Electroreduction of O_2 to H_2O at Unusually Positive Potentials Catalyzed by the Simplest of the Cobalt Porphyrins

Abstract

Simple cobalt porphine, adsorbed on graphite electrodes, catalyzes the direct reduction of O_2 to H_2O, while most other monomeric cobalt porphyrins do not. The surprising behavior of cobalt porphine suggests possible new strategies for the design of electrocatalysts for the reduction of O_2 to H_2O using structurally similar but more oxidation-resistant analogs