Evolution of Iridium-Based Molecular Catalysts during Water Oxidation with Ceric Ammonium Nitrate

Homogeneous photochemical water oxidation by biuret-modified Fe-TAML: evidence of Fe(V)(O) intermediate

Water splitting, leading to hydrogen and oxygen in a process that mimics natural photosynthesis, is extremely important for devising a sustainable solar energy conversion system. Development of earth-abundant, transition metal-based catalysts that mimic the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II, which is involved in oxidation of water to O2 during natural photosynthesis, represents a major challenge. Further, understanding the exact mechanism, including elucidation of the role of active metal-oxo intermediates during water oxidation (WO), is critical to the development of more efficient catalysts. Herein, we report Fe(III) complexes of biuret-modified tetra-amidomacrocyclic ligands (Fe-TAML; 1a and 1b) that catalyze fast, homogeneous, photochemical WO to give O2, with moderate efficiency (maximum TON = 220, TOF = 0.76 s(-1)). Previous studies on photochemical WO using iron complexes resulted in demetalation of the iron complexes with concomitant formation of iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) that were responsible for WO. Herein, we show for the first time that a high valent Fe(V)(O) intermediate species is photochemically generated as the active intermediate for the oxidation of water to O2. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first example of a molecular iron complex catalyzing photochemical WO through a Fe(V)(O) intermediate.

Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical characterization of an iridium-based molecular catalyst for water splitting: turnover frequencies, stability, and electrolyte effects

We present a systematic electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical study of the catalytic activity for water oxidation of an iridium-N-dimethylimidazolin-2-ylidene (Ir-NHC-Me2) complex adsorbed on a polycrystalline gold electrode. The work aims to understand the effect of the electrolyte properties (anions and acidity) on the activity of the molecular catalyst and check its stability toward decomposition. Our results show that the iridium complex displays a very strong dependence on the electrolyte properties such that large enhancements in catalytic activity may be obtained by adequately choosing pH and anions in the electrolyte. The stability of the adsorbed compound was investigated in situ by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Online Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry showing that the catalyst exhibits good stability under anodic conditions, with no observable evidence for the decomposition to iridium oxide.

Synergistic contributions by decreasing overpotential and enhancing charge-transfer in α-Fe2O3/Mn3O4/graphene catalysts with heterostructures for photocatalytic water oxidation

Proposed mechanism of oxygen evolution from α-Fe₂O₃/Mn₃O₄-1/rGO-3 photocatalyst.

Electron-Rich CpIr(biphenyl-2,2'-diyl) Complexes with π-Accepting Carbon Donor Ligands

Cp*IrIII and CpIrIII complexes have attracted interest as catalysts for oxidative transformations, and highly oxidizing iridium species are postulated as key intermediates in both catalytic water and C-H bond oxidation. Strongly electron-donating ligand sets have been shown to stabilize IrIV complexes. We describe the synthesis and reactivity of complexes containing the CpIr(biphenyl-2,2'-diyl) moiety stabilized by a series of strong donor carbon-based ligands. The oxidation chemistry of these complexes has been characterized electrochemically, and a singly oxidized IrIV species has been observed by X-band EPR for the complex CpIr(biph)(p-CNCH2SO2C6H4CH3).