Blocking the bimolecular pathway of water oxidation electrocatalyzed by copper porphyrin with a surfactant

Abstract

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a crucial step in electrocatalytic water splitting. The formation of an O–O bond is a significant step in the OER. Herein, we report the blocking of a bimolecular pathway by adding a surfactant to copper porphyrin CuTMPyP(OTf)₄ to prevent the formation of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in water oxidation. The addition of the negatively charged surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS′) to positively charged water-soluble copper porphyrin in phosphate buffer solution can efficiently change the water oxidation pathway. This work demonstrates the rare bimolecular O–O bond formation catalyzed by copper porphyrin and provides a valuable strategy for understanding and regulating the mechanism of O–O bond formation in water oxidation.