Sustainable hybrid nanocatalysts based on fundamentally new photoactive complexes with Earth-abundant metals

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Cui Wang
• Subject Area: Inorganic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation ; Analytical Chemistry ; Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis ; Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
• Term: from 2021 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 496811278

• Final Report Year: 2024

Final Report Abstract

In the frame of the Walter Benjamin fellowship, C. Wang mainly worked with photoactive complexes made of earth-abundant metals, in terms of the molecular design and synthesis as well as their investigation in photon upconversion and photocatalysis. This includes a) a mechanistic study of cage escape quantum yields obtained with catalysts based on RuII and CrIII complexes and their role in photoredox catalytic reactions; b) investigation of a luminescent 3d6 Cr0 metal complex for sensitizing photon upconversion and photocatalysis; c) metalorganic bichromophore enables photon upconversion and promotes UV-dependent chemical reactions with blue light; d) a ZnII carbene complexes shows thermally activated delayed fluorescence and allows dexter energy transfer catalysis. These studies reveal the decisive role of cage escape quantum yield in photoredox catalysis, offer novel strategies for driving photochemical reactions with low-energy light, and promise a sustainable potential of using earth-abundant metal complexes for light harvesting and catalysis.

Publications

• An Air‐ and Moisture‐stable Zinc(II) Carbene Dithiolate Dimer Showing Fast Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence and Dexter Energy Transfer Catalysis**. Chemistry – A European Journal, 29(23).
  Mrózek, Ondřej; Mitra, Mousree; Hupp, Bejamin; Belyaev, Andrey; Lüdtke, Nora; Wagner, Dorothee; Wang, Cui; Wenger, Oliver S.; Marian, Christel M. & Steffen, Andreas
  
• First‐Row d6 Metal Complex Enables Photon Upconversion and Initiates Blue Light‐Dependent Polymerization with Red Light. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 62(43).
  Wang, Cui; Wegeberg, Christina & Wenger, Oliver S.
  
• Metal–Organic Bichromophore Lowers the Upconversion Excitation Power Threshold and Promotes UV Photoreactions. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 145(20), 11402-11414.
  Li, Han; Wang, Cui; Glaser, Felix; Sinha, Narayan & Wenger, Oliver S.
  
• Cage escape governs photoredox reaction rates and quantum yields. Nature Chemistry, 16(7), 1151-1159.
  Wang, Cui; Li, Han; Bürgin, Tobias H. & Wenger, Oliver S.