Publication 762

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 136 (48), 16768-16771, 2014 DOI:10.1021/ja510290t
Selective and Efficient Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction to CO Using Visible Light and an Iron-Based Homogeneous Catalyst

Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire d'Electrochimie Moléculaire, UMR 7591 CNRS, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France

Converting CO2 into valuable compounds using sunlight as the energy input and an earth-abundant metal complex as the catalyst is an exciting challenge related to contemporary energy issues as well as to climate change. By using an inexpensive organic photosensitizer under visible-light excitation (lambda > 400 nm) and a substituted iron(0) tetraphenylporphyrin as a homogeneous catalyst, we have been able to generate carbon monoxide from CO2 selectively with high turnover numbers. Sustained catalytic activity over a long time period (t > 50 h) did not lead to catalyst or sensitizer deactivation. A catalytic mechanism is proposed.

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Highlighted in JACS Spotligths Dec 2014 http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja512261r
“Cheap Catalyst System Selectively Reduces Carbon Dioxide”