A Keggin Polyoxometalate Shows Water Oxidation Activity at Neutral pH: POM@ZIF‐8, an Efficient and Robust Electrocatalyst

Abstract

Keggin-type polyoxometalate anions [XM₁₂ O₄₀ ]^n- are versatile, as their applications in interdisciplinary areas show. The Keggin anion [CoW₁₂ O₄₀ ]^6- turns into an efficient and robust electrocatalyst upon its confinement in the well-defined void space of ZIF-8, a metal-organic framework (MOF). [H₆ CoW₁₂ O₄₀ ]@ZIF-8 is so stable to water oxidation that it retains its initial activity even after 1000 catalytic cycles. The catalyst has a turnover frequency (TOF) of 10.8 mol O₂ (mol Co)^-1 s^-1 , one of the highest TOFs for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution at neutral pH. Controlled experiments rule out the chances of formation and participation of CoO_x in this electrocatalyic water oxidation.