Synthesis, structure, and electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction properties of metal antimony.based chalcogenide clusters

To explore the diversity of structure and optoelectronic applications of metal chalcogenide cluster materials, two Sb-based chalcogenide cluster compounds [Sb4S5(S-3)]center dot C5H11N (1) and (C5H12N)(2)[In2Sb2S7] (2) have been synthesized through solvothermal method using asymmetric coordination geometry with Sb(III) containing lone pair electrons and sulfur. The two compounds consist of combinations between {SbS3} or {InS4} coordination units in a vertex-sharing manner, respectively. The electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) studies showed that the limit current density and half-wave potential of compound 2 were higher than those of compound 1, indicating better ORR performance. The Koutecky-Levich plot analysis showed that the ORR catalytic process of layered compound 2 constructed from mixed metals is mainly through a four-electron pathway. CCDC: 2310897, 1; 2310898, 2.