@article{Hao2026, 
author = {Hongru Hao and Jiahui Wang and Jian Zhou and Hongcheng Zhao and Lingling Xu and Zhe Lv and Bo Wei},
title = {In-situ Raman spectroscopy reveals the reconstructions of NiMoO4 for neutral water oxidation: Insights from activation processes},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {19},
number = {2},
pages = {94908063},
keywords = {oxygen evolution reaction, electrochemical activation, neutral water electrolysis, dynamic reconstructions, in-situ Raman spectroscopy},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2025.94908063},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2025.94908063},
abstract = {Albeit surface reconstruction of precatalysts for alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is extensively studied, the dynamic structure evolution and true active phase in neutral media remain largely unexplored. Here, the activation behaviors in neutral and alkaline media are comparatively studied using NiMoO4 as a model precatalyst. Our results reveal that, when electrochemically activated in harsh alkaline conditions, NiMoO4 undergoes rapid and complete reconstruction with the formation of a considerable NiOOH active phase. On the other hand, direct activation in neutral media only results in weak reconstruction with a thin NiOOH layer on NiMoO4 surface. Accordingly, the electrode oxidized in basic electrolyte yields a superior OER performance compared to that directly treated mild pH condition. Our study deepens the understanding of the neutral water oxidation reaction, which provides insightful guidelines for further development of efficient electrocatalysts for neutral water electrolysis with self-reconstruction.}
}