Influence of the spatial distribution of copper sites on the selectivity of the oxygen reduction reaction.

ABSTRACT: Moving towards a hydrogen economy raises the demand for affordable and efficient catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. Cu-bmpa (bmpa = bis(2-picolyl)amine) is shown to have moderate activity, but poor selectivity for the 4-electron reduction of oxygen to water. To enhance the selectivity towards water formation, the cooperative effect of three Cu-bmpa binding sites in a single trinuclear complex is investigated. The catalytic currents in the presence of the trinuclear sites are lower, possibly due to the more rigid structure and therefore higher reorganization energies and/or slower diffusion rates of the catalytic species. Although the oxygen reduction activity of the trinuclear complexes is lower than that of mononuclear Cu-bmpa, the selectivity of the copper mediated oxygen reduc

SUBMITTER: Smits NWG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8763313 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature