Bioinspired Sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions
Abstract Uncovering the dynamic structures of water at the electrode-solution interface is crucial for various electrocatalysis processes, where water acts as a proton and electron source. However, precisely controlling the state of water on complex interfaces remains challenging. Inspired by the me...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61871-2 |
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| author | Chengdong Yang Yun Gao Zhengyu Xing Xinxin Shu Zechao Zhuang Yueqing Wang Yijuan Zheng Shuang Li Chong Cheng Dingsheng Wang Jintao Zhang |
| author_facet | Chengdong Yang Yun Gao Zhengyu Xing Xinxin Shu Zechao Zhuang Yueqing Wang Yijuan Zheng Shuang Li Chong Cheng Dingsheng Wang Jintao Zhang |
| author_sort | Chengdong Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Uncovering the dynamic structures of water at the electrode-solution interface is crucial for various electrocatalysis processes, where water acts as a proton and electron source. However, precisely controlling the state of water on complex interfaces remains challenging. Inspired by the metalloproteins in natural enzymes, we herein demonstrate that the hydrophilic sulfo-oxygen bridging between Co and Ru sites (Cos-SO-Ru) optimizes interfacial water structure via a favorable hydrogen-bond network, promoting hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions. Mechanistic studies reveal that the stereoscopic sulfo-oxygen bridges enhance the connectivity of hydrogen-bond network to promote the proton transfer process via repelling cations from the electrode surface. Furthermore, electron donating Co sites reduce the surface oxophilicity of Ru to optimize the adsorption-desorption behaviors of hydroxyl, governing the timely refreshed Ru sites to enhance catalytic performances. Such bioinspired active sites offer a different pathway for the precise design of interfacial water structure to improve electrocatalysis. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-39e13a08777f44548f742e17a4cfff8d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-39e13a08777f44548f742e17a4cfff8d2025-08-20T03:42:51ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111110.1038/s41467-025-61871-2Bioinspired Sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactionsChengdong Yang0Yun Gao1Zhengyu Xing2Xinxin Shu3Zechao Zhuang4Yueqing Wang5Yijuan Zheng6Shuang Li7Chong Cheng8Dingsheng Wang9Jintao Zhang10Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong UniversityDepartment of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare Earth Materials, Tsinghua UniversityCollege of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan UniversityKey Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong UniversityDepartment of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare Earth Materials, Tsinghua UniversityKey Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong UniversityCollege of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan UniversityCollege of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan UniversityCollege of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan UniversityDepartment of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare Earth Materials, Tsinghua UniversityKey Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong UniversityAbstract Uncovering the dynamic structures of water at the electrode-solution interface is crucial for various electrocatalysis processes, where water acts as a proton and electron source. However, precisely controlling the state of water on complex interfaces remains challenging. Inspired by the metalloproteins in natural enzymes, we herein demonstrate that the hydrophilic sulfo-oxygen bridging between Co and Ru sites (Cos-SO-Ru) optimizes interfacial water structure via a favorable hydrogen-bond network, promoting hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions. Mechanistic studies reveal that the stereoscopic sulfo-oxygen bridges enhance the connectivity of hydrogen-bond network to promote the proton transfer process via repelling cations from the electrode surface. Furthermore, electron donating Co sites reduce the surface oxophilicity of Ru to optimize the adsorption-desorption behaviors of hydroxyl, governing the timely refreshed Ru sites to enhance catalytic performances. Such bioinspired active sites offer a different pathway for the precise design of interfacial water structure to improve electrocatalysis.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61871-2 |
| spellingShingle | Chengdong Yang Yun Gao Zhengyu Xing Xinxin Shu Zechao Zhuang Yueqing Wang Yijuan Zheng Shuang Li Chong Cheng Dingsheng Wang Jintao Zhang Bioinspired Sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions Nature Communications |
| title | Bioinspired Sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions |
| title_full | Bioinspired Sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions |
| title_fullStr | Bioinspired Sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bioinspired Sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions |
| title_short | Bioinspired Sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions |
| title_sort | bioinspired sulfo oxygen bridges optimize interfacial water structure for enhanced hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61871-2 |
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