Understanding the Mechanism of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction with Consideration of Spin

Xiaoning Li; Zhenxiang Cheng; Xiaolin Wang

doi:10.1007/s41918-020-00084-1

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2020, Vol. 4 ›› Issue (1) : 136 -145. DOI: 10.1007/s41918-020-00084-1

Review Article

Understanding the Mechanism of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction with Consideration of Spin

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¹Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials (ISEM), Australia Institute for Innovative Materials, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, 2500, North Wollongong, NSW, Australia

^b cheng@uow.edu.au

Xiaoning Li

received her Ph.D. (Materials Physics and Chemistry, 2016) from the University of Science and Technology of China. Then, she worked as a postdoc fellow at the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, China. Currently, she is a researcher at the University of Wollongong. Her main research interests focus on the transition metal oxide nanomaterials, from synthesis, crystal and electronic structure analysis, to electro/photocatalysis.

Professor Zhenxiang Cheng

is a full professor at the University of Wollongong, prior to which he was a Future Fellow at the University of Wollongong and a JSPS fellow at the Nation Institute for Materials Science of Japan. He is the theme leader of multiferroic research in the University of Wollongong. His recent interests are in ferroic materials, including magnetic, ferroelectric/piezoelectric and multiferroic materials and their physics and applications, especially in energy-related applications.

Professor Xiaolin Wang

is the Director of the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials at the University of Wollongong and theme leader of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Future Low Energy Electronic Technologies. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wollongong, Australia. His main research interests cover superconductors, spintronic materials, topological insulators, quantum transport, condensed matter physics and renewable energy materials, design of new materials and physical properties. He proposed a new class of materials, coined as spin gapless materials which bridge the zero-gap material and half metal and offer a new platform for high-performance spintronics and the quantum anomalous Hall effect.

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Abstract

Abstract

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with its intractably high overpotentials is the rate-limiting step in many devices, including rechargeable metal–air batteries, water electrolysis systems and solar fuel devices. Correspondingly, spin state transitions from spin singlet OH^–/H₂O reactants to spin triplet O₂ product have not yet received enough attention. In view of this, this article will discuss electron behaviours during OER by taking into consideration of spin attribute. The main conclusion is that, regardless of the possible adopted mechanisms (the adsorbate evolution mechanism or the lattice oxygen mechanism), the underlying rationale of OER is that three in four electrons being extracted from adsorbates should be in the same spin direction before O=O formation, superimposing high requirements on the spin structure of electrocatalysts. Therefore, upon fully understanding of the OER mechanism with considerations of spin, the awareness of the coupling between spin, charge, orbital and lattice parameters is necessary in the optimization of geometric and electronic structures in transition metal systems. Based on this, this article will discuss the possible dependency of OER efficiency on the electrocatalyst spin configuration, and the relevance of well-recognized factors with spin, including the crystal field, coordination, oxidation, bonding, the e _g electron number, conductivity and magnetism. It is hoped that this article will clarify the underlying physics of OER to provide rational guidance for more effective design of energy conversion electrocatalysts.

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Xiaoning Li, Zhenxiang Cheng, Xiaolin Wang. Understanding the Mechanism of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction with Consideration of Spin. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2020, 4(1): 136-145 DOI:10.1007/s41918-020-00084-1