Ultrathin Co3S4 nanosheets that synergistically engineer spin states and exposed polyhedra that promote water oxidation under neutral conditions.

Development of efficient and affordable electrocatalysts in neutral solutions is paramount importance for the renewable energy. Herein, we report that the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of Co3 S4 under neutral conditions can be enhanced by exposed octahedral planes and self-adapted spin states in atomically thin nanosheets. A HAADF image clearly confirmed that the active octahedra with Jahn-Teller distortions were exposed exclusively. Most importantly, in the atomically thin nanosheets, the spin states of Co(3+) in the octahedral self-adapt from low-spin to high-spin states. As a result, the synergistic effect endow the Co3 S4 nanosheets with superior OER performance, with exceptional low onset overpotentials of circa 0.31 V in neutral solutions, which is state-of-the-art among inorganic non-noble metal compounds.