Nanostructured iron(III) oxide catalyst electrodeposited from Fe(II) triflate for electrocatalytic water oxidation

We describe a novel nanostructured iron oxide catalyst film electrodeposited from iron(II) triflate under mild conditions (room temperature, atmospheric pressure, and near-neutral solution) that can catalyze water oxidation in potassium carbonate solution. The structure, morphology, composition, and catalytic activity of the catalyst were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements. The results indicate that nanostructured iron oxide is an active electrocatalyst for water oxidation at higher catalytic current and low overpotential.