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Hydrogen evolution catalysis by terminal molybdenum-oxo complexes
Pinky Yadav1, Izana Nigel-Etinger1, Amit Kumar1
1Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Iscience
|August 25, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed new molybdenum catalysts for hydrogen evolution. While some showed instability, one excelled in acidic water, demonstrating potential for sustainable green energy applications.
Area of Science:
- Catalysis
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Electrochemistry
Background:
- Terminal metal-oxygen bonds in stable complexes are typically poor hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts.
- Molybdenum is a sustainable heavy transition metal with potential for green energy applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and evaluate novel (oxo)molybdenum(V) corrole complexes as potential HER catalysts.
- To investigate if proton-assisted reduction can generate hyper-reactive molybdenum(III) species for efficient hydrogen production.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of three distinct (oxo)molybdenum(V) corrole complexes.
- Electrochemical characterization to determine redox potentials and catalytic onset potentials for proton reduction.
- Testing catalyst performance under both homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions in acidic water.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in redox potentials were observed among the complexes, influencing catalytic onset potentials.
- Two promising complexes exhibited instability under practical conditions.
- The smallest, most electron-withdrawing catalyst demonstrated excellent performance under heterogeneous conditions, achieving 97% Faradaic efficiency for HER.
Conclusions:
- Molybdenum corrole complexes can be engineered for efficient hydrogen evolution, despite initial stability challenges.
- Heterogeneous catalysis with optimized molybdenum complexes shows significant promise for HER.
- This work highlights molybdenum-based catalysts as viable candidates for sustainable green energy technologies.
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