The effect of a distorted MO6 octahedral unit on the activity and stability for the oxygen evolution reaction†

Abstract

Metal oxides have garnered significant attention in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), where a distorted MO₆ octahedral unit has a marked impact on their performance. This study introduces the distortion coefficient to quantify the MO₆ distortion composed of its volume and shape, and reports the effect of MO₆ distortion on the activity and stability in rutile metal oxides for the OER. This provides a fundamental understanding for designing effective MO₆ active units for the OER.