Photoactive iron complexes

Description

Our research is focused on iron complexes with photochemically active excited states that engage in e.g. interfacial electron transfer, redox reactions with molecular electron donors and acceptors, or symmetry-breaking charge separation. To this end, we are characterizing novel ferrous and ferric complexes with regard to their photophysical and electrochemical properties and their excited state dynamics and reactivity.

With suitable complexes, we are studying the photo-induced formation of reactive open-shell species in solution as well as carrier generation at semiconductor interfaces and in thin films. These processes can be exploited in photoredox catalysis and might find applications in e.g. solar-to-chemical energy conversion and photovoltaics.

More information

1. Zhang, M.; Johnson, C. E.; Ilic, A.; Schwarz, J.; Johansson, M. B.; Lomoth, R., High-Efficiency Photoinduced Charge Separation in Fe(III)carbene Thin Films. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 19171-19176. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c05404
2. Kaul, N.; Lomoth R., The Carbene Cannibal: Photoinduced Symmetry-Breaking Charge Separation in an Fe(III) N-Heterocyclic Carbene. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2021, 143, 10816-10821. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c03770
3. Ilic, A.; Strücker, B. R.; Johnson, C. E., Hainz, S.; Lomoth R. and Wärnmark K., Aminomethylations of electron-deficient compounds—bringing iron photoredox catalysis into play. Chem. Sci. 2024, 15, 12077-12085, DOI: 10.1039/D4SC02612H
4. Ilic, A.; Schwarz, J.; Johnson, C.; De Groot, L.H.M.; Kaufhold, S.; Lomoth, R.; Wärnmark, K., Photoredox catalysis via consecutive 2LMCT- and 3MLCT-excitation of an Fe(III/II)-N-heterocyclic carbene complex. Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 9165–9175. DOI: 10.1039/D2SC02122F
5. Kjær, K. S.; Kaul, N.; Prakash, O.; Chabera, P.; Rosemann, N. W.; Honarfar, A.; Gordivska, O.; Fredin, L. A.; Bergquist, K. E.; Häggström, L.; Ericsson, T.; Lindh, L.; Yartsev, A.; Styring, S.; Huang, P.; Uhlig, J.; Bendix, J.; Strand, D.; Sundström, V.; Persson, P.; Lomoth, R.; Wärnmark, K., Luminescence and reactivity of a charge-transfer excited iron complex with nanosecond lifetime. Science, 2019, 363, 249-253. DOI: 10.1126/science.aau7160