Tuning the catalytic activity of Ag(110)-supported iron phthalocyanine in the oxygen reduction reaction

A careful choice of the surface coverage of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) on Ag (110) around the single monolayer allows us to drive with high precision both the long-range supramolecular arrangement and the local adsorption geometry of FePc molecules on the given surface. We show that this opens up the possibility of sharply switching the catalytic activity of FePc in the oxygen reduction reaction and contextual surface oxidation in a reproducible way. A comprehensive and detailed picture built on diverse experimental evidence coming from scanning tunnelling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, coupled with density functional theory calculations, sheds new light on the nature of the catalytically active molecule–surface coordination and on the boundary conditions for its occurrence. The results are of relevance for the improvement of the catalytic efficiency of metallo-macrocycles as viable substitutes for platinum in the cathodic compartment of low-temperature fuel cells.