2D MnOx composite catalysts inspired by natural OEC for efficient catalyticwater oxidation

Birnessite MnOx is a close inorganic model of natural oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) that hasbeen widely investigated for catalytic water oxidation, yet its activity is limited by the pooractive site exposure and sluggish charge transfer. Herein, starting from typical birnessite MnOx,we fabricated a hybrid of 2D manganese oxide nanosheets and pyridyl modified graphene(MnOx-NS/py-G) for electrocatalytic water oxidation. Benefiting from the synergy of structuralexfoliation, graphene substrate and molecular pyridyl modification, the MnOx-NS/py-G exhibitsabundant catalytically active sites exposure, fast electron transport, and promoted proton transferat catalyst surface, which imitates the key features of natural OEC. Consequently, theMnOx-NS/py-G reached over 600 times higher activity compared to the typical birnessite MnOx.Inspired by nature, this work provides a well-designed and effective strategy to develop highlyactive manganese oxide-based water oxidation catalysts.QC 20200907