Revealing the Correlation of OER with Magnetism: A New Descriptor of Curie/Neel Temperature for Magnetic Electrocatalysts

Developing accurate descriptors for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of great significance yet challenging, which roots in and also boosts the understanding of its intrinsic mechanisms. Despite various descriptors are reported, it still has limitations in the facile prediction, given that complicated analytical techniques as well as time-consuming modeling and calculations are indispensable. In the present work, strong correlation of magnetic property with OER performance is revealed by in-depth investigations on the crystal and electronic structures. A facile descriptor of Curie/Neel temperature (TC/N) is developed for La2−xSrxCo2O6−δ perovskite oxides, based on the inference that both magnetism and OER are rooted in the electron exchange interaction. Specifically, both the TC/N and OER activity are proportional to the degree of p-d orbital hybridization, which increases with enlarged bond angle of Co─O─Co and/or increased oxidation of Co. This finding reveals that TC/N from magnetic characterizations is an effective descriptor in designing novel OER electrocatalysts, and interdisciplinary researches are advantageous for revealing the controversial mechanisms of OER process.