journal article·2026-07Open access

Strain‐Directed Ru Redistribution to Form RuO 2 /Pt Mosaic Heterointerfaces for Acid‐Stable Water Oxidation

Yeji Park, Doyeop Kim, Jungho Kim, Ho Yeon Jang, Minseon Cha, Subeen Lee, Tae Kyung Lee, Taekyung Kim, Hionsuck Baik, Jinwon Choi, Taehyun Kwon, Seoin Back, Sung Jong Yoo, Kwangyeol Lee

Advanced Energy Materials· Volume 16· Issue 25

Abstract

ABSTRACT Doping Ru oxides with heteroatoms such as Pt can mitigate their intrinsic redox instability by redistributing charge at the interface during acidic OER conditions; however, achieving atomically intimate Pt–Ru configurations remains challenging because conventional synthesis routes cannot reliably juxtapose the two elements at structurally compatible catalytic sites. Here, we report a strain‐driven atomic migration strategy that enables controlled redistribution of Ru from the exterior to the interior of PtNi multiframe during thermal oxidation. Redox‐induced Ni oxidation generates lattice strain that drives inward Ru migration, leading to the formation of RuO 2 /Pt mosaic heterointerfaces throughout the open framework. These heterointerfaces create a Pt‐biased redox environment that stabilizes Ru 4+ while strongly suppressing lattice oxygen participation. Operando XAFS and 18 O‐labeled DEMS reveal that this Pt–Ru redox asymmetry underpins the remarkable stability, while interfacial electronic modulation steers the reaction toward an adsorbate evolution mechanism‐dominated pathway with more favorable intermediate energetics. Consequently, the catalyst delivers an ultralow overpotential of 168 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and maintains stable operation for over 540 h. Overall, this work establishes strain‐directed atomic migration as a versatile post‐synthetic route for constructing redox‐stabilized heterointerfaces, providing a broadly applicable design principle for highly active and durable water‐splitting electrocatalysts.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion · Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction · Advanced battery technologies research

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Chemistry and Center for Multielement Nanoparticle Tectonics Korea University Seoul Republic of Korea

Center for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Korea Institute of Science and Technology Seoul Republic of Korea

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Institute of Emergent Materials Sogang University Seoul Republic of Korea

AI Enhanced Electron Microscopy Research Unit Strategic Research Center For Smart Battery Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) Daejeon Republic of Korea

Department of Chemistry Incheon National University Incheon Republic of Korea

Research Institute of Basic Sciences Core Research Institute Incheon National University Incheon Republic of Korea

KU‐KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology Korea University Seoul Republic of Korea

Department of Integrated Energy Engineering Korea University Seoul Republic of Korea

Institute for Multiscale Matter and Systems (IMMS) Ewha Womans University Seoul Republic of Korea

Division of Energy & Environment Technology KIST school University of Science and Technology (UST) Daejeon Republic of Korea

Funding

National Research Foundation of Korea · Ministry of Education · Korea Basic Science Institute

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