Effects from Surface Structures of Manganese Phosphate on Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation

In heterogeneous electrocatalysts, the effect of the surface structure on water oxidation is hardly fairly compared. Herein, two manganese phosphates with identical bulk structures but different surface properties are designed to form an appealing platform to investigate the effect of the surface structure on water oxidation. The uniform MnO6 site and similar physical properties avoid unfair comparisons of water oxidation performance. In situ Raman and X-ray absorption spectral results demonstrate that the flexibility of the catalyst surface structure and proton-accepting sites is favorable to water oxidation. The results from surface spectroscopic studies provide insights into evaluating the surface influencing factors of electrocatalytic water oxidation.