On the role of Mn(IV) vacancies in the photoreductive dissolution of hexagonal birnessite

Photoreductive dissolution of layer type Mn(IV) oxides (birnessite) under sunlight illumination to form soluble Mn(II) has been observed in both field and laboratory settings, leading to a consensus that this process is a key driver of the biogeochemical cycling of Mn in the euphotic zones of marine and freshwater ecosystems. However, the underlying mechanisms for the process remain unknown, although they have been linked to the semiconducting characteristics of hexagonal birnessite, the ubiquitous Mn(IV) oxide produced mainly by bacterial oxidation of soluble Mn(II). One of the universal properties of this biogenic mineral is the presence of Mn(IV) vacancies, long-identified as strong adsorption sites for metal cations. In this paper, the possible role of Mn vacancies in photoreductive dissolution is investigated theoretically using quantum mechanical calculations based on spin-polarized density functional theory (DFT). Our DFT study demonstrates unequivocally that Mn vacancies significantly reduce the band-gap energy for hexagonal birnessite relative to a hypothetical vacancy-free MnO2 and thus would increase the concentration of photo-induced electrons available for Mn(IV) reduction upon illumination of the mineral by sunlight. Calculations of the charge distribution in the presence of vacancies, although not fully conclusive, show a clear separation of photo-induced electrons and holes, implying a slow recombination of these charge-carriers that facilitates the two-electron reduction of Mn(IV) to Mn(II).