Bio-inspired nanocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

We show that bio-inspired catalytic metal centers can be effectively mimicked in two-dimensional metal-organic coordination networks self-assembled on electrode surfaces. Networks consisting of organic molecules coordinating to single iron and manganese atoms on Au(111) catalyze effectively the oxygen reduction and reveal distinct catalytic activity in alkaline media. The results demonstrate the high potential of surface-engineered metal-organic networks for electrocatalytic conversions.