Incorporation of iron hydrogenase active sites into a highly stable metal-organic framework for photocatalytic hydrogen generation

A new biomimetic heterogeneous photocatalyst ([FeFe]@ ZrPF) has been synthesized through the incorporation of homogeneous complex 1 [(i-SCH2)(2)NC(O)C5H4N]-[Fe-2(CO)(6)] into the highly robust zirconium-porphyrin based metal-organic framework (ZrPF). The immobilized biomimetic [Fe2S2] catalyst inside the MOF shows great improvement in hydrogen generation compared to the reference homogeneous catalyst complex 1.