Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes relevant to the catalytic processes in artificial photosynthesis

Abstract

Una de les estratègies en el campde la fotosíntesis artificial consisteix en un sistema modular en que els diferents components indispensables d’un un aparell funcional són estudiats de manera independent per al seu futur acoblament. Aquesta tesi s’ha centraten la sintesis i caracterització d’una sèrie de nous compostos mono- i dinuclears de ruteni amb lligands de tipus polipiridil. S’ha estudiat l’aplicabilitat d’aquests nous compostos com a catalitzadors en processos tant importants com son l’oxidació d’ aigua a oxigen molecular i la reduccio de diòxid de carboni a àcid fòrmic. També, s’han estudiat en gran detall les propietats d’origen supramolecular detectades en els compostos dinuclears, fomentat per la directa implicació d’aquest tipus d’interaccions en els processos catalítics estudiats.

Artificial photosynthesis seeks to functionally mimik the photosynthetic process carried out by nature, and combine the energy from the sun with water to obain a “solar” fuel like hydrogen. One of the strategies in the field, consists on a modular approach in which all the components needed are studied independently, in view of their future assembly in a final operative device. This thesis has been focused on the synthesis and characterization of a series of new mono and dinuclear ruthenium componud with polylpyridylic ligands. The aplication of these new compounds as catalysts in very important processes such as water oxidation and CO2 reduction has been studied. Additionally, the suprmolecular properties detected in the dinuclear compounds has been studied in great detail, which has been promoted by the direct implication of such type of interactions in the catalytic processes studied.