Molecular Cobalt Clusters as Precursors of Distinct Active Species in Electrochemical,Photochemical, and Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation Reactions in Phosphate Electrolytes

Three cobalt model molecular compounds, Co‐cubane ([Co₄(µ₃‐O)₄(µ‐OAc)₄py₄]), Co‐trimer ([Co₃(μ₃‐O)(µ‐OAc)₆py₃]PF₆), and Co‐dimer ([Co₂(μ‐OH)₂(µ‐OAc)(OAc)₂py₄]PF₆), are investigated as water oxidation reaction (WOR) catalysts, using electrochemical, photochemical, and photoelectrochemical methodologies in phosphate electrolyte. The actual species contributing to the catalytic activity observed in the WOR are derived from the transformation of these cobalt compounds. The catalytic activity observed is highly dependent on the initial compound structure and on the particular WOR methodology used. Co‐cubane shows no activity in the electrochemical WOR and negligible activity in the photochemical WOR, but is active in the photoelectrochemical WOR, in which it behaves as a precursor to catalytically active species. Co‐dimer also shows no activity in the electrochemical WOR, but behaves as a precursor to catalytically active species in both the photochemical and photoelectrochemical WOR experiments. Co‐trimer behaves as a precursor to catalytically active species in all three of the WOR methodologies.     

Quaternary Iron Nickel Cobalt Selenide as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Both Quasi‐Solid‐State Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells and Water Splitting

Iron nickel cobalt selenides are synthesized through a one‐step hydrothermal method. Quaternary Fe_0.37Ni_0.17Co_0.36Se demonstrates multifunctionality and shows high electrocatalytic activity for quasi‐solid‐state dye‐sensitized solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 8.42 %, the hydrogen evolution reaction, the oxygen evolution reaction, and water splitting. The electric power output from tandem quasi‐solid‐state dye‐sensitized solar cells under one‐sun illumination is sufficient to split water and exhibits a solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion efficiency of 5.58 % with Fe_0.37Ni_0.17Co_0.36Se as the electrocatalyst in this integrated system. Owing to a remarkable synergistic effect, quaternary Fe_0.37Ni_0.17Co_0.36Se is proven to be superior to ternary nickel cobalt selenide in terms of conductivity, electrocatalytic activity, and photovoltaic performance.     

Copper as a Robust and Transparent Electrocatalyst for Water Oxidation

Copper metal is in theory a viable oxidative electrocatalyst based on surface oxidation to Cu^III and/or Cu^IV, but its use in water oxidation has been impeded by anodic corrosion. The in situ formation of an efficient interfacial oxygen‐evolving Cu catalyst from Cu^II in concentrated carbonate solutions is presented. The catalyst necessitates use of dissolved Cu^II and accesses the higher oxidation states prior to decompostion to form an active surface film, which is limited by solution conditions. This observation and restriction led to the exploration of ways to use surface‐protected Cu metal as a robust electrocatalyst for water oxidation. Formation of a compact film of CuO on Cu surface prevents anodic corrosion and results in sustained catalytic water oxidation. The Cu/CuO surface stabilization was also applied to Cu nanowire films, which are transparent and flexible electrocatalysts for water oxidation and are an attractive alternative to ITO‐supported catalysts for photoelectrochemical applications.     

Heterogeneous Water Oxidation: Surface Activity versus Amorphization Activation in Cobalt Phosphate Catalysts

Is water oxidation catalyzed at the surface or within the bulk volume of solid oxide materials? This question is addressed for cobalt phosphate catalysts deposited on inert electrodes, namely crystallites of pakhomovskyite (Co₃(PO₄)₂?8 H₂O, Pak) and phosphate‐containing Co oxide (CoCat). X‐ray spectroscopy reveals that oxidizing potentials transform the crystalline Pak slowly (5–8 h) but completely into the amorphous CoCat. Electrochemical analysis supports high‐TOF surface activity in Pak, whereas its amorphization results in dominating volume activity of the thereby formed CoCat material. In the directly electrodeposited CoCat, volume catalysis prevails, but not at very low levels of the amorphous material, implying high‐TOF catalysis at surface sites. A complete picture of heterogeneous water oxidation requires insight in catalysis at the electrolyte‐exposed “outer surface”, within a hydrated, amorphous volume phase, and modes and kinetics of restructuring upon operation.     

