Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation by a Heterogenized Co (III)-Aminophenol Complex: Structure-Activity Relationship and...

Area of Science:

• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Developing efficient and cost-effective molecular electrocatalysts is crucial for sustainable energy technologies.
• Cobalt complexes are promising candidates for catalytic applications, including water oxidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel mononuclear cobalt (III) complex with a redox-active aminophenol ligand.
• To evaluate the electrocatalytic activity of the synthesized complex for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and crystallographic characterization of a mononuclear cobalt (III) complex.
• Cyclic voltammetry to study redox behavior in solid and solution states.
• Electrocatalytic testing for OER in 1 M KOH.
• Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations for mechanistic insights.

Main Results:

• A new anionic Co (III) complex (1) was successfully synthesized and characterized.
• Complex 1 exhibited quasi-reversible oxidation events attributed to ligand-centered sites.
• The complex demonstrated efficient OER catalysis with an overpotential of 410 mV and a Tafel slope of 54.3 mV dec⁻¹.
• Post-operation characterization confirmed structural stability.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized cobalt complex is a highly effective electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction.
• The study provides mechanistic insights into the water oxidation pathway using DFT and experimental data.
• This work contributes to the development of advanced molecular catalysts for sustainable energy applications.