Ru- and Ir-complex decorated periodic mesoporous organosilicas as sensitizers for artificial photosynthesis
Raúl Rojas‐Luna, Miguel Castillo‐Rodríguez, José Rafael Ruiz, César Jiménez‐Sanchidrián, Dolores Esquivel, Francisco J. Romero‐Salguero
Abstract
a co-condensation method. Upon attachment of Ru- and Ir-complexes to the pendant N-chelating heterocyclic ligands, the resulting decorated PMOs have acted as photosensitizers in artificial photosynthetic systems. The deposition of Pt on these PMOs has allowed us to obtain efficient photocatalytic materials for the hydrogen evolution reaction as a result of electron transfer from the light harvesting Ru- and Ir-complexes to the supported Pt nanoparticles through methyl viologen as an electron relay. They have exhibited total turnover number values of 573 and 846, respectively, under visible light irradiation. The role played by each component and the stability of the photocatalytic systems have been discussed. The present approach paves the way to the synthesis of different materials with coordination sites capable of forming surface complexes to be applied as sensitizers and catalysts.