Visible Light-Driven Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis by Heteroleptic Ni(II) Complexes with Chelating Nitrogen Ligands: Probing Ligand Substituent Position and Photosensitizer Effects

This study aims to advance the field of green chemistry and catalysis by exploring alternatives to conventional non-renewable energy sources. Emphasis is placed on hydrogen as a potential fuel, with a focus on the catalytic properties of Ni(II) complexes when coordinated with o-phenylenediamine and diimine ligands. We report the synthesis and comprehensive characterization, with various physical and spectroscopic techniques, of three heteroleptic Ni(II) complexes: [Ni(1,10-phenanthroline)(o-phenylene diamine)] (1), [Ni(2,2-dimethyl-2,2-bipyridine)(o-phenylene diamine)] (2), and [Ni(5,5-dimethyl-2,2-bipyridine)(o-phenylene diamine)] (3). The catalytic activity of these complexes for hydrogen evolution was assessed through photochemical studies utilizing visible light irradiation. Two distinct photosensitizers, fluorescein and quantum dots, were examined under diverse conditions. Additionally, their electrocatalytic behavior was investigated to elucidate the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) mechanism, revealing a combined proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET)/electron-coupled proton transfer (ECPT) mechanism attributed to the chemical nature of the diamine ligand. The influence of ligand substituent position, ligand chemical nature, and photosensitizer type on catalytic performance was systematically studied. Among the complexes investigated, complex 2 demonstrated superior catalytic performance, achieving a turnover number (TON) of 3357 in photochemical experiments using fluorescein as a photosensitizer. Conversely, complex 1 exhibited the highest TON of 30,066 for HER when quantum dots were employed as the photosensitizer.