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The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) plays a crucial role in electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Among different metal elements, gold (Au) stands out due to its high electronegativity and remarkable catalytic properties, especially in nanoscale size. In this review, we aim to comprehensively analyze the oxygen electrocatalytic performance of nanosized Au, including the influence of the crystal surface, morphology, substrate materials of Au nanoparticles, size and ligands of Au nanoclusters, and Au single atoms on oxygen electrocatalysis. By exploring the catalytic performance of noble metals, non-noble metals, oxides, hydroxides/oxyhydroxides/layered double hydroxides, sulfides, phosphides, nitrides, and selenides through the integration of nanosized Au, which offers valuable insights for enhancing the OER efficiency. These effects can be attributed to two mechanisms: i) adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM) and ii) lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM), where the nanosized Au changed the electronic structure of the catalysts and improved the adsorption of reaction intermediates to accelerate electron transfer process or exerts the synergistic effect between metallic Au and oxygen vacancies. For instance, Au-driven OER catalysts can be widely used in zinc-air batteries and water splitting in the future.
Liu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.