Water electrooxidation using ruthenium based complexes and hybrid organosilica nanomaterials as an effective heterogeneous molecular anode

Our society is currently solving one of the most important questions since the beginning of the industrial revolution, i.e. finding a cheap, fully "green" replacement for fossil fuels with a similar energy density. Many consider hydrogen to be the fuel of the future, but the lack of a green production method hinders its development. A possible solution is the electrocatalytic decomposition of small molecules, such as a water oxidation reaction (WOR). This process generates H2 from the ubiquitous water, releasing only harmless O2 and H2. Despite considerable progress, current molecular catalysts for WOR are hindered by the general limits of homogeneous catalysis. Currently, a promising solution lies in immobilising a molecular catalyst onto the surface of the electrode, thus creating a so-called molecular heterogeneous anode. The proposed project combines research on homogeneous electrocatalysts for WOR with hybrid organosilane materials to prepare heterogeneous molecular anodes with a defined catalytic mechanism, excellent performance and stability.