Induction of Concerted Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer during Oxygen Evolution on Hematite Using Lanthanum Oxide as a Solid Proton Acceptor

The utilization of a support material has been an effective method for the management of proton transfer on catalytic active centers. Previous studies showed that the large overpotential of α-Fe 2 O 3 for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) resulted from the sequential transfer of electrons and protons. Here, by combining α-Fe 2 O 3 with La 2 O 3, which functions as a solid proton acceptor, concerted proton–electron transfer (CPET) was induced. The induction of CPET facilitated the formation of intermediate species, leading to the OER activity enhancement at neutral pH. This work may provide useful insight for the design of promising OER catalysts, which is pivotal for energy conversion.