Size and Electronic Effects on Redox Potentials and Electrocatalytic Processes Performed by Corrole-Chelated Metal Complexes
Authors: Mahammed Atif , Kumar Sachin , Kumar Amit , Raslin Arik , Gross Zeev 
Published: August 2024

The future of our planet critically depends on the introduction of new or improved strategies for developing non-polluting energy production. Leading approaches are the electrocatalytic production of hydrogen gas, development of fuel cells relying on efficient reduction of oxygen and either gaseous or liquid fuels, as well as efficient reduction of carbon dioxide. Metal complexes chelated by N4 macrocycles serve as excellent catalysts in many of these processes, performed at both homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions. Our contributions to those aspect focused on introducing metallocorroles as catalysts for reduction of protons, oxygen and carbon dioxide, as well as for water oxidation [1-5]. The common motif in these and other publications was to take advantage of the relatively easy functionalization of the macrocyclic periphery for the tuning of properties and reactivity. A significant game changer was the recently reported synthetic access to corroles with meso-CF3 substituents and even to the parent corrole with no substituents whatsoever [6]. These developments allow for a focus on the size effect, which according to both hypothesis and fast accumulating results has a very strong effect (“smaller is better”) on the performance of electrodes modified by the corresponding metal complexes [7-9].

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