Photocatalytic Systems for CO2 Reduction: Metal-Complex Photocatalysts and Their Hybrids with Photofunctional Solid Materials

CONSPECTUS: Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is a critical objective in the field of artificial photosynthesis because it can potentially make a total solution for global warming and shortage of energy and carbon resources. We have successfully developed various highly efficient, stable, and selective photocatalytic systems for CO2 reduction using transition metal complexes as both photosensitizers and catalysts. The molecular architectures for constructing selective and efficient photocatalytic systems for CO2 reduction are discussed herein. As a typical example, a mixed system of a ring-shaped Re(I) trinuclear complex as a photosensitizer and fac-[Re(bpy)(CO)(3){OC2H4N(C2H4OH)(2)}] as a catalyst selectively photocatalyzed CO2 reduction to CO with the highest quantum yield of 82% and a turnover number (TON) of over 600. Not only rare and noble metals but also earth abundant ones, such as Mn(I), Cu(I), and Fe(II) can be used as central metal cations. In the case using a Cu(I) dinuclear complex as a photosensitizer and fac-Mn(bpy)(CO)(3)Br as a catalyst, the total formation quantum yield of CO and HCOOH from CO2 was 57% and TONCO+HCOOH exceeded 1300. Efficient supramolecular photocatalysts for CO2 reduction, in which photosensitizer and catalyst units are connected through a bridging ligand, were developed for removing a diffusion control on collisions between a photosensitizer and a catalyst. Supramolecular photocatalysts, in which [Ru(N boolean AND N)(3)](2+)-type photosensitizer and Re(I) or Ru(II) catalyst units are connected to each other with an alkyl chain, efficiently and selectively photocatalyzed CO2 reduction in solutions. Mechanistic studies using time-resolved IR and electrochemical measurements provided molecular architecture for constructing efficient supramolecular photocatalysts. A Ru(II)-Re(I) supramolecular photocatalyst constructed according to this molecular architecture efficiently photocatalyzed CO2 reduction even when it was fixed on solid materials. Harnessing this property of the supramolecular photocatalysts, two types of hybrid photocatalytic systems were developed, namely, photocatalysts with light-harvesting capabilities and photoelectrochemical systems for CO2 reduction. Introduction of light-harvesting capabilities into molecular photocatalytic systems should be important because the intensity of solar light shone on the earth's surface is relatively low. Periodic mesoporous organosilica, in which methyl acridone groups are embedded in the silica framework as light harvesters, was combined with a Ru(II)-Re(I) supramolecular photocatalyst with phosphonic acid anchoring groups. In this hybrid, the photons absorbed by approximately 40 methyl acridone groups were transferred to one Ru(II) photosensitizer unit, and then, the photocatalytic CO2 reduction commenced. To use water as an abundant electron donor, we developed hybrid photocatalytic systems combining metal-complex photocatalysts with semiconductor photocatalysts that display high photooxidation powers, in which two photons are sequentially absorbed by the metal-complex photosensitizer and the semiconductor, resulting in both high oxidation and reduction power. Various types of dye sensitized molecular photocathodes comprising the p-type semiconductor electrodes and the supramolecular photocatalysts were developed. Full photoelectrochemical cells combining these dye-sensitized molecular photocathodes and n-type semiconductor photoanodes achieved CO2 reduction using only visible light as the energy source and water as the reductant. Drastic improvement of dye-sensitized molecular photocathodes is reported. The results presented in this Account clearly indicate that we can construct very efficient, selective, and durable photocatalytic systems constructed with the metal-complex photosensitizers and catalysts. The supramolecular-photocatalyst architecture in which the photosensitizer and the catalyst are connected to each other is useful especially on the surface of solid owing to rapid electron transfer from the photosensitizer to the catalyst. On basis of these findings, we successfully constructed hybrid systems of the supramolecular photocatalysts with photoactive solid materials. These hybridizations can add new functions to the metal-complex photocatalytic systems, such as water oxidation and light harvesting.

Automated summary

The development of highly efficient, stable, and selective photocatalytic systems for CO2 reduction using transition metal complexes as both photosensitizers and catalysts has been successful. Various molecular architectures have been discussed for constructing such systems. Hybrid systems combining metal-complex photocatalysts with semiconductor photocatalysts have shown high photooxidation powers for both oxidation and reduction processes.