Tetrathiafulvalene‐Based Phenanthroline Ligands: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, and Electronic Properties

Charge-transfer regulated visible light driven photocatalytic H2 production and CO2 reduction in tetrathiafulvalene based coordination polymer gel

The much-needed renewable alternatives to fossil fuel can be achieved efficiently and sustainably by converting solar energy to fuels via hydrogen generation from water or CO₂ reduction. Herein, a soft processable metal-organic hybrid material is developed and studied for photocatalytic activity towards H₂ production and CO₂ reduction to CO and CH₄ under visible light as well as direct sunlight irradiation. A tetrapodal low molecular weight gelator (LMWG) is synthesized by integrating tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and terpyridine (TPY) derivatives through amide linkages and results in TPY-TTF LMWG. The TPY-TTF LMWG acts as a linker, and self-assembly of this gelator molecules with Zn^II ions results in a coordination polymer gel (CPG); Zn-TPY-TTF. The Zn-TPY-TTF CPG shows high photocatalytic activity towards H₂ production (530 μmol g^-1h^-1) and CO₂ reduction to CO (438 μmol g^-1h^-1, selectivity > 99%) regulated by charge-transfer interactions. Furthermore, in situ stabilization of Pt nanoparticles on CPG (Pt@Zn-TPY-TTF) enhances H₂ evolution (14727 μmol g^-1h^-1). Importantly, Pt@Zn-TPY-TTF CPG produces CH₄ (292 μmol g^-1h^-1, selectivity > 97%) as CO₂ reduction product instead of CO. The real-time CO₂ reduction reaction is monitored by in situ DRIFT study, and the plausible mechanism is derived computationally.

Dinuclear Ruthenium Complex Based on a π-Extended Bridging Ligand with Redox-Active Tetrathiafulvalene and 1,10-Phenanthroline Units

The synthesis of a π-extended bridging ligand with both redox-active tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) units, namely, bis(1,10-phenanthro[5,6-b])tetrathiafulvalene (BPTTF), was realized via a self-coupling reaction. Using this ligand and Ru(tbbpy)2Cl2 (tbbpy = 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine), the dinuclear ruthenium(II) compound [{Ru(tbbpy)2}2(BPTTF)](PF6)4 (1) has been obtained by microwave-assisted synthesis. Structural characterization of 1 revealed a crossed arrangement of the TTF moieties on adjacent dimers within the crystal structure. The optical and redox properties of 1 were investigated using electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and absorption spectroscopic studies combined with theoretical calculations. One exhibits a rich electrochemical behavior owing to the multiple redox-active centers. Interestingly, both the ligand BPTTF and the ruthenium compound 1 are EPR-active in the solid state owing to intramolecular charge-transfer processes. The results demonstrate that the TTF-annulated bis(phen) ligand is a promising bridging ligand to construct oligomeric or polymeric metal complexes with multiple redox-active centers.

Tetrathiafulvalene-based azine ligands for anion and metal cation coordination

The synthesis and full characterization of two tetrathiafulvalene-appended azine ligands, namely 2-([2,2’-bi(1,3-dithiolylidene)]-4-yl)-6-((2,4-dinitrophenyl)hydrazono)methyl)pyridine (L1) and 5-([2,2’-bi(1,3-dithiolylidene)]-4-yl)-2-((2,4-dinitrophenyl)hydrazono)methyl)pyridine (L2) are described. The crystal structure of ligand L1 indicates that the ligand is completely planar with the presence of a strong intramolecular N3–H3···O1 hydrogen bonding. Titration experiments with inorganic anions showed that both ligands are suitable candidates for the sensing of fluoride anions. Ligand L2 was reacted with a Re(I) cation to yield the corresponding rhenium tricarbonyl complex 3. In the crystal structure of the newly prepared electroactive rhenium complex the TTF is neutral and the rhenium cation is hexacoordinated. The electrochemical behavior of the three compounds indicates that they are promising for the construction of crystalline radical cation salts.