A low-cost commercial Cu(ii)–EDTA complex for electrocatalytic water oxidation in neutral aqueous solution

Abstract

Herein, we choose a commercial Cu complex [Cu(EDTA)(H₂O)] (EDTA = ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) as a molecular catalyst for water oxidation to avoid complex synthesis and lower catalyst cost. [Cu(EDTA)(H₂O)] could catalyze the water oxidation reaction efficiently under neutral conditions with an overpotential of 684 mV, a k_cat of 8.03 s⁻¹ and good stability in the long-term electrolysis. Our finding is of great significance for the development of stable, rapid, and easily accessible catalysts for water oxidation.