Electrochemical CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction with a Heterogenized Iridium−Pincer Catalyst in Water
Jonathan De Tovar, Ashta C. Ghosh, Tom Di Santo, Mathieu Curtil, Dmitry Aldakov, Matthieu Koepf, Marcello Gennari
Abstract
Abstract Immobilization of well‐defined homogenous (electro)catalysts onto conductive supports offers an attractive strategy for designing advanced functional materials for energy conversion. In this context, this study reports (i) the introduction of a pyrene anchoring group on a PNP−pincer Ir I complex previously described as a selective catalyst for the electrodriven CO 2 reduction (CO 2 RR) into CO in DMF/water mixtures, (ii) the comparison of its CO 2 RR activity in DMF/water mixtures with the ones of two pyrene‐free reference complexes, and (iii) its activity in pure water after immobilization onto carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Surprisingly, in homogeneous conditions we find HCOO − , instead of CO, as the main CO 2 reduction product for the three catalysts. After immobilization on CNTs, even if non‐negligible competitive proton reduction reaction is observed in fully aqueous media, the complex is still able to drive CO 2 RR and produce HCOO − with a significantly lower overpotential with respect to solution studies.