In situ x-ray absorption investigations of a heterogenized molecular catalyst and its interaction with a carbon nanotube support

A highly active heterogenized molecular CO₂ reduction catalyst on a conductive carbon support is investigated to identify if its improved catalytic activity can be attributed to strong electronic interactions between catalyst and support. The molecular structure and electronic character of a [Re⁺¹1(tBu-bpy)(CO)₃Cl] (tBu-bpy = 4,4′-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine) catalyst deposited on multiwalled carbon nanotubes are characterized using Re L₃-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy under electrochemical conditions and compared to the homogeneous catalyst. The Re oxidation state is characterized from the near-edge absorption region, while structural changes of the catalyst are assessed from the extended x-ray absorption fine structure under reducing conditions. Chloride ligand dissociation and a Re-centered reduction are both observed under applied reducing potential. The results confirm weak coupling of [Re(tBu-bpy)(CO)₃Cl] with the support, since the supported catalyst exhibits the same oxidation changes as the homogeneous case. However, these results do not preclude strong interactions between a reduced catalyst intermediate and the support, preliminarily investigated here using quantum mechanical calculations. Thus, our results suggest that complicated linkage schemes and strong electronic interactions with the initial catalyst species are not required to improve the activity of heterogenized molecular catalysts.