Electronic Tuning of Iridium(III)-Terpyridine Photocatalysts via the C_aryl^C_NHC-Chelate Ligands for Highly Selective...

There is a significant challenge to achieving high selectivity and efficiency in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Multifunctional photocatalysts are hoped to solve present problems through improving electron transfer, visible light absorption, and electron structure adjustment. Herein, two new [Ir(N^N^N)(C^C)X]⁺-type Ir(III)-terpyridine complexes (Ir-pmi and Ir-pbmi) were designed as multifunctional photocatalysts for CO₂ reduction, featuring C_aryl^C_NHC-chelate ligands with strong electron-donating N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) groups. Crucially, through the conjugation and weak electron-withdrawing effects of the benzene rings in the C_aryl^C_NHC-chelate ligand, the electronic structure of the Ir metal center is precisely regulated to suppress the competitive H₂ evolution reaction. Ir-pbmi exhibits excellent performance in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to CO, with a turnover number (TON) of 190, a maximum turnover frequency (TOF^max) of 20 h^-1, and a selectivity as high as 98%. Experiments combined with theoretical calculations confirm the regulatory effect of the ligand on the electronic structure of the active center and reveal the intrinsic mechanism and dynamic process of its photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. This work provides new insight for the design and catalytic mechanism research of Ir(III)-terpyridine photocatalysts.