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Article summary:
1. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a key process for the electrochemical water splitting and production of green hydrogen, but its wider practical and industrial adoption is hindered by challenges in the design of active and economically viable catalysts.
2. Transition-metal oxide catalysts based on earth-abundant metals have been proposed as an attractive alternative to noble metal catalysts, but the actual working sites in these catalysts remain often debated.
3. X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) is an invaluable tool for tracking the evolution of bimetallic oxide catalysts, as it enables probing the catalyst structure from the perspective of both metals, features high sensitivity to both oxidation state and local atomistic structure, and can be applied to study materials with any degree of disorder.
Article analysis:
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the use of X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) for tracking the evolution of bimetallic oxide catalysts during oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The article presents a clear argument that XAFS is an invaluable tool for understanding OER catalysts due to its element-specific nature, sensitivity to oxidation states and local atomistic structures, and ability to study materials with any degree of disorder. The article also provides evidence that transition-metal oxide catalysts based on earth-abundant metals are an attractive alternative to noble metal catalysts due to their comparable activity in alkaline electrolytes.
The article appears reliable overall; however, there are some potential biases worth noting. For example, while the article does mention noble metal catalysts such as iridium and ruthenium, it does not provide any evidence or discussion about why they may be preferable over earth-abundant metal oxides in certain cases. Additionally, while the article discusses possible transformations in OER catalysts such as oxidation states changes and surface structure transformations into oxyhydroxide-like structures, it does not discuss any potential risks associated with these transformations or how they could affect catalyst performance or stability over time. Furthermore, while the article mentions that XAFS can be used for time-resolved operando studies within an electrochemical environment, it does not provide any evidence or discussion about how this could be done or what benefits this could bring compared to other methods. Finally, while the article mentions that QXAFS studies can now be done with subsecond time resolution using recent developments in scanning monochromators and detectors, it does not provide any details about these developments or how they could improve QXAFS studies.
In conclusion, this article provides a comprehensive overview of XAFS for tracking OER catalyst evolution; however there are some potential biases worth noting which should be addressed if possible in future research on this topic.