A Journey to Molecular Electro(Photo-)anodes for Water Oxidation

Abstract

The growing effects of climate change make it increasingly urgent to find sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. Artificial photosynthesis offers a promising route toward this goal, as it allows sunlight to be directly converted into chemical energy. This PhD thesis focuses on the water oxidation reaction, a key step in artificial photosynthesis, using molecular catalysts based on Ru and Cu. These catalysts were synthesized and immobilized on different solid supports, including graphitic materials, metal oxides, and inorganic semiconductors, to create hybrid molecular electro(photo)anodes.The resulting systems were systematically studied through electrochemical and photoelectrochemical experiments to evaluate their catalytic activity, stability, and underlying mechanisms. The results provide a detailed understanding of how the interaction between the molecular complex and the surface affects catalytic performance and the water oxidation pathway.

By combining molecular catalysts with solid supports, this work contributes to the rational design of hybrid materials for solar energy conversion and advances the broader development of molecular-based solar fuel technologies.

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