Water oxidation by amorphous oxides is of high interest in artificial photosynthesis and other routes towards non-fossil fuels, but the mode of catalysis in these materials is insufficiently understood. We tracked mechanistically relevant oxidation-state and structural changes of an amorphous Co-based catalyst film by in-situ experiments combining directly synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) with electrocatalysis. Unlike a classical solid-state material, the bulk material is found to undergo chemical changes. Two redox transitions at midpoints potentials of about 1.0 V (Co II 0.4Co III 0.6  all-Co III ) and 1.2 V (all-Co III  Co III 0.8Co IV 0.2) vs. NHE at pH 7 are coupled to structural changes. These redox transitions can be induced by variation of either electric potential or pH; they are broader than predicted by a simple Nernstian model, suggesting interacting bridged cobalt ions. Tracking reaction kinetics by UV-Vis-absorption and time-resolved mass spectroscopy reveal that accumulated oxidizing equivalents facilitate dioxygen formation. On these grounds, a new framework model of catalysis in the amorphous, hydrated and volume-active oxide is proposed: Within the oxide film, cobalt ions at the margins of Co-oxo fragments undergo Co II Co III Co IV oxidationstate changes coupled to structural modification and deprotonation of Co-oxo bridges. By encounter of two (or more) Co IV ions, an active site is formed at which the O-O bondformation step can take place. The Tafel slope is determined by both the interaction between cobalt ions (width of the redox transition) and their encounter probability. Our results represent a first step toward development of new concepts that address the solid-molecular Janus nature of the amorphous oxide. Insights and concepts described herein for the Co-based catalyst film may be of general relevance also for other amorphous oxides with water-oxidation activity. EXPERIMENTAL XAS measurements -in-situ experimentCoCat-coated electrodes were prepared by electrodeposition in a separate electrochemical setup before start of the in-situ XAS measurements from a solution of 0.5 mM Co 2+ ions in 0.1 M KPi at pH 7 (deposition of about 50 nmol cm -1 of Co ions, see ESI for further details). The in-situ XAS measurements were performed at the SuperXAS beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS) in Villigen, Switzerland. The excitation energy was selected by a double-crystal monochromator (Si-111, detuning to 50 % intensity, scan range of 7650-8400 eV) and used to irradiate the backside of the ITO/PET electrode at an angle of 45°. The spot size of the X-ray beam on the sample was 5 mm × 1 mm. Due to employment of a large spot size (defocussed beam) and a rapid-scanning mode, the influence of radiation-induced modifications was negligible, as verified in control experiments. The cobalt K-edge fluorescence was monitored perpendicular to the incident beam by a scintillation detector (19.6 cm 2 active area, 51BMI/2E1-YAP-Neg, Scionix), which was shielded by a 25 μm iron foil agai...

Water oxidation in the neutral pH regime catalyzed by amorphous transition-metal oxides is of high interest in energy science. Crucial determinants of electrocatalytic activity were investigated for a cobalt-based oxide film electrodeposited at various thicknesses on inert electrodes. For water oxidation at low current densities, the turnover frequency (TOF) per cobalt ion of the bulk material stayed fully constant for variation of the thickness of the oxide film by a factor of 100 (from about 15 nm to 1.5 μm). Thickness variation changed neither the nanostructure of the outer film surface nor the atomic structure of the oxide catalyst significantly. These findings imply catalytic activity of the bulk hydrated oxide material. Nonclassical dependence on pH was observed. For buffered electrolytes with pKa values of the buffer base ranging from 4.7 (acetate) to 10.3 (hydrogen carbonate), the catalytic activity reflected the protonation state of the buffer base in the electrolyte solution directly and not the intrinsic catalytic properties of the oxide itself. It is proposed that catalysis of water oxidation occurs within the bulk hydrated oxide film at the margins of cobalt oxide fragments of molecular dimensions. At high current densities, the availability of a proton-accepting base at the catalyst-electrolyte interface controls the rate of water oxidation. The reported findings may be of general relevance for water oxidation catalyzed at moderate pH by amorphous transition-metal oxides.

For the production of nonfossil fuels, water oxidation by inexpensive cobalt-based catalysts is of high interest. Films for the electrocatalysis of water oxidation were obtained by oxidative self-assembly (electrodeposition) from aqueous solutions containing, apart from Co, either K, Li or Ca with either a phosphate, acetate or chloride anion. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Co K-edge revealed clusters of edge-sharing CoO(6) octahedra in all films, but the size or structural disorder of the Co-oxido clusters differed. Whereas potassium binding is largely unspecific, CaCo(3) O(4) cubanes, which resemble the CaMn(3) O(4) cubane of the biological catalyst in oxygenic photosynthesis, may form, as suggested by XAS at the Ca K-edge. Cyclic voltammograms in a potassium phosphate buffer at pH 7 revealed that no specific combination of anions and redox-inactive cations is required for catalytic water oxidation. However, the anion type modulates not only the size (or order) of the Co-oxido clusters, but also electrodeposition rates, redox potentials, the capacity for oxidative charging, and catalytic currents. On these grounds, structure-activity relations are discussed.