Realizing a Lattice Se Atom-Modified Co Hydroxide Catalyst via Electrochemical Reconstruction for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Performance

Realizing a highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process is of great significance for hydrogen energy development. The main challenge still lies in fabricating superior electrocatalysts with favorable performance. Constructing electrocatalysts with ingenious lattice modifications is a considerable way for the rational design of highly active catalytic centers. Here, theoretical calculations predict that the lattice incorporation of Se atoms can effectively enhance the reaction activity of OER with a decreased energy barrier for the rate-determining step. To obtain the corresponding desired electrocatalyst, the optimized lattice Se-modified CoOOH, with the ideal OER performance of low overpotential and stability, was delicately designed and fabricated by the electrochemical activation of the Co0.85Se precatalyst. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) demonstrates that lattice incorporation is more likely to be generated in Co0.85Se compared to CoSe2 and CoO precatalysts, which promoted the subsequent OER process. This work clarified the correlation between the precatalyst and the lattice-modified final catalyst in connection with electrochemical reconstruction.