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Vol. 19 (2027)

Multicomponent Nitride/High-Entropy Alloy Heterostructures as Highly Active and Stable Electrocatalysts for Ampere-Level Water Oxidation

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02316-3
Xin‑Ying Sun
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Tian‑Yi Dai
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Rui‑Qi Yao
Key Laboratory of Polyoxometalate and Reticular Material Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, People’s Republic of China
Yun‑Fei Chang
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Zhi‑Lan Zhou
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Ying Wang
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Tong‑Hui Wang
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Gao‑Feng Han
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Zi Wen
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Hang Shi
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Xing‑You Lang
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China
Qing Jiang
Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Qing Jiang

jiangq@jlu.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 19 (2027), Article Number: 46

Abstract

Developing highly active and stable oxygen evolution reaction catalysts is paramount for cost-effective large-scale green hydrogen production via water electrolysis. Here we report nonprecious metal-based multicomponent nitride/high-entropy alloy heterostructures as cost-effective electrocatalysts to efficiently mediate alkaline water oxidation by in-situ configurating cooperative Brønsted basic oxyanion-solid interfaces during phase transformation of multicomponent nitride into amorphous N-doped NiFeCoMoCrOOH along with partial dissolution of high-value metals of Mo and Cr to form molecular MoO42− and CrO42− species. The protonation of Brønsted basic oxyanions facilitates the critical *OOH intermediate formation on N-doped NiFeCoMoCrOOH with near-optimal adsorption energy, substantially accelerating the oxygen evolution reaction kinetics. Consequently, the heterostructure electrode exhibits superior oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalysis in 1 M KOH solution, delivering ultrahigh current density of ~ 2.5 A cm−2 at low overpotential of 300 mV. Its alkaline water electrolyzer operates stably at ampere-level current density for > 1700 h. Our findings reveal an unconventional molecule-assisted multi-site mechanism of multicomponent catalysts to accelerate multiple-intermediate reaction.


Highlights:
1 Nonprecious metal-based multicomponent nitride anchored on nanoporous high-entropy alloy skeleton is constructed for ampere-level water oxidation via in-situ configurating cooperative Brønsted basic oxyanion-solid multiple active interfaces.
2 The self-supported nanoporous (NiFeCo)3(MoCr)3N/HEA electrodes exhibit exceptional catalytic activity and durability by virtue of MoO42− and CrO42− ions acting as molecular co-catalysts to mediate proton spillover to facilitate the formation of *OOH.
3 The alkaline water electrolyzer assembled with nanoporous (NiFeCo)3(MoCr)3N/HEA anode and (MoCr)(NiFeCo)4/HEA cathode can operate stably at ampere-level current density for over 1700 h.

Keywords

Multicomponent nitride High-entropy alloy Nanoporous metals Electrocatalysts Oxygen evolution reaction
Sun, Xin‑Ying, Tian‑Yi Dai, Rui‑Qi Yao, Yun‑Fei Chang, Zhi‑Lan Zhou, Ying Wang, Tong‑Hui Wang, Gao‑Feng Han, Zi Wen, Hang Shi, Xing‑You Lang, and Qing Jiang. 2026. “Multicomponent Nitride/High-Entropy Alloy Heterostructures As Highly Active and Stable Electrocatalysts for Ampere-Level Water Oxidation”. Nano-Micro Letters 19 (September):46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02316-3.
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