S45 Metal Mediated Hydrogen Production and Activation Inspired by Nature

Organizers
Professor Thomas B. Rauchfuss, University of Illinois, USA
Professor Seiji Ogo, Kyushu University, Japan
Professor Yoshiki Higuchi, University of Hyogo, Japan
Associate Professor Takahiro Matsumoto, Kyushu University, Japan
Associate Professor Ming-His Chiang, Institute of Chemistry Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Assistant Professor Hannah S. Shafaat, Ohio State University, USA
Professor Wolfgang Weigand, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

Keywords of the session

hydrogenase mimics, hydrogen production, hydrogen activation, electrocatalyst, photocatalyst

Scope of the session

Hydrogen is currently considered as a promising post-oil energy carrier owing to its remarkable properties such as its environmental neutrality, clean aerobic combustion with a high specific energy value, and its ability to be stored in large quantities. In this context, great attention has been paid to proteins called hydrogenases, which are known to serve as highly active catalysts for H2 evolution in Nature. In the last years, a large variety of hydrogenase mimics have been developed to test their electrocatalytic or photocatalytic ability for H2 production and uptake.The session will cover all topical issues of hydrogenase research, e.g. functional models of [Fe], [FeFe] and [NiFe] hydrogenases, mononuclear earth abundant hydride complexes (Co, Ni, Cu…), multicomponent systems with commonly used organometallic photosensitizers of either Ru, Re, Rh, or Ir, and [FeFe] hydrogenase mimics bearing sensitizer–catalyst dyads, in which a light harvester is covalently linked to. The 2.5 days session will be divided in several topics like synthesis of hydrogenase mimicks, (photo)chemical mechanisms of catalytic hydrogen evolution reactions, synergistic effects by combining molecular systems with matrix material, electrode materials and artificial photosynthetic systems, theoretical calculations and investigation of hydrogenase models, to mention a few. This session is a wonderful opportunity to get a better understanding on how active site synthetic analogues of hydrogenases are made, on the mechanisms of their performance at a molecular level and how economically viable electro/photocatalytic systems will be designed.