Intrinsic metal-support interactions break the activity-stability dilemma in electrocatalysis

Electrocatalysis plays a central role in clean energy conversion and sustainable technologies. However, the trade-off between activity and stability of electrocatalysts significantly hinders their practical applications, notably in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for producing hydrogen and solar fuels. Here we report a steam-assisted synthesis armed with machine learning screening of an integrated ruthenium-titanium-manganese electrode, featuring intrinsic metal-support interactions. These atomic-scale interactions with self-healing capabilities radically address the activity-stability dilemma across all pH levels. Consequently, our electrode achieved high mass activities, 48.5, 112.8 and 74.6 times those of benchmark ruthenium oxides in acidic, neutral and alkaline conditions, respectively; and stable operation for up to 3,000 hours, a multi-fold improvement in stability over the reported advanced catalysts. The breakthrough in activity-stability limitations highlights the potential of intrinsic metal-support interactions for enhancing electrolysis and other heterogeneous catalysis.