Lattice Oxygen Refilling for Stable Acidic Water Oxidation

Lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM)-based catalysts, exemplified by RuO2, exhibit a high intrinsic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, their practical application is severely limited by poor stability due to structural degradation during operation. Conventional stabilization strategies, which reduce Ru–O covalency to enhance stability, often suppress lattice oxygen reactivity, shifting the reaction pathway from the efficient LOM to the less effective adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM), thereby sacrificing activity. This study introduces a (Ce W)-RuO2 catalyst designed to leverage a lattice oxygen refilling mechanism (LORM). This approach effectively balances lattice oxygen consumption and regeneration, addressing the long-standing trade-off between activity and stability. Using Raman spectroscopy and a simulated slow-growth process, we confirm the operational stability and mechanism of the catalyst. The (Ce W)-RuO2 catalyst achieves improved stability under acidic conditions without compromising its intrinsic activity, offering a breakthrough solution for the OER in energy conversion technologies.