A Dinuclear Ruthenium‐Based Water Oxidation Catalyst: Use of Non‐Innocent Ligand Frameworks for Promoting Multi‐Electron Reactions

Insight into how H₂O is oxidized to O₂ is envisioned to facilitate the rational design of artificial water oxidation catalysts, which is a vital component in solar‐to‐fuel conversion schemes. Herein, we report on the mechanistic features associated with a dinuclear Ru‐based water oxidation catalyst. The catalytic action of the designed Ru complex was studied by the combined use of high‐resolution mass spectrometry, electrochemistry, and quantum chemical calculations. Based on the obtained results, it is suggested that the designed ligand scaffold in Ru complex 1 has a non‐innocent behavior, in which metal–ligand cooperation is an important part during the four‐electron oxidation of H₂O. This feature is vital for the observed catalytic efficiency and highlights that the preparation of catalysts housing non‐innocent molecular frameworks could be a general strategy for accessing efficient catalysts for activation of H₂O.     

Autologous Cobalt Phosphates with Modulated Coordination Sites for Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation

The correlation between metal coordination and electrocatalytic water oxidation performance is elusive in many cobalt‐based materials. Herein, we designed an ideal Co phosphate‐based platform to explore the effect of coordination environment on oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. The cobalt geometry was modulated from octahedral to tetrahedral by simple removal of water ligands in Co₃(PO₄)₂?8 H₂O. Other features except the coordination structure in the two autologous materials remain similar. The two analogues display the same OER kinetics, but the anhydrous Co₃(PO₄)₂ exhibits a greatly enhanced OER activity. On the basis of Raman and operando XAS results, the higher intrinsic activity of the Co tetrahedral sites is because they facilitate the formation of active high valent cobalt (hydr)oxide intermediates during OER. This work not only brings insights of OER on Co‐based electrocatalysts but also provides a reference system to study the effect of metal geometry on electrocatalysis.     

Surface Engineering of Conjugated Polybenzothiadiazoles and Integration with Cobalt Oxides for Photocatalytic Water Oxidation

Conjugated polymers feature promising structure and properties for photocatalytic water splitting. Herein, a hydrolysis strategy was demonstrated to rationally modulate the surface hydrophilicity and band structures of conjugated poly-benzothiadiazoles. High hydrophilicity not only enhances the dispersions of polymeric solids in an aqueous solution but also reduces the absorption energy of water molecules. Besides, both theoretical and experimental results reveal that a more positive valence band potential is generated, which contributes to enhancing the photocatalytic water oxidation performance. Accordingly, the surface-modified conjugated polymers show largely promoted photocatalytic water oxidation activities by deposition of cobalt oxides as cocatalysts.     

Hollow PtPd Nanorods with Mesoporous Shells as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Methanol‐Oxidation Reaction

Tailoring the morphology and composition of platinum‐based electrocatalysts is of significant importance for the development of highly efficient direct methanol fuel cells. Herein, we report a dual‐templating method for the design of hollow PtPd nanorods with mesoporous shells (mPtPd HNRs). We found that F127 micelles favored the formation of mesoporous structures and that SiO₂ nanorods served as a hard template for the creation of cavities. The well‐developed mesopores, hollow structures, and bimetallic composition of the mPtPd HNRs afforded a sufficient number of active sites to facilitate the electrochemical oxidation of methanol, thereby leading to enhanced activity and stability. This strategy allowed for the reliable preparation of mesoporous hollow platinum‐based electrocatalysts with desired compositions and morphologies for catalytic applications.     

Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution in Neutral Water Catalyzed by a Cobalt Complex with a Softer Polypyridyl Ligand

To explore the structure–function relationships of cobalt complexes in the catalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), we studied the substitution of a tertiary amine with a softer pyridine group and the inclusion of a conjugated bpy unit in a Co complex with a new pentadentate ligand, 6‐[6‐(1,1‐di‐pyridin‐2‐yl‐ethyl)‐pyridin‐2‐ylmethyl]‐[2,2′]bipyridinyl (Py3Me‐Bpy). These modifications resulted in significantly improved stability and activity in both electro‐ and photocatalytic HER in neutral water. [Co(Py3Me‐Bpy)(OH₂)](PF₆)₂ catalyzes the electrolytic HER at ?1.3 V (vs. SHE) for 20 hours with a turnover number (TON) of 266 300, and photolytic HER for two days with a TON of 15 000 in pH 7 aqueous solutions. The softer ligand scaffold possibly provides increased stability towards the intermediate Co^I species. DFT calculations demonstrate that HER occurs through a general electron transfer/proton transfer/electron transfer/proton transfer pathway, with H₂ released from the protonation of Co^II?H species.     

