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Organometallics and Related Molecules for Energy Conversion pp 347–364Cite as

Molecular Catalysts and Organometallics for Water Oxidation

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Part of the book series: Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology ((GCST))

Abstract

Water can be used as a cheap and renewable source of electrons and protons to make nonfossil fuel-based chemical energy carriers for a sustainable power supply. However, water oxidation is an intricate chemical process and an energy-intensive reaction involving the removal of four electrons with the release of four protons at the same time. Inside the thylakoid membrane in plant leaves is embedded a manganese-calcium molecular cluster in natural photosystem II (PS-II), which represents an excellent model for designing an artificial equivalent of the photosynthesis for light-to-fuel conversion via water splitting. Inspired by the natural PS-II, the scientific community has been striving hard during the last two decades to develop a bio-inspired catalytic system for water oxidation. However, a truly biomimetic catalytic system matching the performance of photosystem for efficient water splitting operating with four consecutive proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) steps to generate oxygen and hydrogen for hundred thousands of cycles at high rate is yet to be demonstrated. In this chapter, we provide an insight regarding the biomimetic approaches to make molecular and organometallic water oxidation complexes that have been investigated recently in homogeneous solution catalysis using chemical oxidants or as surface-immobilized heterogeneous species for electro-assisted catalytic systems. After comparing their catalytic activities and stabilities, an overview of the mechanistic aspects is also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Gorlaeus Laboratory, Leiden University, 9502, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Khurram Saleem Joya

  2. Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 4700 KAUST, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia

    Khurram Saleem Joya

  3. Department of Chemistry, University of Engineering and Technology, GT Road, 54890, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

    Khurram Saleem Joya

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  1. Khurram Saleem Joya
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Correspondence to Khurram Saleem Joya .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

    Wai-Yeung Wong

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Joya, K.S. (2015). Molecular Catalysts and Organometallics for Water Oxidation. In: Wong, WY. (eds) Organometallics and Related Molecules for Energy Conversion. Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46054-2_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46054-2_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-46053-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-46054-2

  • eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)

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