Feasibility of Active and Durable Lattice Oxygen‐Mediated Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers Through d 0 Metal Ion Incorporation

Abstract The primary hurdle faced in the practical application of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) involves improving the intrinsic kinetic activity of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts while concurrently enhancing their durability. Although electrocatalysts based on lattice oxygen‐mediated mechanism (LOM) have the potential to significantly enhance the activity in OER without being restricted by scaling relationships, they are neglected in acidic electrolytes due to limited durability. In this study, an innovative approach is presented to simultaneously promote the activation of lattice oxygen and improve the durability of LOM‐based OER electrocatalysts by incorporating d 0 metal ions into the RuO 2 electrocatalyst. Leveraging the unique electronic properties of the d 0 metal ion, the O 2p band center and Ru‐O covalency of the electrocatalyst are succes…