Activation of Cascade Pathway for Oxygen Reduction via 4f-3d Orbital Ladder-Driven Dual-Site Synergy.

ABSTRACT: The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remains a major obstacle in green electrochemical energy conversion, driving the pursuit of cost-effective noble-metal-free catalysts. Transition metal (TM) and rare-earth (RE) compounds have emerged as promising alternatives. However, their catalytic activity is hindered by sluggish electron transfer and restrictive scaling relationships. Herein, a TM/RE heterostructural catalyst that integrates the complementary features of Fe₃N's tunable 3d orbitals and spin polarization with CeO₂'s partially filled 4f orbitals and facile Ce⁴⁺/Ce³⁺ redox transitions, enabling dual-phase catalytic participation, is designed. The Fe₃N/CeO₂ heterostructure forms a dual-site catalytic heterointerface, which

SUBMITTER: Cheng R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12822467 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature