Tracking the Role of Defect Types in Co3O4 Structural Evolution and Active Motifs during Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Dynamic reconstruction of catalyst active sites is particularly important for metal oxide-catalyzed oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the mechanism of how vacancy-induced reconstruction aids OER remains ambiguous. Here, we use Co3O4 with Co or O vacancies to uncover the effects of different defects in the reconstruction process and the active motifs relevant to alkaline OER. Combining in situ characterization and theoretical calculations, we found that cobalt oxides are converted to an amorphous [Co(OH)(6)] intermediate state, and then the mismatched rates of *OH adsorption and deprotonation lead to irreversible catalyst reconstruction. The stronger *OH adsorption but weaker deprotonation induced by O defects provides the driving force for reconstruction, while Co defects favor dehydrogenation and reduce the reconstruction rate. Importantly, both O and Co defects trigger highly OER-active bridge Co sites in reconstructed catalysts, of which Co defects induce a short Co-Co distance (3.38 angstrom) under compressive lattice stress and show the best OER activity (eta(10) of 262 mV), superior to reconstructed oxygen-defected Co3O4-VO (eta(10) of 300 mV) and defect-free Co3O4 (eta(10) of 320 mV). This work highlights that engineering defect-dependent reconstruction may provide a rational route for electrocatalyst design in energy-related applications.

Automated summary

This study reveals the importance of defect-induced reconstruction for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in Co3O4 catalysts. The results show that O and Co vacancies promote mismatched rates of *OH adsorption and deprotonation, leading to irreversible catalyst reconstruction. Furthermore, O and Co defects trigger highly OER-active bridge Co sites and Co defects exhibit the best OER activity under compressive lattice stress. This work highlights the potential of defect-dependent reconstruction for rational electrocatalyst design in energy-related applications.