Interfacial Softening and Electrolyte Uptake in Co₃O₄ OER Catalysts: Insight from Operando Spectroscopy and Fast EQCM‐D

Cobalt spinel (Co3O4) catalysts are widely studied in scope of the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), yet the role of interfacial structural transformation under anodic bias remains under debate. Here, we employ an operando approach, combining a fast electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (EQCM-D), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Raman spectroscopy to investigate interfacial transformations of Co3O4 nanoparticle electrodes in alkaline electrolyte. We identify two distinct regimes during the anodic sweep prior to the macroscopic OER onset. At lower potentials, the catalyst interface remains mechanically rigid while reversibly associating several OH−/H2O species per oxidized cobalt site. At higher potentials, pronounced softening of the interface occurs alongside further uptake of electrolyte species. This indicates amorphization and a ‘swelling process’ beyond simple adsorption. Notably, an electrochemical conditioning treatment can suppress mass and compliance hysteresis without affecting OER activity, suggesting that most incorporated electrolyte species do not participate in the OER. EIS further reveals that OER intermediates form well below the apparent OER onset potential. These results advance our mechanistic understanding of interfacial transformations in cobalt-based OER catalysts and establish EQCM-D as a sensitive operando technique for probing electrocatalyst transformations.