Disassembling and reassembling perovskites for oxygen electrocatalysis

Perovskite oxides (ABO₃) are widely studied in oxygen electrocatalysis due to their simple synthesis routes, rich compositions, adjustable crystal/electronic structures, and high intrinsic activities. Despite these advantages, high calcination temperatures usually lead to agglomeration of perovskite materials, greatly reducing atomic utilization. Moreover, the different element features of A/B cations generally make easy enrichment of surface A-sites, and such surface deviation from the ideal structure would impede the precise illustration of structure-activity relationships for electrocatalysis. Up to now, various strategies have been developed to tackle the above issues, through which significant progress in both catalytic performance and underlying catalytic mechanisms has been achieved. Here we summarize those optimization methods as “disassembling and reassembling perovskites” and concisely review related studies and findings in terms of the fundamental understanding of approaches and the applications in oxygen electrocatalysis. Three typical methods, including physical, chemical, and electrochemical, are introduced with their effects on perovskite structures/catalytic mechanisms thoroughly discussed. Finally, four scientific issues regarding disassembling and reassembling perovskites are proposed for future studies. We aim to raise the community's awareness of this emerging approach and hope it could contribute to material design for applications beyond oxygen electrocatalysis.