LaFeO3 Thin Film OER Catalysis Study Published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A

Band alignment of LFO-n:STO interface vs. RHE

Our collaborative work with Prof. Byron Farnum’s group is out today in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. This work was co-led by Andricus Burton in the Farnum group and Rajendra Paudel in FINO Lab and examines the role of film thickness on catalytic performance of LaFeO3 catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction. It draws on Prof. Comes’ previous work on the band alignment of LaFeO3 with n-doped SrTiO3 to show how a combination of interfacial electronic reconstruction and the intrinsic high resistivity of LaFeO3 produce a sweet spot for catalysis at ~6 nm thickness. Electron microscopy work from Drs. Steven Spurgeon and Bethany Matthews as well as DFT modeling from Dr. Michel Sassi at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory helped to explain the complex physics and chemistry that occurs at the buried interface and film surface. The work is funded as part of the collaborative NSF grant between our two labs at Auburn.