Quantitative Unraveling of Exsolved Heteroboundaries for High-Temperature Electrocatalysis

Abstract

The application of perovskite oxide for high-temperature electrocatalysis is hindered by its limited activity. Exsolution is a smart strategy that allows the enrichment of the perovskite’s surface with highly reactive phases, yielding heteroboundaries. However, the identification of the exact catalytic role of this complex architecture is still elusive. Here we presented a quantitative analysis of the CO₂ electroreduction reactivity of a series of perovskite thin film platforms (La_0.4Ca_0.4Ti_0.94Ni_0.06O₃, LCTN) boosted by exsolved heteropical nanoparticles (particularly for Ni and NiO). The cross-scale electrochemical characterizations, together with density functional theory (DFT) modelings, have shown clear evidence that the boundary length of the NP/perovskite interface is strictly correlated with the CO₂RR activity. The intrinsic reaction rate per active site at the NiO/LCTN boundary demonstrates a highest turnover frequency (TOF) of 7.05 ± 0.75 × 104 s^–1 at 800 °C, which is 2.5 times and 4 orders of magnitude better than that of Ni/LCTN and LCTN, respectively. The ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) proves that the CO₂ absorption at the NiO/LCTN boundary leverages a bidentate carbonate modality with a reduced dissociation energy barrier. Moreover, a multifold enhancement in oxygen exchange rate was confirmed, which correlated to the facilitated oxygen ion hopping between adjacent TiO₆ octahedrons. Further near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) during CO₂ electrolysis on model electrolyzers reveals the crucial role of the NiO/LCTN boundary in stabilizing oxidized carbon intermediates, raising the onset potential threshold of adventitious carbon as well as preventing its build-up.