Citation: Anqun LAI, Qiaoyu WU, Qingqing LIANG, Qiyong LI, Guowen DONG, Yongjie DING, Jia′nan CHEN, Qing YAN, Zhonghua PAN, Wangchuan XIAO. Electrocatalytic water oxidation properties of Nd-Co polynuclear complexes[J]. Chinese Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, ;2025, 41(12): 2527-2535. doi: 10.11862/CJIC.20250151 shu

Electrocatalytic water oxidation properties of Nd-Co polynuclear complexes

Anqun LAI ^{1, 2} ,
Qiaoyu WU ¹ ,
Qingqing LIANG ¹ ,
Qiyong LI ¹ ,
Guowen DONG ¹ ,
Yongjie DING ¹ ,
Jia′nan CHEN ³ ,
Qing YAN ⁴ ,
Zhonghua PAN ^{1, 5,,} ,
Wangchuan XIAO ^{1, 2, 5,,}

1.
School of Resources and Chemical Engineering, Sanming University, Sanming, Fujian 365004, China
2.
College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350007, China
3.
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
4.
School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, NingboTech University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315100, China
5.
Insitute of Fluorochemical Industry, Sanming, Fujian 365004, China

Corresponding author: Zhonghua PAN, zhpan@fjsmu.edu.cn Wangchuan XIAO, xwc@fjsmu.edu.cn
Received Date: 1 May 2025
Revised Date: 20 September 2025

Figures(9)

A heterometallic polynuclear complex, [NdCo₆(py)₆(aib)₆(μ₃-O)₃(NO₃)₃]·H₂O (NdCo₆-py), was synthesized through a layered diffusion method utilizing 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Haib) and pyridine (py) as coordinating ligands. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals its unique architecture featuring a trigonal prismatic [NdCo₆] core, where the central Nd³⁺ ion is encapsulated between two parallel, nearly equilateral Co₃ triangles. This cage-like structure stabilizes the Nd³⁺ center while exposing multiple metal sites at the periphery. Electrocatalytic studies demonstrate that NdCo₆-py exhibits remarkable catalytic activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), achieving a high turnover frequency (TOF) of 279 s⁻¹ and Faradaic efficiency of 92.6% at 1.60 V (vs NHE). This exceptional electrocatalytic performance is attributed to the readily accessible bimetallic synergistic active sites within the cluster framework. These sites facilitate the O—O bond formation step through a cooperative mechanism, effectively mitigating the formation of high-valent metal intermediates and consequently lowering the reaction overpotential. These findings provide compelling evidence for the efficacy of the polymetallic synergistic catalysis strategy in modulating the O—O bond formation pathway.
- rare earth-transition metal polynuclear complexes,
- molecular catalysts,
- electrocatalysis,
- synergistic catalysis,
- water oxidation
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