Modifications of local structure at atomic level could precisely and effectively tune the capacity of materials, enabling enhancement in the catalytic activity. Here we modulate the local atomic structure of a classical but inert transition metal oxide, tungsten trioxide, to be an efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution in acidic water, which has shown promise as an alternative to platinum. Structural analyses and theoretical calculations together indicate that the origin of the enhanced activity could be attributed to the tailored electronic structure by means of the local atomic structure modulations. We anticipate that suitable structure modulations might be applied on other transition metal oxides to meet the optimal thermodynamic and kinetic requirements, which may pave the way to unlock the potential of other promising candidates as cost-effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution in industry.

中文翻译：

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局部原子结构调节激活金属氧化物作为在酸性水中析氢的电催化剂。

在原子水平上对局部结构的修饰可以精确有效地调节材料的容量，从而增强催化活性。在这里，我们调节了经典但惰性的过渡金属氧化物三氧化钨的局部原子结构，使其成为在酸性水中析氢的有效电催化剂，已证明有望替代铂。结构分析和理论计算共同表明，增强活性的起源可以通过局部原子结构调制归因于量身定制的电子结构。我们预计可以在其他过渡金属氧化物上应用适当的结构调节，以满足最佳的热力学和动力学要求，