Biologically Assisted One-Step Synthesis of Electrode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries

Mn(II)-oxidizing organisms promote the biomineralization of manganese oxides with specific textures, under ambient conditions. Controlling the phases formed and their texture on a larger scale may offer environmentally relevant routes to manganese oxide synthesis, with potential technological applications, for example, for energy storage. In the present study, we sought to use biofilms to promote the formation of electroactive minerals and to control the texture of these biominerals down to the electrode scale (i.e., cm scale). We used the bacterium Pseudomonas putida strain MnB1 which can produce manganese oxide in a biofilm. We characterized the biofilm–mineral assembly using a combination of electron microscopy, synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Under optimized conditions of biofilm growth on the surface of current collectors, mineralogical characterizations revealed the formation of several minerals including a slightly crystalline MnOx birnessite. Electrochemical measurements in a half-cell against Li(0) revealed the electrochemical signature of the Mn4+/Mn3+ redox couple indicating the electroactivity of the biomineralized biofilm without any post-synthesis chemical, physical or thermal treatment. These results provide a better understanding of the properties of biomineralized biofilms and their possible use in designing new routes for one-pot electrode synthesis.

Progress of Nonprecious-Metal-Based Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution in Acidic Media

Water oxidation, or the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which combines two oxygen atoms from two water molecules and releases one oxygen molecule, plays the key role by providing protons and electrons needed for the hydrogen generation, electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction, and nitrogen fixation. The multielectron transfer OER process involves multiple reaction intermediates, and a high overpotential is needed to overcome the sluggish kinetics. Among the different water splitting devices, proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer offers greater advantages. However, current anode OER electrocatalysts in PEM electrolyzers are limited to precious iridium and ruthenium oxides. Developing highly active, stable, and precious-metal-free electrocatalysts for water oxidation in acidic media is attractive for the large-scale application of PEM electrolyzers. In recent years, various types of precious-metal-free catalysts such as carbon-based materials, earth-abundant transition metal oxides, and multiple metal oxide mixtures have been investigated and some of them show promising activity and stability for acidic OER. In this review, the thermodynamics of water oxidation, Pourbaix diagram of metal elements in aqueous solution, and theoretical screening and prediction of precious-metal-free electrocatalysts for acidic OER are first elaborated. The catalytic performance, reaction kinetics, and mechanisms together with future research directions regarding acidic OER are summarized and discussed.

A manganese(ii) phthalocyanine under water-oxidation reaction: new findings

The decomposition reaction for a manganese complex under water oxidation was investigated.

Links between peptides and Mn oxide: nano-sized manganese oxide embedded in a peptide matrix

We report on a poly-peptide/Mn oxide nanocomposite as a model for the water-oxidizing catalyst in Photosystem II.

Nanosized manganese oxide/holmium oxide: a new composite for water oxidation

Ho₂O₃ as a support for nanosized Mn oxide was used for the synthesis of a new water-oxidizing catalyst.

Nanostructured manganese oxide on silica aerogel: a new catalyst toward water oxidation

Herein we report on the synthesis and characterization of nano-sized Mn oxide/silica aerogel with low density as a good catalyst toward water oxidation. The composite was synthesized by a simple and low-cost hydrothermal procedure. In the next step, we studied the composite in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate and photo-produced Ru(bpy) ₃³⁺ as a water-oxidizing catalyst. The low-density composite is a good Mn-based catalyst with turnover frequencies of ~0.3 and 0.5 (mmol O₂/(mol Mn·s)) in the presence of Ru(bpy) ₃³⁺ and cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate, respectively. In addition to the water-oxidizing activities of the composite under different conditions, its self-healing reaction in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate was also studied.

Earth-Abundant Heterogeneous Water Oxidation Catalysts

Water oxidation is a key chemical transformation for the conversion of solar energy into chemical fuels. Our review focuses on recent work on robust earth-abundant heterogeneous catalysts for the oxygen-evolving reaction (OER). We point out that improvements in the performance of OER catalysts will depend critically on the success of work aimed at understanding reaction barriers based on atomic-level mechanisms. We highlight the challenge of obtaining acid-stable OER catalysts, with proposals for elements that could be employed to reach this goal. We suggest that future advances in solar fuels science will be accelerated by the development of new methods for materials synthesis and characterization, along with in-depth investigations of redox mechanisms at catalytic surfaces.

