High‐Density Co–Ir–Co Triple‐Atom Sites in Salphen‐Fused Nanoribbons Break the Activity‐Stability Dilemma in Alkaline Oxygen Evolution

Abstract

ABSTRACT The development of stable, active, and well‐defined electrocatalysts for water oxidation is vital for large‐scale green hydrogen production. However, the inherent trade‐off between activity and stability of electrocatalysts imposes fundamental limitations on their practical applications. Herein, we fabricated a molecularly precise triatomic catalyst featuring highly dispersed atomic iridium (14.3 wt.%) along with dense atomic cobalt grippers (10.4 wt.%) anchored on a Salphen‐fused nanoribbon (Co 2 Ir‐SNR), enabling highly effective and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In situ infrared spectroscopy together with theoretical calculations reveals that the Co 2 Ir‐SNR follows the infrequent oxide path mechanism (OPM) with a reduced energy barrier, where the active iridium sites confined in two cobalt grippers promote direct O−O radical coupling for O 2 evolution. Consequently, the triatomic catalyst achieves a remarkable overpotential of 212 ± 3 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and possesses durability with stable operation for up to 1000 h at an ampere‐level current density under alkaline conditions. This work presents a viable strategy to break the activity‐stability dilemma encountered in OER, providing crucial guidance for developing catalysts that withstand the stringent requirements of industrial hydrogen production.