A Bisamide Ruthenium Polypyridyl Complex as a Robust and Efficient Photosensitizer for Hydrogen Production

A photosensitizer based on a ruthenium complex of a bisamide-polypyridyl ligand gives rise to a large improvement in photocatalytic stability, rate of activity, and efficiency in photocatalytic H-2 production compared to [Ru(bpy) 3] (2+) (bpy= 2,2'bpyridine). The bisamide ruthenium polypyridyl complex combined with a cobaltoxime-based photocatalyst was found to be highly efficient under blue-light (turnover number (TON)= 7800) and green-light irradiation (TON= 7200) whereas [Ru(bpy) 3](2+) was significantly less effective with a TON of 2600 and 1100, respectively. The greatest improvement was under red-light-emitting diodes, with bisamide ruthenium polypyridyl complex and cobaltoxime exhibiting a TON of 4200 compared to [Ru(bpy) 3 (]2)+ and cobaltoxime at a TON of only 71.