First principles calculations on oxygen vacant hydrated α-MnO2 for activating water oxidation and its self-healing mechanism

Understanding the mechanism behind water oxidation is the prime requirement for designing better catalysts for electrochemical energy devices. In this work, we demonstrate by employing first principles calculations that an initial step of water oxidation is observed to be associated with the dissociation of water dimers into hydronium and hydroxide ions, in the tunnel of a hydrated α-MnO2 compound with an oxygen vacancy. The former ion is intercalated within the network, while the latter ion occupies the oxygen vacant site and interacts strongly with the Mn atoms. Based on our calculations, the factor responsible for this dissociation of water molecules is observed to be the presence of mixed charge states of Mn atoms in the triangular lattice. Further, the coulombic attraction of a hydronium ion with a water molecule leads to the formation of a Zundel cation in the tunnel, while by dehydrogenating the adsorbed hydroxide ion, the self-healing property of the compound is achieved along with another hydronium ion as a reaction product. These cations can be exchanged with Li(+) ions. Thus, the protonic moieties formed in the tunnel of α-MnO2 leads to niche applications in the field of fuel cells and lithium ion batteries.

Scalable Synthesis of Efficient Water Oxidation Catalysts: Insights into the Activity of Flame-Made Manganese Oxide Nanocrystals

Chemical energy storage by water splitting is a promising solution for the utilization of renewable energy in numerous currently impracticable needs, such as transportation and high temperature processing. Here, the synthesis of efficient ultra-fine Mn3O4 water oxidation catalysts with tunable specific surface area is demonstrated by a scalable one-step flame-synthesis process. The water oxidation performance of these flame-made structures is compared with pure Mn2O3 and Mn5O8, obtained by post-calcination of as-prepared Mn3O4 (115 m(2)  g(-1)), and commercial iso-structural polymorphs, probing the effect of the manganese oxidation state and synthetic route. The structural properties of the manganese oxide nanoparticles were investigated by XRD, FTIR, high-resolution TEM, and XPS. It is found that these flame-made nanostructures have substantially higher activity, reaching up to 350 % higher surface-specific turnover frequency (0.07 μmolO2  m(-2)  s(-1)) than commercial nanocrystals (0.02 μmolO2  m(-2)  s(-1)), and production of up to 0.33 mmolO2  molMn (-1)  s(-1). Electrochemical characterization confirmed the high water oxidation activity of these catalysts with an initial current density of 10 mA cm(-2) achieved with overpotentials between 0.35 and 0.50 V in 1 m NaOH electrolyte.

Oxyanion induced variations in domain structure for amorphous cobalt oxide oxygen evolving catalysts, resolved by X-ray pair distribution function analysis

Amorphous thin film oxygen evolving catalysts, OECs, of first-row transition metals show promise to serve as self-assembling photoanode materials in solar-driven, photoelectrochemical `artificial leaf' devices. This report demonstrates the ability to use high-energy X-ray scattering and atomic pair distribution function analysis, PDF, to resolve structure in amorphous metal oxide catalyst films. The analysis is applied here to resolve domain structure differences induced by oxyanion substitution during the electrochemical assembly of amorphous cobalt oxide catalyst films, Co-OEC. PDF patterns for Co-OEC films formed using phosphate, Pi, methylphosphate, MPi, and borate, Bi, electrolyte buffers show that the resulting domains vary in size following the sequence Pi < MPi < Bi. The increases in domain size for CoMPi and CoBi were found to be correlated with increases in the contributions from bilayer and trilayer stacked domains having structures intermediate between those of the LiCoOO and CoO(OH) mineral forms. The lattice structures and offset stacking of adjacent layers in the partially stacked CoMPi and CoBi domains were best matched to those in the LiCoOO layered structure. The results demonstrate the ability of PDF analysis to elucidate features of domain size, structure, defect content and mesoscale organization for amorphous metal oxide catalysts that are not readily accessed by other X-ray techniques. PDF structure analysis is shown to provide a way to characterize domain structures in different forms of amorphous oxide catalysts, and hence provide an opportunity to investigate correlations between domain structure and catalytic activity.

Manganese oxides supported on gold nanoparticles: new findings and current controversies for the role of gold

We synthesized manganese oxides supported on gold nanoparticles (diameter <100 nm) by the reaction of KMnO4 with gold nanoparticles under hydrothermal conditions. In this green method Mn oxide is deposited on the gold nanoparticles. The compounds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectroscopy. In the next step, the water-oxidizing activities of these compounds in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate as a non-oxo transfer oxidant were studied. The results show that these compounds are good catalysts toward water oxidation with a turnover frequency of 1.0 ± 0.1 (mmol O2/(mol Mn·s)). A comparison with other previously reported Mn oxides and important factors influencing the water-oxidizing activities of Mn oxides is also discussed.

Carbon for engineering of a water-oxidizing catalyst

Herein we report that the reaction of KMnO4 with cobalt nanoparticles coated with multiple graphene layers forms a promising catalyst toward water oxidation. The compound was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electronic spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectroscopy. In addition to the Mn oxide-based characteristics of the catalyst, it is a conductive, self-healing, recycling, highly dispersible, magnetically separable, environmentally friendly, and nano-sized catalyst for water oxidation. The turnover frequency for the catalyst toward water oxidation is 0.1 and 0.05 (mmol O2 per mol Mn s) in the presence of cerium(iv) ammonium nitrate and photo-produced Ru(bpy)3(3+).

