Bioinspired molecular catalysts with a unique tricopper architecture for highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Chem Commun (Camb). 2024 Aug 20;60(68):9050-9053. doi: 10.1039/d4cc02949f.

Abstract

In situ growth of intertwined trinuclear copper complexes (nCu3) on a cellulose-derived carbon support (CMC) produced a high-performance electrocatalyst (CMC-nCu3) for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which demonstrated superior performance in zinc-air batteries compared to a commercial Pt/C catalyst. This work highlights the importance of copper-based molecular catalysts with rich and intertwined tricopper structures for boosting both ORR activity and stability.