A bridged ruthenium dimer (Ru–Ru) for photoreduction of CO 2 under visible light irradiation

Abstract A bridged binuclear complex consisting of two ruthenium units (Ru–Ru) connected through a bridging ligand was synthesized, in which one unit serves as a photosensitizer, while another unit works as a catalyst. The synthesized Ru–Ru photocatalyst was tested for photoreduction of CO 2 to give CO and HCOOH under visible light irradiation in the presence of triethanolamine as a sacrificial donor. The yield of CO and HCOOH was found to be 54 ppm and 28 ppm respectively after 12 h of irradiation. Due to the binding of photosensitizer and catalyst units in a single molecule via bridging ligand provides faster and efficient electron transfer from sensitizer to catalyst unit which resulted in the higher activity and better product yields.