Transition metal doped into layered double hydroxide as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction: A DFT study

The doping of transition metal (TM) into layered double hydroxide (LDH) is a widely used method for developing efficient and durable electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this study, a series of TM-doped bimetallic LDH (TMII/TMIII@M3N-LDH(110)) models were constructed and their OER properties were systematically evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Furthermore, the overall volcano plot was constructed, from which seven potential OER catalysts were screened out. Among them, PtIII@Co3Fe-LDH(110) and RuII@Co3Fe-LDH(110) were identified as the most promising candidates, exhibiting excellent OER performance with a theoretical overpotential (eta OER) of 0.20 V, and were analyzed for the doping effect of TM by electronic structure. The results demonstrated that TM doped into M3N-LDH(110) plays a crucial role in the OER process. These theoretical studies not only pave the way for further exploration of efficient OER catalysts but also illustrate the potential of trimetallic LDH as high-performance catalysts.