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Currently, RuO₂ is a benchmark acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst. Nevertheless, its wide applications are always restricted by slow dynamics and limited durability. This paper reports a type of Mn-doped RuO₂ nanocrystals for boosting the OER catalytic performance in acidic media. The catalyst (named Mn-RuO₂) is prepared through annealing of Ru-exchanged Mn-based derivative at 300 °C. Such Mn-RuO₂ exhibits excellent acidic OER activity, with an overpotential of 158 mV at 10 mA cm^–2 and a stability of 5000 cycles in the presence of sulfuric acid (0.5 mol/L). Both structural characterization and theoretical analysis show that the Mn doping in RuO₂ can tune the d-band center of Ru active sites and lower antibonding surface-adsorbate states, which leads to a decreased free energy of the rate-determining step, ultimately enhancing the intrinsic activity of RuO₂.