Investigation of the ideal composition of metal hexacyanocobaltates with high water oxidation catalytic activity

Abstract

The electrocatalytic activities of Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) have recently received much attention due to their robustness and efficiency. Considering that PBAs with hexacyanocobaltate building block stand forward among other PBAs, a systematic study on a family of metal hexacyanocobaltates is presented in this study. Metal hexacyanocobaltates (M = Co, Mn, Ni, and Fe) were prepared, characterized, and electrochemical studies were performed. A series of mixed-metal cobalt-iron hexacyanocobaltates has also been studied to determine the ideal composition of a metal hexacyanocobaltate for electrocatalytic water oxidation process. The overall study clearly indicates that cobalt hexacyanocobaltate exhibits the highest electrocatalytic activity among all.