Activating MnO2 nanosheet arrays for accelerated water oxidation through the synergic effect of Ni loading and O vacancies

Birnessite (δ-MnO2), inspired by biological photosynthesis, holds promise as oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts in water electrolysis for clean energy. Given that Mn3+ serves as the active sites, various strategies have been employed to increase the Mn3+ content to boost the OER activity. To surpass the limitations of the traditional adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM), we have adopted an electrochemical reduction method to introduce metallic Ni and enrich oxygen vacancies onto δ-MnO2 nanosheets. The resulting Ni/MnO2v/CC exhibits exceptional OER performance, with a reduction in overpotential by 190 mV (from 478 mV to 289 mV) at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope as low as 45 mV dec-1, indicating accelerated catalytic activity. Experimental and theoretical analyses attribute this enhancement to a transition from the traditional AEM to lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM) mechanism. Moreover, the dual modification also enhances electronic conductivity, electrochemical surface area, and charge transfer ability of δ-MnO2. Our work offers a pathway to overcome conventional limitations in OER electrocatalysts, applicable not only to Mn-based catalysts but also to a range of other transition metal oxides.