Water Oxidation by λ-MnO₂: Catalysis by the Cubical Mn₄O₄ Subcluster Obtained by Delithiation of Spinel LiMn₂O₄

Abstract

Nanocrystalline spinel LiMn(2)O(4) has been prepared and treatment of LiMn(2)O(4) with dilute nitric acid solution resulted in the delithiation of the framework, while maintaining the spinel structure, lambda-MnO(2). LiMn(2)O(4) is not a catalyst for water oxidation. Upon removal of the lithium, the cubical Mn(4)O(4) cores become active sites for oxidizing water to molecular oxygen, which was investigated with the photochemical [Ru(2+)(2,2'-bpy)(3)]/persulfate system at pH 5.8. The nanosize lambda-MnO(2) obtained from the nanocrystalline LiMn(2)O(4), which was synthesized by the citrate route, shows a significantly higher water oxidation catalytic activity (Turnover Frequency: 3 x 10(-5) mol O(2)/s/mol Mn) than that obtained via solid state reaction with micrometer and irregular particle sizes (Turnover Frequency: 5 x 10(-6) mol O(2)/s/mol Mn).