Electrochemical reduction of CO2 can provide a cost- and energy-efficient avenue to form usable carbon-based fuels when powered with renewable energy harnessed from wind and solar. The energy cost of CO2 reduction can be further mitigated through the use of a catalyst. Herein, we describe the electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical characterization of Ru(II) complexes containing redox-active S2N2 triaryl or diaryl ligands – Ru(MeSNNSMe-DAB)(PPh3) (1) and Ru(MeSNNSMe-DAE)(PPh3) (2), respectively – being investigated as electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction. A unique feature of 1 and 2 is that they participate in metal-ligand cooperative (MLC) binding with BH3 to form 3 and 4 (Chart 1). In this presentation, I will discuss the spectroelectrochemical analysis of 1 – 4 in THF and describe how their cyclic voltammograms vary in the presence and absence of the conjugated aryl backbone and MLC-bound BH3. I will then describe controlled potential electrolysis (CPE) of CO2 with solutions of 1 and 2 under various conditions. The effects of ligand variations, proton sources, and gaseous environments will be discussed.

Electrochemical and electrocatalytic analysis of Ru(II) complexes with redox-active S2N2 ligands: Applications towards CO2 reduction

2019 Fall National Meeting

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