The presence of oxo and carboxylate ligands is crucial to decreasing the redox potentials of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC). It has been proved that negatively charged ligands can stabilize the high oxidation states of various transition metal-based complexes and lower their oxidation potentials. This chapter focuses on complexation of transition metals primarily ruthenium (Ru) with carboxylate-containing ligands, in order to develop artificial water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) with small overpotentials. The authors aim at applying highly active and robust WOCs in artificial photosynthesis devices that convert photo energy to chemical energy. A typical visible light-driven water oxidation system consists of three components: a WOC, a photosensitizer, and a sacrificial electron acceptor. The chapter demonstrates a density functional theory (DFT)-directed development of robust Ru-WOCs, showing one of the advantages of molecular WOCs.
This perspective article reports the most significant advances in the field of water oxidation-from molecular water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) to photoelectrochemical cells. Different series of catalysts that can be applied in visible light-driven water oxidation catalysis are discussed in details and several key aspects of their catalytic mechanisms are introduced. In order to construct a water oxidation electrode from molecular catalysts, proper immobilization methods have to be employed. Herein, we present one section about how to attach catalysts onto an electrode/material surface. Finally, the state of the art photoelectrochemical cells that achieve visible light-driven water splitting are described.
Two mononuclear ruthenium complexes [RuL(pic)(3)] (1) and [RuL(bpy)(pic)] (2) (H2L = 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, pic=4-picoline, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) have been synthesized and fully characterized. Both complexes could promote water oxidation chemically and photochemically. Compared with other known ruthenium-based water oxidation catalysts using [Ce(NH4)(2)(NO3)(6)] (Ce-IV) as the oxidant in solution at pH 1.0, complex 1 is one of the most active catalysts yet reported with an initial rate of 0.23 turnovers(-1). Under acidic conditions, the equatorial 4-picoline in complex 1 dissociates first. In addition, ligand exchange in 1 occurs when the Rum state is reached. Based on the above observations and MS measurements of the intermediates during water oxidation by 1 using Ce-IV as oxidant, [RuL(pic)(2)(H2O)](+) is proposed as the real water oxidation catalyst.
A series of mononuclear ruthenium polypyridyl complexes [Ru(Mebimpy)(pic)(3)](PF6)(2) (2; Mebimpy=2,6-bis(1-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine; pic=4-picoline), Ru(bimpy)(pic)(3) (3; H(2)bimpy=2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine), trans-[Ru(terpy)-(pic)(2)Cl](PF6) (4; terpy=2,2';6',2 ''-terpyridine), and trans-[Ru(terpy)(pic)(2)(OH2)](ClO4)(2) (5) are synthesized and characterized as analogues of the known Ru complex, [Ru(terpy)(pic)(3)](PF6)(2) (1). The effect of the ligands on electronic and catalytic properties is studied and discussed. The negatively charged ligand, bimpy(2-), has a remarkable influence on the electrochemical events due to its strong electron-donating ability. The performance in light- and Ce-IV-driven (Ce-IV=Ce(NH4)(2)(NO3)(6)) water oxidation is successfully demonstrated. We propose that ligand exchange between pic and H2O occurs to form the real catalyst, a Ru-aqua complex. The synthesis and testing of trans[Ru(terpy)(pic)(2)(OH2)](ClO4)(2) (5) confirmed our proposal. In addition, complex 5 possesses the best catalytic activity among these five complexes.
Electrochemically driven water oxidation has been performed using a molecular water oxidation catalyst immobilized on hybrid carbon nanotubes and nano-material electrodes. A high turnover frequency (TOF) of 7.6 s(-1) together with a high catalytic current density of 2.2 mA cm(-2) was successfully obtained at an overpotential of 480 mV after 1 h of bulk electrolysis.
A new water oxidation catalyst [RuIII(bda)(mmi)(OH 2)](CF3SO3) (2, H2bda = 2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-dicarboxylic acid; mmi = 1,3- dimethylimidazolium-2-ylidene) containing an axial N-heterocyclic carbene ligand and one aqua ligand was synthesized and fully characterized. The kinetics of catalytic water oxidation by 2 were measured using stopped-flow technique, and key intermediates in the catalytic cycle were probed by density functional theory calculations. While analogous Ru-bda water oxidation catalysts [Ru(bda)L2] (L = pyridyl ligands) are supposed to catalyze water oxidation through a bimolecular coupling pathway, our study points out that 2, surprisingly, undergoes a single-site water nucleophilic attack (acid-base) pathway. The diversion of catalytic mechanisms is mainly ascribed to the different ligand environments, from nonaqua ligands to an aqua ligand. Findings in this work provide some critical proof for our previous hypothesis about how alternation of ancillary ligands of water oxidation catalysts influences their catalytic efficiency.
The theme of this thesis is the development of mononuclear Ru-based complexes that are capable of catalyzing the water oxidation (or O2-evolving) reaction, e.g. 2 H2O → O2 + 4 H+ + 4 e−. Several families of mononuclear Ru water oxidation catalysts were designed and prepared. They feature with anionic ancillary ligands that contain carboxylate or phenolate donors. The properties of the catalysts were investigated in various aspects including coordination geometry, electrochemical behavior, and ligand exchange. All catalysts showed outstanding catalytic activity towards water oxidation in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate as a sacrificial oxidant. High-valent Ru intermediates involved in the reactions were characterized both experimentally and theoretically. The kinetics of catalytic water oxidation was examined based on one catalyst and a prevailing catalytic pathway was proposed. The catalytic cycle involved a sequence of oxidation steps from RuII−OH2 to RuV=O species and O−O bond formation via water-nucleophilic-attack to the RuV=O intermediate. By comparing properties and catalytic performance of Ru catalysts herein with that of previously reported examples, the effect of anionic ancillary ligands was clearly elucidated in the context of catalytic water oxidation. Aiming to further application in an envisaged artificial photosynthesis device, visible light-driven water oxidation was conducted and achieved primarily in a homogeneous three-component system containing catalyst, photosensitizer, and sacrificial electron acceptor. Moreover, one model Ru catalyst was successfully immobilized on ordinary glass carbon surface through a facile and widely applicable method.
