LAUSR

The energy efficiency of metal-air batteries and water-splitting techniques is severely constrained by multiple electronic transfers in the heterogeneous oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and the high overpotential induced by the sluggish kinetics has become an uppermost scientific challenge. Numerous attempts have been devoted to enabling high activity, selectivity and stability via tailoring the surface physicochemical properties of nanocatalysts. Lattice-strain engineering as a cutting-edge method for tuning the electronic and geometric configuration of metal sites plays a pivotal role in regulating the interaction of catalytic surfaces with adsorbate molecules. By defining the d-band center as a descriptor of the structure-activity relationship, the individual contribution of strain effects within state-of-the-art electrocatalysts can be systematically elucidated in the OER optimization mechanism. In this review, we showcase the fundamentals of OER and the advancements of strain-catalyst, and enumerate the innovative trigger strategies, with particular emphasis on the feedback mechanism between the precise regulation of lattice-strain and optimal activity. Subsequently, the modulation of electrocatalysts with various attributes is categorized and the impediments encountered in the practicalization of strained effect are discussed, ending with an outlook on future research directions for this burgeoning field. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.