One-Dimensional Copper(II) Coordination Polymer as an Electrocatalyst for Water Oxidation

A chromotropic PtIIPdIICoII coordination polymer with dual electrocatalytic activity for water reduction and oxidation

Here, we present a heterometallic coordination polymer that exhibits heterogeneous electrocatalytic activities for both water reduction and water oxidation. Treatment of the PtII2PdII2 tetranuclear complex [Pd₂{Pt(NH₃)₂(D-pen)₂}₂] ([1]; D-H₂pen = D-penicillamine) with CoX₂ (X = Cl, Br) provided (PtII2PdII2CoII2)_n coordination polymers [Co₂(H₂O)₆(1)]X₄ ([2]X₄), in which the PtII2PdII2 units of [1] are linked by [Co₂(μ-H₂O)(H₂O)₅]⁴⁺ moieties in a 3D network structure. [2]X₄ showed a colour change from orange to dark green upon dehydration, reflecting the geometrical conversion of the Co^II centres in [Co₂(μ-H₂O)(H₂O)₅]⁴⁺ from an octahedron to a tetrahedron by the removal of aqua ligands. While both [2]Cl₄ and [2]Br₄ electrochemically catalysed water reduction to H₂ in the solid state due to the presence of Pd^II active centres, water oxidation to O₂ was catalysed only by [2]Br₄, which is ascribed to the presence of Br^- ions that mediate the catalytic reactions that occurred at Co^II active centres.

A Versatile Approach to Access Trimetallic Complexes Based on Trisphosphinite Ligands

A straightforward method for the preparation of trisphosphinite ligands in one step, using only commercially available reagents (1,1,1-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane and chlorophosphines) is described. We have made use of this approach to prepare a small family of four trisphosphinite ligands of formula [CH3C{(C6H4OR2)3], where R stands for Ph (1a), Xyl (1b, Xyl = 2,6-Me2-C6H3), iPr (1c), and Cy (1d). These polyfunctional phosphinites allowed us to investigate their coordination chemistry towards a range of late transition metal precursors. As such, we report here the isolation and full characterization of a number of Au(I), Ag(I), Cu(I), Ir(III), Rh(III) and Ru(II) homotrimetallic complexes, including the structural characterization by X-ray diffraction studies of six of these compounds. We have observed that the flexibility of these trisphosphinites enables a variety of conformations for the different trimetallic species.

Sodalite-type Cu-based Three-dimensional Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Inspired by copper-based oxygen reduction biocatalysts, we have studied the electrocatalytic behavior of a Cu-based MOF (Cu-BTT) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium. This catalyst reduces the oxygen at the onset (E_onset ) and half-wave potential (E^1/2 ) of 0. 940 V and 0.778 V, respectively. The high halfway potential supports the good activity of Cu-BTT MOF. The high ORR catalytic activity can be interpreted by the presence of nitrogen-rich ligand (tetrazole) and the generation of nascent copper(I) during the reaction. In addition to the excellent activity, Cu-BTT MOF showed exceptional stability too, which was confirmed through chronoamperometry study, where current was unchanged up to 12 h. Further, the 4-electrons transfer of ORR kinetics was confirmed by hydrodynamic voltammetry. The oxygen active center namely copper(I) generation during ORR has been understood by the reduction peak in cyclic voltammetry as well in the XPS analysis.

A trinuclear cobalt-based coordination polymer as an efficient oxygen evolution electrocatalyst at neutral pH

The dearth of an efficient, robust, abundant and cost-effective water oxidation catalyst is debatably the major hurdle for the technological advancement of artificial photosynthesis devices. Herein, a three dimensional (3D) cobalt-based coordination polymer {[Co₃(pyz)(fa)₃(dmso)₂]·2H₂O}_n, (1) (pyz = pyrazine, fa = fumarate, dmso = dimethyl sulfoxide) has been synthesized and demonstrated to act as an efficient electrocatalyst towards water oxidation at neutral pH. Compound 1 displays a stair-like arrangement parallel to the b-axis, with the cobalt clusters arranged in a zigzag fashion, and contains small, honeycomb-like channels parallel to the c-axis. Compound 1 shows a remarkable activity for water oxidation and attains a current density of 1 mA.cm^-2 at low overpotential (η = 257 mV) with a Tafel slope value of 80.5 mV.dec^-1. This high performance of 1 in catalysing the water oxidation reaction is attributed to its unique 3-D architecture. The results of electrochemical investigations, including long-term and controlled potential electrolysis, are anticipated to guide the forthcoming advancement in creating efficient, cheap and noble metal (Pt/Ru/Ir) free catalysts for the water oxidation reaction.

Recent Advances in the Development of Water Oxidation Electrocatalysts at Mild pH

Developing anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts with high catalytic activities is of great importance for effective water splitting. Compared with the water-oxidation electrocatalysts that are commonly utilized in alkaline conditions, the ones operating efficiently under neutral or near neutral conditions are more environmentally friendly with less corrosion issues. This review starts with a brief introduction of OER, the importance of OER in mild-pH media, as well as the fundamentals and performance parameters of OER electrocatalysts. Then, recent progress of the rational design of electrocatalysts for OER in mild-pH conditions is discussed. The chemical structures or components, synthetic approaches, and catalytic performances of the OER catalysts will be reviewed. Some interesting insights into the catalytic mechanism are also included and discussed. It concludes with a brief outlook on the possible remaining challenges and future trends of neutral or near-neutral OER electrocatalysts. It hopefully provides the readers with a distinct perspective of the history, present, and future of OER electrocatalysts at mild conditions.

Copper Containing Molecular Systems in Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation—Trends and Perspectives

Molecular design represents an exciting platform to refine mechanistic details of electrocatalytic water oxidation and explore new perspectives. In the growing number of publications some general trends seem to be outlined concerning the operation mechanisms, with the help of experimental and theoretical approaches that have been broadly applied in the case of bioinorganic systems. In this review we focus on bio-inspired Cu-containing complexes that are classified according to the proposed mechanistic pathways and the related experimental evidence, strongly linked to the applied ligand architecture. In addition, we devote special attention to features of molecular compounds, which have been exploited in the efficient fabrication of catalytically active thin films.