Iron or nickel complexes bearing diphosphine and BIAN ligands as electrocatalysts for H₂ evolution

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

New effective electrocatalysts, namely iron complexes bearing diphosphine and BIAN ligands, with high catalytic hydrogen evolution rates were found. An efficient ligand substituents combination in eight-membered cyclic diphosphine containing pendant amines and innocent BIAN results in high hydrogen production rate at low catalysis potential, −0.5 V ref. Fc⁺/Fc. It is possible to involve the iron complexes with diazadiphosphocyclooctane ligands in hydrogen catalysis by entering the additional redox active ligand into the coordination sphere.

KEYWORDS:

• Catalysis
• iron complexes
• BIAN
• diazadiphosphacyclooctane
• hydrogen evolution

Funding

This work was supported by RFBR (grant No. 16-03-00195).