Tuning the oxygen evolution reaction on a nickel–iron alloy <i>via</i> active straining

Abstract

We report that one can gain active control of the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on Ni3Fe thin films via externally applied strains. The combination of theory and experiments shows that an elastic strain on the surface can tune the OER activity in a predictable way that is consistent with the d-band model. The OER overpotential can be lowered by uniaxial tensions and increased by compressions in a linear manner.