Manganese oxide-based heterogeneous electrocatalysts for water oxidation

Abstract

Water oxidation is considered an important reaction to attain sustainable energy systems. Inspired by the biological Mn₄CaO₅ cluster, considerable effort has been devoted to developing efficient manganese-based heterogeneous catalysts for the water oxidation reaction. This review first describes the structural characteristics of the Mn₄CaO₅ cluster and synthetic manganese oxides. Important features related to the electrocatalytic activity of manganese-based heterogeneous catalysts as well as recent in situ spectroscopic results for intermediate characterization are then summarized. Current understanding of the reaction mechanism at the atomic level and the rate-determining step is highlighted. Finally, future perspectives for the development of highly active and stable manganese-based water-oxidizing catalysts are proposed.