The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the essential module in energy conversion and storage devices such as electrolyzer, rechargeable metal–air batteries and regenerative fuel cells. The adsorption energy scaling relations between the reaction intermediates, however, impose a large intrinsic overpotential and sluggish reaction kinetics on OER catalysts. Developing advanced electrocatalysts with high activity and stability based on non-noble metal materials is still a grand challenge. Central to the rational design of novel and high-efficiency catalysts is the development and understanding of quantitative structure–activity relationships, which correlate the catalytic activities with structural and electronic descriptors. This paper comprehensively reviews the benchmark descriptors for OER electrolysis, aiming to give an in-depth understanding on the origins of the electrocatalytic activity of the OER and further contribute to building the theory of electrocatalysis. Meanwhile, the cutting-edge research frontiers for proposing new OER paradigms and crucial strategies to circumvent the scaling relationship are also summarized. Challenges, opportunities and perspectives are discussed, intending to shed some light on the rational design concepts and advance the development of more efficient catalysts for enhancing OER performance.

析氧反应 (OER) 是能量转换和存储设备（如电解槽、可充电金属空气电池和再生燃料电池）中必不可少的模块。然而，反应中间体之间的吸附能比例关系对 OER 催化剂施加了较大的固有过电势和缓慢的反应动力学。基于非贵金属材料开发具有高活性和稳定性的先进电催化剂仍然是一个巨大的挑战。新型高效催化剂的合理设计的核心是定量结构-活性关系的发展和理解，它将催化活性与结构和电子描述符相关联。本文全面回顾了 OER 电解的基准描述符，旨在深入了解 OER 电催化活性的起源，并进一步有助于建立电催化理论。同时，还总结了提出新 OER 范式的前沿研究前沿和规避比例关系的关键策略。讨论了挑战、机遇和观点，旨在阐明合理的设计概念，并推动开发更高效的催化剂以提高 OER 性能。