Realizing robust and efficient acidic oxygen evolution by electronic modulation of 0D/2D CeO2 quantum dots decorated SrIrO3 nanosheets

Strontium iridate perovskites are alternative electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic media. Nevertheless, their practical feasibility is still hindered by structural stability due to the inevitable Sr leaching during long-term electrocatalysis. Herein, we propose a 0D/2D heterostructure involving CeO 2 quantum dots decorated SrIrO 3 nanosheets to achieve durable and active OER in harsh acidic environment. Theoretical calculations unveil that CeO 2 coupling with electronic rearrangement not only lowers the energy barrier of OER but also mitigates Sr leaching. Benefiting from the activation and stabilization dual-effect of CeO 2 coupling, the 4CeO 2 @SrIrO 3 heterostructure exhibits an ultralow overpotential of 238 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and a good durability for 50 h, surpassing most perovskite-related electrocatalysts in acidic media. For acidic water splitting, the water electrolyzer assembled with 4CeO 2 @SrIrO 3 ||Pt-C coupled electrode demonstrates high activity and long-lasting life. This protocol highlights an elegant approach of engineering heterostructure for robust and efficient electrocatalysis. • 0D/2D CeO 2 quantum dots decorated SrIrO 3 nanosheets is proposed for acidic OER. • DFT calculations indicate that CeO 2 coupling can lower the energy barrier of OER. • DFT calculations indicate that CeO 2 coupling can mitigate Sr leaching issue. • 4CeO 2 @SrIrO 3 electrocatalyst delivers remarkable OER activity and good durability.