Transition metal oxides have been extensively studied and utilized as efficient catalysts. However, the strongly correlated behavior which often results in intriguing emergent phenomena in these materials has been mostly overlooked in understanding the electrochemical activities. Here, we demonstrate a close correlation between the phase transitions and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in a strongly correlated SrRuO3. By systematically introducing Ru-O vacancies into the single-crystalline SrRuO3 epitaxial thin films, we induced phase transition in crystalline symmetry which resulted in corresponding modification in the electronic structure. The modified electronic structure significantly affect the electrochemical activities, so a 30% decrease in the overpotential for the OER activity was achieved. Our study suggests that a substantial enhancement in the OER activity can be realized even within single material systems, by rational design and engineering of their crystal and electronic structures.
@article{arxiv.1705.04425,
title = {Enhanced electrocatalytic activity via phase transitions in strongly correlated SrRuO3 thin films},
author = {Sang A Lee and Seokjae Oh and Jae-Yeol Hwang and Minseok Choi and Chulmin Youn and Ji Woong Kim and Seo Hyoung Chang and Sungmin Woo and Jong-Seong Bae and Sungkyun Park and Young-Min Kim and Suyoun Lee and Taekjib Choi and Sung Wng Kim and Woo Seok Choi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1705.04425},
year = {2017}
}