Probing the Structure and Binding Mode of EDTA on the Surface of Mn3O4 Nanoparticles for Water Oxidation by Advanced Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Abstract Identification of the surface structure of nanoparticles is important for understanding the catalytic mechanism and improving the properties of the particles. Here, we provide a detailed description of the coordination modes of ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) on Mn3O4 nanoparticles at the atomic level, as obtained by advanced electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Binding of EDTA to Mn3O4 leads to dramatic changes in the EPR spectrum, with a 5-fold increase in the axial zero-field splitting parameter of Mn­(II). This indicates significant changes in the coordination environment of the Mn­(II) site; hence, the binding of EDTA causes a profound change in the electronic structure of the manganese site. Furthermore, the electron spin echo envelope modulation results reveal that two 14N atoms of EDTA are directly coordinated to the Mn site and a water molecule is coor…