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We, for the first time, report that many Mn oxides (Mn3O4, α-Mn2O3, β-MnO2, CaMnO3, Ca2Mn3O8, CaMn3O6 and CaMn4O8) in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate, in the water oxidation, convert to layered Mn oxide. This layered Mn oxide is an efficient water oxidizing catalyst.

Here, for the first time, it is reported that some Mn oxides after a few hours convert to a nanolayered Mn oxide when the compounds are used as water-oxidizing catalysts in a water electrolysis device at near neutral pH and in the presence of LiClO4. The new nanolayered Mn oxide is more active than other Mn oxides toward water oxidation. This result is very important for artificial photosynthetic systems that use Mn oxides as water-oxidizing catalysts.

The electrochemical water-oxidation reaction usually requires a catalyst to reduce the overpotential and Earth-abundant catalysts, like MnO2, are attracting much attention. Here we use chemometric analysis, EPR and UV-Vis spectroscopies to track Mn(II) and MnO4(-) byproducts to the reaction of a MnO2 film in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate. Permanganate ion is involved in at least two key reactions: it may oxidize water to O2 or can combine with Mn(II) to remake MnO2 solid. We propose mechanisms for water oxidation and present a self-healing process for this reaction.

Herein, we investigate the effect of post-treatment of nanolayered manganese oxide by different inorganic and organic compounds. We use the fact that nanolayered manganese oxides are among the strongest naturally occurring oxidants, capable of oxidizing a wide range of organic molecules. Post-treatment of the synthetic Mn oxides with oxidizable compounds increases the cerium­(IV)-driven water oxidation catalyzed by treated layered manganese oxides more than 25 times. On the basis of X-ray absorption investigations, we attribute this effect to the increased amount of manganese­(III) ions. This finding can explain some puzzles in water oxidation by manganese oxides and may help to advance toward an efficient design strategy of water-oxidizing catalyst in artificial photosynthetic systems.

In this report, gold or silver deposited on layered manganese oxide has been synthesized by a simple method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray mapping. The gold deposited on layered manganese oxide showed efficient catalytic activity toward water oxidation in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate. The properties associated with this compound suggest it is a functional model for the water-oxidizing complex in photosystem II.

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Nanolayered Mn oxide/poly(4-vinylpyridine) as a model for Mn cluster in photosystem II was synthesized and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The compound is a very efficient water oxidizing catalyst, and sizable oxygen evolution was detected at 50 mV overpotential at near neutral pH. The number is as low as the overpotential is used by nature in photosystem II of cyanobacteria, algae and green plants for similar reactions.