Deposition of an oxomanganese water oxidation catalyst on TiO2 nanoparticles: computational modeling, assembly and characterization†

Inexpensive water oxidation catalysts are needed to develop photocatalytic solar cells that mimic photosynthesis and produce fuel from sunlight and water. This paper of a dinuclear di-m-oxo manganese water oxidation catalyst [H2O(te MnIV(terpy)H2O](NO3)3 (1, terpy 2,20:60200-terpyridine) onto TiO2 adsorption, or in situ synthesis. The resulting surface complexes are UV-visible spectroscopy, electrochemical measurements and comput that the mixed-valence (III,IV) state of 1 attaches to near-amorphous its water ligands by the TiO2 NP, as suggested by low-temperature ( ime an electrochemical measurements. hole pairs, and the usual weak photocatalytic activity of semi-iO2 NPs has been extensively of Gr€atzel cells as the most g light-harvesting with wid