Frontispiece: A Dynamically Stabilized Single‐Nickel Electrocatalyst for Selective Reduction of Oxygen to Hydrogen Peroxide

Abstract

A single [NiII(H2O)6]2+ cation is dynamically associated with a negaitvely charged metal-organic layer (MOL) via hydrogen bonding and coulombic interactions to serve as a catalyst for selective reduction of O2 to H2O2. The two-electron reduction of oxygen on the Ni center generates neutral [NiII(H2O)4(OH)(OOH)]0 species, which momentarily disconnects from the negatively charged MOL and thus avoids the over-reduction of O2 to water. Release of H2O2 from [NiII(H2O)4(OH)(OOH)]0 regenerates [NiII(H2O)6]2+ which regains affinity to the MOL. Such a dynamically associated single-metal center represents a new strategy for controlling selectivity in catalysis. For more information, see the Full Paper by C. Wang et al. on page 17011 ff.