Nickel Confined in the Interlayer Region of Birnessite: an Active Electrocatalyst for Water Oxidation

We report a synthetic method to enhance the electrocatalytic activity of birnessite for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by intercalating Ni²⁺ ions into the interlayer region. Electrocatalytic studies showed that nickel (7.7 atomic %)‐intercalated birnessite exhibits an overpotential (η) of 400 mV for OER at an anodic current of 10 mA cm^?2. This η is significantly lower than the η values for birnessite (η≈700 mV) and the active OER catalyst β‐Ni(OH)₂ (η≈550 mV). Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that a competition among the interactions between the nickel cation, water, and birnessite promote redox chemistry in the spatially confined interlayer region.     

Boron-Doped PdCuAu Nanospine Assembly as an Efficient Electrocatalyst toward Formic Acid Oxidation

Control of the composition and morphology of Pd-based electrocatalysts is a promising strategy for the development of efficient direct formic acid fuel cells. Herein, a two-step method is presented for the design of B-doped PdCuAu nanospine assemblies (B-PdCuAu NAs) using NaBH₄ as the boron dopant. The boron content can be tailored easily by tuning the reaction time, and an optimal boron content is beneficial to promote the formic acid oxidation reaction. Such B-PdCuAu NAs exhibit superior mass and specific activities to commercial Pd black and PdCuAu NAs in alkaline solution. The excellent catalytic performance of B-PdCuAu NAs may arise from the increase in surface active sites and the electronic effect of boron modification. This work provides a facile synthesis of the B-doped metallic catalysts and highlights the boron modification in improving their performance as anode electrocatalysts for fuel cells.     

Oxidation of formic acid and carbon monoxide on gold electrodes studied by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and DFT.

The oxidation of formic acid and carbon monoxide was studied at a gold electrode by a combination of electrochemistry, in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, and first-principles DFT calculations. Comparison of the SERS results and the (field-dependent) DFT calculations strongly suggests that the relevant surface-bonded intermediate during oxidation of formic acid on gold is formate HCOO- ad*. Formate reacts to form carbon dioxide via two pathways: at low potentials, with a nearby water to produce carbon dioxide and a hydronium ion; at higher potentials, with surface-bonded hydroxyl (or oxide) to give carbon dioxide and water. In the former pathway, the rate-determining step is probably related to the reaction of surface-bonded formate with water, as measurements of the reaction order imply a surface almost completely saturated with adsorbate. The potential dependence of the rate of the low-potential pathway is presumably governed by the potential dependence of formate coverage. There is no evidence for CO formation on gold during oxidation of formic acid. The oxidation of carbon monoxide must involve the carboxyhydroxyl intermediate, but SERS measurements do not reveal this intermediate during CO oxidation, most likely because of its low surface coverage, as it is formed after the rate-determining step. Based on inconclusive spectroscopic evidence for the formation of surface-bonded OH at potentials substantially below the surface oxidation region, the question whether surface-bonded carbon monoxide reacts with surface hydroxyl or with water to form carboxyhydroxyl and carbon dioxide remains open. The SERS measurements show the existence of both atop and bridge-bonded CO on gold from two distinguishable low-frequency modes that agree very well with DFT calculations.     

Functional Polypyridine Co Complex as an Efficient Catalyst for Photo‐Induced Water Oxidation

A novel mononuclear cobalt complex 1 was synthesized by treatment of CoCl₂·6H₂O with a COOMe functionalized TPA ligand (TPA=tris(2‐pyridylmethyl)amine). In a basic borate buffer, 1 acts as an efficient catalyst for water oxidation, which is confirmed by an extinct catalytic oxidant wave in electrochemistry. Visible light‐driven water oxidation has been achieved by 1 with a TON of 127.7 and a TOF of 3.8 s^?1 respectively in a homogeneous system. In comparison to the reference RC with naked TPA, the higher efficiency of 1 evidences COOMe on ligand can improve the catalytic efficiency, leading to an effective pathway towards construction of a robust and stable artificial photosynthesis system.     

Structure Sensitivity of CO Oxidation on Co3O4: A DFT Study

The reaction mechanism of CO oxidation on the Co₃O₄ (110) and Co₃O₄ (111) surfaces is investigated by means of spin‐polarized density functional theory (DFT) within the GGA+U framework. Adsorption situation and complete reaction cycles for CO oxidation are clarified. The results indicate that 1) the U value can affect the calculated energetic result significantly, not only the absolute adsorption energy but also the trend in adsorption energy; 2) CO can directly react with surface lattice oxygen atoms (O_2f/O_3f) to form CO₂ via the Mars–van Krevelen reaction mechanism on both (110)‐B and (111)‐B; 3) pre‐adsorbed molecular O₂ can enhance CO oxidation through the channel in which it directly reacts with molecular CO to form CO₂ [O₂(a)+CO(g)→CO₂(g)+O(a)] on (110)‐A/(111)‐A; 4) CO oxidation is a structure‐sensitive reaction, and the activation energy of CO oxidation follows the order of Co₃O₄ (111)‐A(0.78 eV)>Co₃O₄ (111)‐B (0.68 eV)>Co₃O₄ (110)‐A (0.51 eV)>Co₃O₄ (110)‐B (0.41 eV), that is, the (110) surface shows higher reactivity for CO oxidation than the (111) surface; 5) in addition to the O_2f, it was also found that Co³⁺ is more active than Co²⁺, so both O_2f and Co³⁺ control the catalytic activity of CO oxidation on Co₃O₄, as opposed to a previous DFT study which concluded that either Co³⁺ or O_2f is the active site.     

