Magnetic effect regulated the Ni–O bond strength of a core-shell CoB@Ni(OH)2 catalyst enhances the oxygen evolution reaction

Spintronic catalysis remains largely unexplored for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we propose a novel spin-control strategy by constructing an oriented, 1D core-shell CoB@Ni(OH) 2 nanochain architecture. The spin-ordered amorphous ferromagnetic (FM) CoB core effectively induces spin polarization in the antiferromagnetic (AFM) Ni(OH) 2 shell via FM@AFM coupling. Combined experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that an applied magnetic field (MF) induces spin alignment in Ni(OH) 2 . This MF-guided spin alignment triggers directional Ni orbital splitting, promotes d-charge accumulation at Ni–O sites, and activates a switch to the highly efficient lattice oxygen mechanism. Consequently, the CoB@Ni(OH) 2 catalyst achieves a low overpotential of 472 mV at 100 mA cm -2 and exhibits stability exceeding 150 h under an MF, markedly outperforming its non-magnetic operation. This work demonstrates that engineering FM@AFM interfaces enables the transformation from spin disorder to spin alignment, opening a new avenue for spin-regulated electrocatalytic material design.