emerging class of materials and identification of catalytically active sites is critical. Here, we provide evidence that metal site electronegativity differences stabilize bound *OH and *H intermediates. High-entropy alloys have received considerable attention in the field of catalysis due to their exceptional properties. However, few studies hitherto focus on the origin of their outstanding performance and the accurate identification of active centers. Herein, we report a conceptual and experimental approach to overcome the limitations of single-element catalysts by designing a FeCoNiXRu (X: Cu, Cr, and Mn) High-entropy alloys system with various active sites that have different adsorption capacities for multiple intermediates. The electronegativity differences between mixed elements in HEA induce significant charge redistribution and create highly active Co and Ru sites with optimized energy barriers for simultaneously stabilizing OH* and H* intermediates, which greatly enhances the efficiency of water dissociation in alkaline conditions. This work provides an in-depth understanding of the interactions between specific active sites and intermediates, which opens up a fascinating direction for breaking scaling relation issues for multistep reactions.

Automated summary

This study overcomes the limitations of single-element catalysts by designing a high-entropy alloy system, discovering highly active sites with optimized energy barriers, and providing an in-depth understanding of the interactions between intermediates and active sites.