Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Production and Polymerization using Triarylboron-Functionalized Iridium(III) Complexes

Area of Science:

• Organometallic Chemistry
• Photochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Iridium(III) complexes are crucial in photochemistry due to tunable properties.
• Developing efficient catalysts for hydrogen production and polymerization is a key research area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel dimesitylboron-containing iridium(III) complexes.
• To evaluate their performance as photosensitizers for water splitting and photocatalysts for polymerization.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and full characterization (electrochemical, photophysical, computational) of three heteroleptic iridium(III) complexes.
• Testing complexes in visible-light-driven hydrogen generation and methyl methacrylate photopolymerization.

Main Results:

• Tuning N^N ligand conjugation adjusted luminescence from 583 to 631 nm.
• All complexes showed activity in both hydrogen photogeneration and polymerization.
• Complex 1 achieved over 1158 turnover numbers for photosensitization, generating hydrogen for 20 hours.
• Photoinduced polymerization yielded poly(methyl methacrylate) with narrow molecular weight distribution and demonstrated living characteristics.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized iridium(III) complexes exhibit tunable photophysical properties.
• They are effective visible-light-driven catalysts for both water splitting and polymerization.
• These findings highlight their potential for diverse photochemical applications.