Tuning ORR/OER activity by designing ferroelectric FeTiO3 heterostructures

The integration of ferroelectricity in two-dimensional materials offers a promising strategy for tuning electrocatalytic properties. In this study, we use first-principles calculations to investigate how ferroelectricity modulates catalytic activity in non-van der Waals heterostructures (HSs). Speci...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hetti Wijesingha, Junxian Liu, Liangzhi Kou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:JPhys Materials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7639/ade73f
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850110519175806976
author Hetti Wijesingha
Junxian Liu
Liangzhi Kou
author_facet Hetti Wijesingha
Junxian Liu
Liangzhi Kou
author_sort Hetti Wijesingha
collection DOAJ
description The integration of ferroelectricity in two-dimensional materials offers a promising strategy for tuning electrocatalytic properties. In this study, we use first-principles calculations to investigate how ferroelectricity modulates catalytic activity in non-van der Waals heterostructures (HSs). Specifically, we design ilmenene (FeTiO _3 monolayer) interfaced with ferroelectric (FE) substrates, Sc _2 CO _2 and In _2 Te _3 , to elucidate their polarization effects on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Our density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that both upward (P↑) and downward (P↓) polarization states significantly influence charge redistribution at the catalytic centre, with the P↑ state facilitating superior electron donation. These polarization effects substantially optimize the ORR/OER catalytic activity, yielding relatively low theoretical OER overpotentials ( η _OER ) of 0.55 V for FeTiO _3 /Sc _2 CO _2 and 0.63 V for FeTiO _3 /In _2 Te _3 , respectively. These findings highlight the role of FE substrates in tailoring electrocatalytic performance, providing insights for the design of polarization-driven catalysts in energy conversion applications.
format Article
id doaj-art-bbbaba226b3a449c971d92f84e2c0573
institution OA Journals
issn 2515-7639
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher IOP Publishing
record_format Article
series JPhys Materials
spelling doaj-art-bbbaba226b3a449c971d92f84e2c05732025-08-20T02:37:49ZengIOP PublishingJPhys Materials2515-76392025-01-018303500710.1088/2515-7639/ade73fTuning ORR/OER activity by designing ferroelectric FeTiO3 heterostructuresHetti Wijesingha0https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8082-4987Junxian Liu1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5873-0095Liangzhi Kou2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3978-117XSchool of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane, QLD 4001, AustraliaSchool of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane, QLD 4001, AustraliaSchool of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane, QLD 4001, AustraliaThe integration of ferroelectricity in two-dimensional materials offers a promising strategy for tuning electrocatalytic properties. In this study, we use first-principles calculations to investigate how ferroelectricity modulates catalytic activity in non-van der Waals heterostructures (HSs). Specifically, we design ilmenene (FeTiO _3 monolayer) interfaced with ferroelectric (FE) substrates, Sc _2 CO _2 and In _2 Te _3 , to elucidate their polarization effects on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Our density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that both upward (P↑) and downward (P↓) polarization states significantly influence charge redistribution at the catalytic centre, with the P↑ state facilitating superior electron donation. These polarization effects substantially optimize the ORR/OER catalytic activity, yielding relatively low theoretical OER overpotentials ( η _OER ) of 0.55 V for FeTiO _3 /Sc _2 CO _2 and 0.63 V for FeTiO _3 /In _2 Te _3 , respectively. These findings highlight the role of FE substrates in tailoring electrocatalytic performance, providing insights for the design of polarization-driven catalysts in energy conversion applications.https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7639/ade73felectrocatalysisoxygen reduction reactionoxygen evolution reactiondensity functional theoryheterostructuresferroelectric polarization
spellingShingle Hetti Wijesingha
Junxian Liu
Liangzhi Kou
Tuning ORR/OER activity by designing ferroelectric FeTiO3 heterostructures
JPhys Materials
electrocatalysis
oxygen reduction reaction
oxygen evolution reaction
density functional theory
heterostructures
ferroelectric polarization
title Tuning ORR/OER activity by designing ferroelectric FeTiO3 heterostructures
title_full Tuning ORR/OER activity by designing ferroelectric FeTiO3 heterostructures
title_fullStr Tuning ORR/OER activity by designing ferroelectric FeTiO3 heterostructures
title_full_unstemmed Tuning ORR/OER activity by designing ferroelectric FeTiO3 heterostructures
title_short Tuning ORR/OER activity by designing ferroelectric FeTiO3 heterostructures
title_sort tuning orr oer activity by designing ferroelectric fetio3 heterostructures
topic electrocatalysis
oxygen reduction reaction
oxygen evolution reaction
density functional theory
heterostructures
ferroelectric polarization
url https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7639/ade73f
work_keys_str_mv AT hettiwijesingha tuningorroeractivitybydesigningferroelectricfetio3heterostructures
AT junxianliu tuningorroeractivitybydesigningferroelectricfetio3heterostructures
AT liangzhikou tuningorroeractivitybydesigningferroelectricfetio3heterostructures