POMs were studied as heterogeneous acid catalysts and oxidation catalysts. However, this approach is often affected by low specific surface areas, leading to reduced reactivity. [10] Later studies, therefore, pioneered the immobilization of POMs on high surfacearea substrates including porous silica and other metal oxides, [10] as well as more advanced materials such as carbon nanostructures [11] and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). [9] This strategy can enable maximized exposure of the individual POM molecules to the reaction environment, and in addition, allows for facile separation by filtration or centrifugation. [12] While early studies on POM immobilization used heterogeneous supports for mechanical stabilization and maximized surface-area, more recent studies have moved toward added properties introduced by the support. These include light-absorption and charge transport by semiconductors (TiO 2 , CdSe, etc.), electrical conductivity (by carbons, metals, conductive polymers) as well as specific POM binding sites, as introduced in MOFs and organofunctionalized supports. Many contemporary studies in this field share a common interest in exploring the synergism between POM and substrate to tune and optimize reactivity and stability of the composite. The concept has been theoretically and experimentally described several decades ago as the so-called "microenvironment effect" (electronic charge enhancement) where entrapment of POM species in a 3D matrix has been shown to induce huge improvement of their electrocatalytic activity. [13][14][15] However, to-date, the understanding of the fundamental processes which govern synergism of POM-substrate interactions is still in its infancy, as mole cular-level understanding of these complex processes by experiment or theory is far from trivial. This is due to the vast number of materials combinations, which are currently studied, and is further complicated by the often unknown chemical structures of the POM-substrate interface which make theoretical studies difficult. Also, in situ/operando studies of these materials are still challenging, and instrumentational approaches to address these issues are still being developed and not widely available. Most current experimental studies, therefore, focus on macroscopic reactivity, while providing less insight into the underlying causes of the processes observed.This Progress Report aims at raising awareness of the vast benefits of exploring this under-researched area to enable full use of POM-substrate interactions including charge and energy transfer, band-gap, and frontier orbital alignment as well as interface design for stability and reactivity. These fundamental concepts can affect both the thermodynamics as well as the kinetics of the chemical processes studied so that new reactivity can be tailored by understanding of the interactions between POM and substrate. Given the fast-paced progress in the synthesis, application, and characterization of this materials class, this Progress Report will serve as a focal point for ...

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Here we report a systematic study of Co, Mn, Ni and Fe oxides as co-catalysts for HER and OER that were prepared by wet impregnation of the corresponding metal acetylacetonate salts onto a model TiO2 substrate.

Achieving light-driven splitting of water with high efficiency remains a challenging task on the way to solar fuel exploration. In this work, to combine the advantages of heterogeneous and homogeneous photosystems, we covalently anchor noble-metal- and carbon-free thiomolybdate [Mo 3 S 13 ] 2– clusters onto photoactive metal oxide supports to act as molecular co-catalysts for photocatalytic water splitting. We demonstrate that strong and surface-limited binding of the [Mo 3 S 13 ] 2– to the oxide surfaces takes place. The attachment involves the loss of the majority of the terminal S 2 2– groups, upon which Mo–O–Ti bonds with the hydroxylated TiO 2 surface are established. The heterogenized [Mo 3 S 13 ] 2– clusters are active and stable co-catalysts for the light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with performance close to the level of the benchmark Pt. Optimal HER rates are achieved for 2 wt % cluster loadings, which we relate to the accessibility of the TiO 2 surface required for efficient hole scavenging. We further elucidate the active HER sites by applying thermal post-treatments in air and N 2 . Our data demonstrate the importance of the trinuclear core of the [Mo 3 S 13 ] 2– cluster and suggest bridging S 2 2– and vacant coordination sites at the Mo centers as likely HER active sites. This work provides a prime example for the successful heterogenization of an inorganic molecular cluster as a co-catalyst for light-driven HER and gives the incentive to explore other thio(oxo)metalates.

The design of active and selective co-catalysts constitutes one of the major challenges in developing heterogeneous photocatalysts for energy conversion applications. This work provides a comprehensive insight into thermally induced...