skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Ligand Tuning in Cu(pyalk)2 Water Oxidation Electrocatalysis

Journal Article · · Inorganics

Molecular copper water oxidation electrocatalysts have been extensively studied in recent years for their potential use in artificial photosynthetic systems for solar energy conversion. Although ligand modification and its ability to influence catalytic properties is a key advantage of molecular systems, there are, as yet, few examples of systematic studies of these effects. Our oxidatively resistant pyalk (2-pyridyl-2-propanoate) ligand forms a complex with copper(II) that catalyzes water oxidation and provides an attractive scaffold for systematic ligand tuning. Here, we report a series of analogous copper complexes with electron-donating (methoxy-) and -withdrawing (methoxycarbonyl-) groups at the para-position of the pyalk ligand. Trends in the pKa and redox potential align with first-principles predictions for the electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups. While the modified complexes show good activity for water oxidation, lowered faradaic efficiency in comparison to the parent complex highlights the importance of stability considerations for catalyst tuning.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
DEFG02-07ER15909
OSTI ID:
1975432
Journal Information:
Inorganics, Journal Name: Inorganics Vol. 11 Journal Issue: 6; ISSN 2304-6740
Publisher:
MDPI AGCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Switzerland
Language:
English

References (35)

Substituent Effects on the Activity of Cp*Ir(pyridine-carboxylate) Water Oxidation Catalysts: Which Ligand Fragments Remain Coordinated to the Active Ir Centers? journal October 2021
Electronic Effects on Single-Site Iron Catalysts for Water Oxidation journal May 2013
A Pyridine Alkoxide Chelate Ligand That Promotes Both Unusually High Oxidation States and Water-Oxidation Catalysis journal February 2017
A survey of Hammett substituent constants and resonance and field parameters journal March 1991
Powering the planet: Chemical challenges in solar energy utilization journal October 2006
Critical Hammett Electron-Donating Ability of Substituent Groups for Efficient Water Oxidation Catalysis by Mononuclear Ruthenium Aquo Complexes journal September 2019
Improvement of Electrochemical Water Oxidation by Fine-Tuning the Structure of Tetradentate N 4 Ligands of Molecular Copper Catalysts journal October 2017
Modification of a pyridine-alkoxide ligand during the synthesis of coordination compounds journal January 2019
A short history of SHELX journal December 2007
Copper-based homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for electrochemical water oxidation journal January 2020
Ligand Radical Mediated Water Oxidation by a Family of Copper o-Phenylene Bis-oxamidate Complexes journal June 2021
Bioinspired Trinuclear Copper Catalyst for Water Oxidation with a Turnover Frequency up to 20000 s–1 journal November 2021
A Dinuclear Iridium(V,V) Oxo-Bridged Complex Characterized Using a Bulk Electrolysis Technique for Crystallizing Highly Oxidizing Compounds journal April 2018
Heterogenized Iridium Water-Oxidation Catalyst from a Silatrane Precursor journal July 2016
Systematic ligand variation to modulate the electrochemical properties of iron and manganese complexes journal January 2019
A low-cost commercial Cu(ii)–EDTA complex for electrocatalytic water oxidation in neutral aqueous solution journal January 2022
Water-Nucleophilic Attack Mechanism for the Cu II (pyalk) 2 Water-Oxidation Catalyst journal July 2018
Molecular water oxidation catalysts based on first-row transition metal complexes journal February 2022
Synthesis, structure and oxo-transfer properties of dioxotungsten(VI) complexes with pyridine-based NO-and NS-bidentate ligands journal January 2001
A soluble copper–bipyridine water-oxidation electrocatalyst journal May 2012
Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation by a Copper(II) Complex of an Oxidation-Resistant Ligand journal April 2017
Mononuclear Ruthenium–Water Oxidation Catalysts: Discerning between Electronic and Hydrogen-Bonding Effects journal June 2012
Redox Metal–Ligand Cooperativity Enables Robust and Efficient Water Oxidation Catalysis at Neutral pH with Macrocyclic Copper Complexes journal September 2020
The Role of Electron-Donor Substituents in the Family of OPBAN-Cu Water Oxidation Catalysts: Effect on the Degradation Pathways and Efficiency: The Role of Electron-Donor Substituents in the Family of OPBAN-Cu Water Oxidation Catalysts: Effect on the Degradation Pathways and Efficiency journal February 2019
Turnover Numbers, Turnover Frequencies, and Overpotential in Molecular Catalysis of Electrochemical Reactions. Cyclic Voltammetry and Preparative-Scale Electrolysis journal June 2012
Electrochemical Water Oxidation Catalyzed by N 4 ‐Coordinate Copper Complexes with Different Backbones: Insight into the Structure‐Activity Relationship of Copper Catalysts journal January 2020
Concerted proton-electron transfer oxidation of phenols and hydrocarbons by a high-valent nickel complex journal January 2020
Molecular complexes in water oxidation: Pre-catalysts or real catalysts journal December 2015
Studies of the Pathways Open to Copper Water Oxidation Catalysts Containing Proximal Hydroxy Groups During Basic Electrocatalysis journal November 2014
Substituent Effects in Molecular Ruthenium Water Oxidation Catalysts Based on Amide Ligands journal February 2017
Insight into Water Oxidation by Mononuclear Polypyridyl Ru Catalysts journal March 2010
Redox Non-innocent Ligand Controls Water Oxidation Overpotential in a New Family of Mononuclear Cu-Based Efficient Catalysts journal May 2015
Evaluation of Homogeneous Electrocatalysts by Cyclic Voltammetry journal September 2014
Molecular Catalysts for Water Oxidation journal July 2015
Artificial photosynthesis: opportunities and challenges of molecular catalysts journal January 2019

Similar Records

Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation by a Copper(II) Complex of an Oxidation-Resistant Ligand
Journal Article · Tue Apr 04 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · ACS Catalysis · OSTI ID:1975432

A Pyridine Alkoxide Chelate Ligand That Promotes Both Unusually High Oxidation States and Water-Oxidation Catalysis
Journal Article · Wed Mar 08 00:00:00 EST 2017 · Accounts of Chemical Research · OSTI ID:1975432

A Stable Coordination Complex of Rh(IV) in an N,O-Donor Environment
Journal Article · Mon Dec 07 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Journal of the American Chemical Society · OSTI ID:1975432

Related Subjects