Wrinkle‐Induced Strain Activates a Rapid Deprotonation Pathway in Ru ₂ IrO _x for Efficient Acidic Water Electrolysis

Abstract RuIr oxides are promising oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE), yet their performance requires further improvement for practical deployment. Herein, a strain‐mediated mechanistic regulation paradigm is developed, in which lattice compression in wrinkled Ru ₂ IrO _x nanosheets triggers an emergent neighboring‐site‐accelerated deprotonation mechanism (NADM) for efficient OER kinetics. In contrast to the sluggish proton transfer limited by isolated active sites in the conventional adsorption evolution mechanism (AEM), adjacent active centers in Ru ₂ IrO _x ‐WSs synergistically facilitate rapid ^* OOH deprotonation, thereby lowering the rate‐limiting step barrier. Concurrently, wrinkle‐induced lattice compression downshifts the d‐band centers of Ru and Ir while reinforcing metal─oxygen bonds, jointly contributing to enhanced oxidative durability under harsh conditions. Additionally, the porous interconnected structure facilitates mass and ion transport, further complementing the strain‐modulated pathway under high‐rate conditions. The PEMWE with Ru ₂ IrO _x ‐WSs anode achieves 3 A cm ⁻² at a low cell voltage of 1.82 V. Moreover, it maintains stable operation for over 1,200 h@1 A cm ⁻² and enables cost‐effective hydrogen production of ≈$0.89 kg ⁻¹ . This practically validated and facile strain‐engineering strategy enables a mechanistically distinct OER pathway, providing a broad paradigm for the rational design of application‐oriented OER electrocatalysts and beyond.