A Ru(II)–Mn(I) Supramolecular Photocatalyst for CO2 Reduction

Supramolecular photocatalysts for CO2 reduction, constituted of redox photosensitizer, catalyst, and bridging ligand, play crucial roles in constructing hybrid systems with solid materials and photoelectrochemical cells for artificial photosynthesis. We report the first supramolecular photocatalysts with a Mn­(I) catalyst [MnBr­(CO)3(BL)] and photosensitizer unit(s) [Ru­(dmb)2(BL)]2+ (dmb = 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine, BL = bridging ligand). A 1:1 ratio between the redox photosensitizer and catalyst units showed higher activity for HCOOH formation in comparison to the corresponding mixed system of mononuclear complexes.