Stilbene-incorporated platinum(II) di-yne electrocatalysts for generating hydrogen from acetic acid

Abstract

Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a potential alternative to fossil fuels since it is a green energy source with high energy density and non-polluting combustion materials. We present herein the electrochemical properties and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) ability of two Pt(II) diynes (Pt-Sb-Pt & Sb-Pt-Sb) bearing stilbene unit. Both complexes catalyzed the HER in acidic media. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculation was carried out at B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theory in gas phases as well as in the solvent (DMF) to delineate the possible mechanism of HER. We demonstrated that the studied Pt(II) electrocatalysts shift the reduction potential noticeably. However, no apparent role of photo-switchable stilbene fragment on electrolysis was observed and the presence of ethynyl moiety was necessary for stabilization of the metal center. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study highlighting the electrocatalytic HER by platina-ynes.