A targeted ionic iron/platinum-based precatalyst for bias-dependent reconstruction in alkaline water splitting

Abstract

Efficient alkaline water splitting requires catalysts for both the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER). Precatalyst reconstruction offers a route to generating active surfaces under operating conditions. Here, we report an ionic iron/platinum-based precatalyst reservoir for alkaline water splitting, prepared by combining anionic iron(III) phthalocyanine-4,4′,4″,4‴-tetrasulfonate (FeTSPc³⁻) with cationic [Pt(NH₃)₄]²⁺ (TP²⁺) species. The resulting FeTSPc/TP ionic solid has limited solubility in alkaline electrolyte and supplies Fe- and Pt-derived species under electrochemical bias. Rather than acting as a persistent molecular bifunctional catalyst, FeTSPc/TP undergoes bias-dependent reconstruction on nickel-foam electrodes. Under anodic conditions, Fe-derived species are associated with the nickel surface, producing a Ni–Fe (oxy)hydroxide-type OER-active layer. Under cathodic conditions, Pt-derived species generate Pt-containing deposits that promote the HER. Compared with bare Ni foam, the FeTSPc/TP system decreases the OER overpotential by approximately 200 mV and the HER overpotential by approximately 80 mV under the tested conditions. The analyses support the formation of distinct catalyst-derived surface deposits at the two electrodes. These results show that a single ionic precatalyst reservoir can deliver different catalyst-forming components to anodic and cathodic surfaces, providing a proof-of-concept strategy for bias-dependent reconstruction during alkaline water splitting.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{akbari2026targeted,
  title = {{A targeted ionic iron/platinum-based precatalyst for bias-dependent reconstruction in alkaline water splitting}},
  author = {Nader Akbari and Sergey K. Zharmukhamedov and Robabeh Bagheri and Mahdieh Maleki and Elena V. Zadneprovskaya and Roman A. Voloshin and Alexei V. Emeline and Detlef W. Bahnemann and Suleyman I. Allakhverdiev and Mohammad Mahdi Najafpour},
  journal = {Communications Chemistry},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1038/s42004-026-02243-9},
  url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s42004-026-02243-9},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - A targeted ionic iron/platinum-based precatalyst for bias-dependent reconstruction in alkaline water splitting
AU  - Nader Akbari
AU  - Sergey K. Zharmukhamedov
AU  - Robabeh Bagheri
AU  - Mahdieh Maleki
AU  - Elena V. Zadneprovskaya
AU  - Roman A. Voloshin
AU  - Alexei V. Emeline
AU  - Detlef W. Bahnemann
AU  - Suleyman I. Allakhverdiev
AU  - Mohammad Mahdi Najafpour
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/10
JO  - Communications Chemistry
DO  - 10.1038/s42004-026-02243-9
UR  - https://www.nature.com/articles/s42004-026-02243-9
AB  - Efficient alkaline water splitting requires catalysts for both the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER). Precatalyst reconstruction offers a route to generating active surfaces under operating conditions. Here, we report an ionic iron/platinum-based precatalyst reservoir for alkaline water splitting, prepared by combining anionic iron(III) phthalocyanine-4,4′,4″,4‴-tetrasulfonate (FeTSPc³⁻) with cationic [Pt(NH₃)₄]²⁺ (TP²⁺) species. The resulting FeTSPc/TP ionic solid has limited solubility in alkaline electrolyte and supplies Fe- and Pt-derived species under electrochemical bias. Rather than acting as a persistent molecular bifunctional catalyst, FeTSPc/TP undergoes bias-dependent reconstruction on nickel-foam electrodes. Under anodic conditions, Fe-derived species are associated with the nickel surface, producing a Ni–Fe (oxy)hydroxide-type OER-active layer. Under cathodic conditions, Pt-derived species generate Pt-containing deposits that promote the HER. Compared with bare Ni foam, the FeTSPc/TP system decreases the OER overpotential by approximately 200 mV and the HER overpotential by approximately 80 mV under the tested conditions. The analyses support the formation of distinct catalyst-derived surface deposits at the two electrodes. These results show that a single ionic precatalyst reservoir can deliver different catalyst-forming components to anodic and cathodic surfaces, providing a proof-of-concept strategy for bias-dependent reconstruction during alkaline water splitting.
SN  - 2399-3669
ER  -

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