Impact of Ligand Modification on Hydrogen Photogeneration and Light-Harvesting Applications Using Cyclometalated Iridium Complexes

To explore structure activity relationships with respect to light-harvesting behavior, a family of bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes [Ir(C boolean AND N)(2)(Hbpdc)] 2-5 (where C boolean AND N = 2-phenylbenzothiazole and its functionalized derivatives, and H(2)bpdc =2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylate) was synthesized using a facile method. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of these complexes were investigated and compared to those of analogue 1 (C boolean AND N = (4-trifluoromethyl)-2-phenylbenzothiazole); they were also investigated theoretically using density functional theory. The molecular structures of complexes 2-4 were determined by X-ray crystallography, which revealed typical octahedral coordination geometry. The structural modifications involved in the complexes were accomplished through the attributes of electron-withdrawing CF3 and electron-donating NMe2 substituents. The UV-vis spectra of these species, except for that of 5, displayed a broad absorption in the low-energy region, which originated from metal-to-ligand charge-transfer transitions. These complexes were found to exhibit visible-light-induced hydrogen production and light-to-electricity conversion in photoelectrochemical cells. The yield of hydrogen production from water using these complexes was compared, which revealed substantial dependences on their structures, particularly on the substituent of the cyclometalated ligand. Among the systems, the highest turnover number of 1501 was achieved with complex 2, in which the electron-withdrawing CF3 substituent was connected to a phenyl ring of the cyclometalated ligand. The carboxylate anchoring groups made the complexes highly suitable for grafting onto TiO2 (P25) surfaces for efficient electron transfer and thus resulted in an enhancement of hydrogen evolution compared to the unattached homogeneous systems. In addition, the combined incorporation of the electron-donating NMe2 group and the electron-withdrawing CF3 substituent on the cyclometalated ligand caused complex 5 to not work well for hydrogen production. Their incorporation, however, enhanced the performance of 5 in the light-harvesting application in nanocrystalline TiO2 dye-sensitized solar cells, which was attributed to the intense absorption in the visible region.