Well-Defined Metal-O₆ in Metal-Catecholates as a Novel Active Site for Oxygen Electroreduction

Metal-nitrogen coordination sites, M-N_x (M = Fe, Co, Ni, etc.), have shown great potential to replace platinum group materials as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the real active site in M-N_x is still vague to date due to their complicated structure and composition. It is therefore highly desirable but challenging to develop ORR catalysts with novel and clear active sites, which could meet the needs of comprehensive understanding of structure-function relationships and explore new cost-effective and efficient ORR electrocatalysts. Herein, well-defined M-O₆ coordination in metal-catecholates (M-CATs, M = Ni or Co) is discovered to be catalytically active for ORR via a four-electron-dominated pathway. In view of no pyrolysis involved and unambiguous crystalline structure of M-CATs, the M-O₆ octahedral coordination site with distinct structure is determined as a new type of active site for ORR. These findings extend the scope of metal-nonmetal coordination as an active site for ORR and pave a way for bottom-up design of novel electrocatalysts containing M-O₆ coordination.