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Title: Strain‐Induced Orbital Contributions to Oxygen Electrocatalysis in Transition‐Metal Perovskites
Abstract

Epitaxial strain has been shown to produce dramatic changes to the orbital structure in transition metal perovskite oxides and, in turn, the rate of oxygen electrocatalysis therein. Here, epitaxial strain is used to investigate the relationship between surface electronic structure and oxygen electrocatalysis in prototypical fuel cell cathode systems. Combining high‐temperature electrical‐conductivity‐relaxation studies and synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption spectroscopy studies of La0.5Sr0.5CoO3and La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3thin films under varying degrees of epitaxial strain reveals a strong correlation between orbital structure and catalysis rates. In both systems, films under biaxial tensile strain simultaneously exhibit the fastest reaction kinetics and lowest electron occupation in thedz2orbitals. These results are discussed in the context of broader chemical trends and electronic descriptors are proposed for oxygen electrocatalysis in transition metal perovskite oxides.

 
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Award ID(s):
2102895 1708615
NSF-PAR ID:
10448382
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Advanced Energy Materials
Volume:
11
Issue:
46
ISSN:
1614-6832
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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