Electrochemical CO2 Reduction at Glassy Carbon Electrodes Functionalized by MnI and ReI Organometallic Complexes

The catalytic activities towards electrochemical CO2 reduction of two new rhenium and manganese complexes, namely fac-Mn(apbpy)(CO)(3)Br (1) and fac-Re(apbpy)(CO)(3)Cl (2) (apbpy= 4-(4-aminophenyl)-2,2'-bipyridine), in both homogeneous and heterogeneous phases are compared. A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface has been functionalized with complexes 1 and 2 by two approaches: a) direct electrochemical oxidation of the amino group with formation of C-N bonds, and b) electrochemical reduction of the corresponding diazonium salts with formation of C-C bonds. The chemically modified GCEs show efficient conversion of CO2 into CO, with turnover numbers (TONs) about 60 times higher than those of the corresponding catalysts in homogeneous solutions, and in a much shorter time.