Electrocatalytic Properties of Cuprous Delafossite Oxides for the Alkaline Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Abstract Inspired by the oxygen‐binding copper sites in biomolecules, a series of cuprous delafossite oxides (CuBO 2 ; B=Sc, Y, La) with similar interatomic copper distances were utilized as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The carbon‐supported oxides showed improved onset potential, current, and electron‐transfer number over carbon black, with CuLaO 2 having the highest prevalence of the complete four‐electron reduction. The oxygen electrocatalytic activity of the copper site in delafossite oxides was demonstrated.