Polyethylene Glycol Coated Prussian Blue Nanocubes as Water Oxidation Electrocatalysts

The Prussian Blue (PB) nanoparticles can be obtained by reacting the hexacyanometal center with metal ions in the existence of polymers such as polyethyleneglycol (PEG). In this study, a pentacyanometal complex, [Fe(CN) 5 NO] 2- , was used in addition to hexacyanometal ion, [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3- , to obtain nanoparticles coated with PEG. PB nanoparticles have been prepared, characterized, and comprehensive electrochemical studies were performed to investigate their performance for water oxidation electrocatalysis. The effect the ratio of PEG to the morphology and the water oxidation electrocatalytic performance have also been interrogated. Overall, the study clearly indicates that Co-FeNO@PEG with 1:10 and 1:25 Co:PEG rate show the best electrocatalytic activity with an overpotential of 472 and 489 mV for current density of 1 mA cm -1 , respectively.