Control of Redox Events by Dye Encapsulation Applied to Light-Driven Splitting of Hydrogen Sulfide

Solar production of hydrogen by consuming low-value waste products is an attractive pathway that has both economic and environmental benefits. Inspired by the reactive pocket of enzymes, a synthetic platform to combine photocatalytic hydrogen evolution with sulfide oxidation in a one-pot process via control over the location of the electron-transfer steps is developed. The redox-active coordination vessel Ni-TFT, which has an octahedral pocket, encapsulates an organic dye to pre-organize for photocatalytic proton reduction via an oxidative quenching pathway using the nickel corners as catalysts, generating molecular hydrogen and the oxidized dye. The oxidized dye is displaced by a neutral dye and oxidizes sulfide once outside the pocket to give element sulfur. The overall reaction constitutes hydrogen sulfide splitting, forming molecular hydrogen and elemental sulfur, which is analogous to the water-splitting reaction.