A Theoretical Analysis on the Oxidation and Water Dissociation Resistance on Group-IV Phosphide Monolayers

Group-IV phosphide monolayers (MP, M=C, Si, Ge and Sn) provide a versatile platform for photocatalysts, as well as optoelectronic and nanoelectronic devices. Herein, comprehensive first-principles calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations were performed to explore their stabilities in the air. We identified that the MP monolayers have excellent mechanical properties and their carrier mobilities are higher than that of phosphorene. The MP monolayers were predicted to possess superior oxidation resistance than the boron phosphide (BP) monolayer based on the proposed donation–backdonation theory. It was observed that the dissociation and chemisorption of a water molecule on the monolayers are kinetically difficult both in the water and in oxygen–water environments involving energy barriers of 1.28–3.48 eV. We also performed AIMD simulations at 300, 1000, 1200 and 1500 K. It is noteworthy that only the carbon phosphide (CP) monolayer can retain an intact structure at 1500 K, while the other three monolayers can just sustain to 1200 K. These results provide a guidance for their practical application and experimental fabrication.     

Copper Versus Thioether‐Centered Oxidation: Mechanistic Insights into the Non‐Innocent Redox Behavior of Tripodal Benzimidazolylaminothioether Ligands

A series of Cu⁺ complexes with ligands that feature varying numbers of benzimidazole/thioether donors and methylene or ethylene linkers between the central nitrogen atom and the thioether sulfur atoms have been spectroscopically and electrochemically characterized. Cyclic voltammetry measurements indicated that the highest Cu²⁺/Cu⁺ redox potentials correspond to sulfur‐rich coordination environments, with values decreasing as the thioether donors are replaced by nitrogen‐donating benzimidazoles. Both Cu²⁺ and Cu⁺ complexes were studied by DFT. Their electronic properties were determined by analyzing their frontier orbitals, relative energies, and the contributions to the orbitals involved in redox processes, which revealed that the HOMOs of the more sulfur‐rich copper complexes, particularly those with methylene linkers (? N? CH₂? S? ), show significant aromatic thioether character. Thus, the theoretically predicted initial oxidation at the sulfur atom of the methylene‐bridged ligands agrees with the experimentally determined oxidation waves in the voltammograms of the NS₃‐ and N₂S₂‐type ligands as being ligand‐based, as opposed to the copper‐based processes of the ethylene‐bridged Cu⁺ complexes. The electrochemical and theoretical results are consistent with our previously reported mechanistic proposal for Cu²⁺‐promoted oxidative C? S bond cleavage, which in this work resulted in the isolation and complete characterization (including by X‐ray crystallography) of the decomposition products of two ligands employed, further supporting the novel reactivity pathway invoked. The combined results raise the possibility that the reactions of copper–thioether complexes in chemical and biochemical systems occur with redox participation of the sulfur atom.     

Tungsten Nitride‐Cobalt Anchored in N‐Doped Ordered Porous Carbon as an Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalyst

We prepared a non‐precious‐metal tungsten nitride‐cobalt (WN‐Co) electrocatalyst anchored in nitrogen‐doped ordered porous carbon (NOPC) through an in situ method. The WN‐Co/NOPC electrocatalyst possesses good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) capability in alkaline media, including a high onset potential of −132 mV, a dominant four‐electron process, and a superior stability (onset potential and limiting current density were almost unchanged after 5000 cycles in 0.1 m KOH). The improved ORR performance was comparable to that of WN/NOPC and Co/NOPC with regard to three aspects: the even dispersion and uniform size of electrocatalyst particles provide more reactive sites; the nitrogen doping, high specific surface area and highly ordered mesoporous channel of catalyst support (NOPC) are conducive to the infiltration of the electrolyte; the existence of WN reinvests the catalyst with good stability, and the anchored configuration of WN and Co in the NOPC will prevent the particles from agglomerating after a long‐term cycle, thereby improving the stability of the catalyst particles.