Small change, big difference: A minor structural modification of water-oxidation catalysts changes the kinetics of O2 evolution from second- to first-order (see scheme). According to DFT calculations, the torsional flexibility of the chelating ligands and their reorganization through the catalytic cycle are implicated in pathway selectivity, and the auxiliary carboxylate group becomes involved in proton-coupled nucleophilic attack.
A molecular Ru(ii) water oxidation catalyst was immobilized on a conductive carbon surface through a covalent bond, and its activity was maintained at the same time. The method can be applied to other materials and may inspire development of artificial photosynthesis devices.
Mononuclear Ru-based water oxidation catalysts containing anionic ancillary ligands have shown promising catalytic efficiency and intriguing properties. However, their insolubility in water restricts a detailed mechanism investigation. In order to overcome this disadvantage, complexes [Ru-II(bpc)(bpy)OH2](+) (1(+), bpc = 2,2'-bipyridine-6-carboxylate, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) and [Ru-II(bpc)(pic)(3)](+) (2(+), pic = 4-picoline) were prepared and fully characterized, which features an anionic tridentate ligand and has enough solubility for spectroscopic study in water. Using Ce-IV as an electron acceptor, both complexes are able to catalyze O-2-evolving reaction with an impressive rate constant. On the basis of the electrochemical and kinetic studies, a water nucleophilic attack pathway was proposed as the dominant catalytic cycle of the catalytic water oxidation by 1(+), within which several intermediates were detected by MS. Meanwhile, an auxiliary pathway that is related to the concentration of Ce-IV was also revealed. The effect of anionic ligand regarding catalytic water oxidation was discussed explicitly in comparison with previously reported mononuclear Ru catalysts carrying neutral tridentate ligands, for example, 2,2':6',2 ''-terpyridine (tpy). When 2(+) was oxidized to the trivalent state, one of its picoline ligands dissociated from the Ru center. The rate constant of picoline dissociation was evaluated from time-resolved UV-vis spectra.
Aiming at highly efficient molecular catalyts for water oxidation, a mononuclear ruthenium complex Ru-II(hqc)(pic)(3) (1; H(2)hqc = 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxylic acid and plc = 4-picoline) containing negatively charged carboxylate and phenolate donor groups has been designed and synthesized. As a comparison, two reference complexes, Ru-II(pdc)(pic)(3) (2; H(2)pdc = 2,6-pyridine-dicarboxylic acid) and Ru-II(tpy)(pic)(3) (3; tpy = 2,2':6',2 ''-terpyridine), have also been prepared. All three complexes are fully characterized by NMR, mass spectrometry (MS), and X-ray crystallography. Complex 1 showed a high efficiency toward catalytic water oxidation either driven by chemical oxidant (Ce-IV in a pH 1 solution) with a initial turnover number of 0.32 s(-1), which is several orders of magnitude higher than that of related mononuclear ruthenium catalysts reported in the literature, or driven by visible light in a three-component system with [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) types of photosensitizers. Electrospray ionization MS results revealed that at the Rum state complex 1 undergoes ligand exchange of 4-picoline with water, forming the authentic water oxidation catalyst in situ. Density functional theory (DFT) was ernployed to explain how anionic ligands (hqc and pdc) facilitate the 4-picoline dissociation compared with a neutral ligand (tpy). Electrochemical measurements show that complex 1 has a much lower E(Ru-III/Ru-II) than that of reference complex 2 because of the introduction of a phenolate ligand. DFT was further used to study the influence of anionic ligands upon the redox properties of mononuclear aquaruthenium species, which are postulated to be involved in the catalysis cycle of water oxidation.
A series of mononuclear ruthenium water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) [Ru(bda)L-2] (H(2)bda = 2,2'-bipyridine-6,6'-dicarboxylic acid; L = N-cyclic aromatic ligands) were investigated in three-component light-driven water oxidation systems composed of photosensitizers, a sacrificial electron acceptor, and WOCs. A high turnover number of 579 for water oxidation was achieved in the homogeneous system using complex 4 ([Ru(bda)(4-Br-pyridine)(2)]) as the WOC, and a high quantum efficiency of 17% was found which is a new record for visible light-driven water oxidation in homogeneous systems.
Two dinuclear and one mononuclear ruthenium complexes containing neutral polypyridyl ligands have been synthesised as pre-water oxidation catalysts and characterised by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS. Their catalytic water oxidation properties in the presence of [Ce(NH(4))(2)(NO(3))(6)] (Ce(IV)) as oxidant at pH 1.0 have been investigated. At low concentrations of Ce(IV) (5 mm), high turnover numbers of up to 4500 have been achieved. An (18)O-labelling experiment established that both O atoms in the evolved O(2) originate from water. Combined electrochemical study and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometric analysis suggest that ligand exchange between coordinated 4-picoline and free water produces Ru aquo species as the real water oxidation catalysts.
Visible light-driven water oxidation has been achieved by the dinuclear ruthenium complex 1 with a high turnover number of 1270 in a homogeneous system in the presence of a Ru polypyridine complex photosensitizer.