Electrodeposition of (hydro)oxides as oxygen evolution electrode

Electrochemical water splitting is a promising technology for hydrogen production and sustainable energy conversion, while the current electrolyzers still suffer from lacking of robust and highly active anodic electrodes for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Electrodeposition provides a feasible route to prepare freestanding OER electrode with high active site utilization, fast mass transport and simple fabrication process, which is highly attractive from both academic and commercial point of view. This minireview focuses on the recent electrodeposition strategies for metal (hydro)oxides design and water oxidation applications. First, the intrinsic advantages of electrodeposition in comparison with traditional technologies are introduced. Then, unique properties and underlying principles of electrodeposited metal (hydro)oxides in OER are unveiled. In parallel, illustrative examples of the latest advances in the material structural design, controllable synthesis, and mechanism understanding through electrochemical synthesis of (hydro)oxides are presented. Finally, the latest representative OER mechanism and electrodeposition routes for OER catalysts are briefly overviewed. Such observations provide new insights into freestanding (hydro)oxides electrodes prepared by electrodeposition, which shows significant practical application potential in water splitting device. We hope that this review will bring inspirations for the researchers and stimulate the development of water splitting technology.