Tailored Microenvironment in Multicomponent Metal Oxides for Enhanced Electrochemical Ozone Production and Chlorine Evolution Reaction

Electrochemical ozone production (EOP) and chlorine evolution reaction (CER) are key electrochemical reactions with broad applications in water treatment and industrial processes. However, current electrocatalysts suffer from low activity, limited durability, and inadequate intermediate adsorption control, hindering practical applications. This study fabricated a 3D morphology microenvironment of the sgNATO-Bn electrocatalyst by optimizing sol–gel conditions, which enriched reactant concentration and enhanced EOP performance. Building on this, the incorporation of Ru-Sm dual-atom modulated the electronic structure microenvironment at the atomic scale, thereby boosting CER performance. The sgNATO-Bn electrocatalyst exhibited excellent EOP stability, sustaining 510 h at 250 mA·cm⁻² under acidic conditions. The Ru-Sm-sgNATO-Bn demonstrated outstanding CER performance with an overpotential of 49 mV, a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 99.1%, and a lifetime of 312 h at 250 mA·cm⁻². Theoretical calculations revealed that the doped Sb and Ni elements facilitated O₃ adsorption at lattice oxygen vacancies through the formation of stable five-membered ring structures, thereby enhancing EOP activity. Ru-Sm dual-atom co-doping optimized the d-band center and lowered Cl adsorption energy, significantly boosting CER activity. This work presented a new strategy for electrocatalyst design and offered insights into water treatment and environmental protection.