Iron and cobalt corroles in solution and on carbon nanotubes as molecular photocatalysts for hydrogen production by water reduction

Abstract

Here we report the use of cobalt and iron corrole complexes ascatalysts of H2O reduction to generate H2. Electro and photocatalysishas been used in the case of dissolved corroles for water reductionwith inspiring results. Carbon nanotubes doped with corroles wereused as photo-electrochemical catalysts allowing getting very lowoverpotential values and increased hydrogen production, achievingincredibly high turnover numbers and turnover frequencies of ca. 107and 105, respectively. Through this last process we were able toobtain 1mmol of H2 by using minuscule amounts of catalyst, in theorder of pictograms. The reactions can be carried out in water,without the need of organic solvents. Remarkably, thephotoelectrochemical catalytic efficiency was increased by five ordersof magnitude when adsorbing the molecular catalysts onto carbonnanotubes.