Nanolayered manganese oxide/C(60) composite: a good water-oxidizing catalyst for artificial photosynthetic systems

For the first time, we considered Mn oxide/C60 composites as water-oxidizing catalysts. The composites were synthesized by easy and simple procedures, and characterized by some methods. The water-oxidizing activities of these composites were also measured in the presence of cerium(iv) ammonium nitrate. We found that the nanolayered Mn oxide/C60 composites show promising activity toward water oxidation.

Nanostructured manganese oxide/carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxide as water-oxidizing composites in artificial photosynthesis

Herein, we report on nano-sized Mn oxide/carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxide as water-oxidizing compounds in artificial photosynthesis. The composites are synthesized by different and simple procedures and characterized by a number of methods. The water-oxidizing activities of these composites are also considered in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate. Some composites are efficient Mn-based catalysts with TOF (mmol O2 per mol Mn per second) ~ 2.6.

The mechanism of water oxidation catalyzed by nanolayered manganese oxides: New insights

Herein we consider the mechanism of water oxidation by nanolayered manganese oxide in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate. Based on membrane-inlet mass spectrometry results, the rate of H2((18))O exchange of μ-O groups on the surface of the nanolayered Mn-K oxide, and studies on water oxidation in the presence of different ratios of acetonitrile/water we propose a mechanism for water oxidation by nanolayered Mn oxides in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate.

Nano-sized Mn oxides on halloysite or high surface area montmorillonite as efficient catalysts for water oxidation with cerium(iv) ammonium nitrate: support from natural sources

We used halloysite, a nano-sized natural mineral and high surface area montmorillonite as supports for nano-sized Mn oxides to synthesize efficient water-oxidising catalysts.

Self-healing for nanolayered manganese oxides in the presence of cerium(iv) ammonium nitrate: new findings

We used multivariate chemometrics methods to analyze the concentration profiles of cerium(iv) ammonium nitrate and MnO₄⁻during the water oxidation reaction.

Nanostructured manganese oxides as highly active water oxidation catalysts: a boost from manganese precursor chemistry

We present a facile synthesis of bioinspired manganese oxides for chemical and photocatalytic water oxidation, starting from a reliable and versatile manganese(II) oxalate single-source precursor (SSP) accessible through an inverse micellar molecular approach. Strikingly, thermal decomposition of the latter precursor in various environments (air, nitrogen, and vacuum) led to the three different mineral phases of bixbyite (Mn2 O3 ), hausmannite (Mn3 O4 ), and manganosite (MnO). Initial chemical water oxidation experiments using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) gave the maximum catalytic activity for Mn2 O3 and MnO whereas Mn3 O4 had a limited activity. The substantial increase in the catalytic activity of MnO in chemical water oxidation was demonstrated by the fact that a phase transformation occurs at the surface from nanocrystalline MnO into an amorphous MnOx (1<x<2) upon treatment with CAN, which acted as an oxidizing agent. Photocatalytic water oxidation in the presence of [Ru(bpy)3 ](2+) (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine) as a sensitizer and peroxodisulfate as an electron acceptor was carried out for all three manganese oxides including the newly formed amorphous MnOx . Both Mn2 O3 and the amorphous MnOx exhibit tremendous enhancement in oxygen evolution during photocatalysis and are much higher in comparison to so far known bioinspired manganese oxides and calcium-manganese oxides. Also, for the first time, a new approach for the representation of activities of water oxidation catalysts has been proposed by determining the amount of accessible manganese centers.

A functionally stable manganese oxide oxygen evolution catalyst in acid

First-row metals have been a target for the development of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts because they comprise noncritical elements. We now report a comprehensive electrochemical characterization of manganese oxide (MnOx) over a wide pH range, and establish MnOx as a functionally stable OER catalyst owing to self-healing, is derived from MnOx redeposition that offsets catalyst dissolution during turnover. To study this process in detail, the oxygen evolution mechanism of MnOx was investigated electrokinetically over a pH range spanning acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions. In the alkaline pH regime, a ∼60 mV/decade Tafel slope and inverse first-order dependence on proton concentration were observed, whereas the OER acidic pH regime exhibited a quasi-infinite Tafel slope and zeroth-order dependence on proton concentration. The results reflect two competing mechanisms: a one-electron one-proton PCET pathway that is dominant under alkaline conditions and a Mn(3+) disproportionation process, which predominates under acidic conditions. Reconciling the rate laws of these two OER pathways with that of MnOx electrodeposition elucidates the self-healing characteristics of these catalyst films. The intersection of the kinetic profile of deposition and that of water oxidation as a function of pH defines the region of kinetic stability for MnOx and importantly establishes that a non-noble metal oxide OER catalyst may be operated in acid by exploiting a self-healing process.

Mn oxide/nanodiamond composite: a new water-oxidizing catalyst for water oxidation

Herein, we reported nanosized Mn oxide/nanodiamond composites as water-oxidizing compounds.