Molecule-Enhanced Electrocatalysis of Sustainable Oxygen Evolution Using Organoselenium Functionalized Metal–Organic Nanosheets

Remolding the reactivity of metal active sites is critical to facilitate renewable electricity-powered water electrolysis. Doping heteroatoms, such as Se, into a metal crystal lattice has been considered an effective approach, yet usually suffers from loss of functional heteroatoms during harsh electrocatalytic conditions, thus leading to the gradual inactivation of the catalysts. Here, we report a new heteroatom-containing molecule-enhanced strategy toward sustainable oxygen evolution improvement. An organoselenium ligand, bis(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)selenide containing robust C–Se–C covalent bonds equipped in the precatalyst of ultrathin metal–organic nanosheets Co-SeMON, is revealed to significantly enhance the catalytic mass activity of the cobalt site by 25 times, as well as extend the catalyst operation time in alkaline conditions by 1 or 2 orders of magnitude compared with these reported metal selenides. A combination of various in situ/ex situ spectroscopic techniques, ab initio molecular dynamics, and density functional theory calculations unveiled the organoselenium intensified mechanism, in which the nonclassical bonding of Se to O-containing intermediates endows adsorption-energy regulation beyond the conventional scaling relationship. Our results showcase the great potential of molecule-enhanced catalysts for highly efficient and economical water oxidation.