LA-SR-BASED PEROVSKITE OXIDES AS BIFUNCTIONAL ELECTROCATALYSTS FOR WATER SPLITTING VIA COMPOSITIONAL, ELECTRONIC, AND NANOSTRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

Source abstract

With the growth of the global population and expansion of the world economy, the global demand for energy continues to rise steadily. Most of the produced energy still relies on fossil fuels, which leads to the depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation. This situation drives active research and development in renewable energy technologies. One of the most promising directions is the electrocatalytic production of hydrogen from water, considered an efficient solution to the intermittency of renewable energy generation. The process of water electrolysis includes two half-reactions: the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER, 4OH− → O2 + 2H2O + 4e−) and the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, 2H2O + 2e− → H2 + 2OH−). Under standard conditions, the equilibrium potential of water electrolysis is 1.23 V, but in practice it reaches 1.6–2.0 V due to significant charge transfer losses in the OER process. Therefore, the development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts is key for large-scale hydrogen and oxygen production, reducing energy consumption, and advancing industrial water electrolysis technologies. Among various materials, perovskite-type oxides (ABO3) are of particular interest due to their natural abundance, high chemical stability, and tunable composition. These properties make them promising high-activity catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction. However, their practical application is limited by relatively low specific surface area, which leads to reduced catalytic activity. Keywords: Perovskite, hydrogen, photocatalysts, water splitting, renewable energy, overpotential, activity, electrochemistry.