We study the electrochemical, spectroscopic, and photocatalytic properties of a series of Ru(II)−Re(I) binuclear complexes linked by bridging ligands 1,3-bis(4′-methyl-[2,2′]bipyridinyl-4-yl)propan-2-ol (bpyC 3 bpy) and 4-methyl-4′-[1,10]phenanthroline- [5,6-d]imidazol-2-yl)bipyridine (mfibpy) and a tetranuclear complex in which three [Re(CO) 3 Cl] moieties are coordinated to the central Ru using the bpyC 3 bpy ligands. In the bpyC 3 bpy binuclear complexes, 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine (dmb) and 4,4′-bis(trifluoromethyl)-2,2′-bipyridine ({CF 3 } 2 bpy), as well as 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy), were used as peripheral ligands on the Ru moiety. Greatly improved photocatalytic activities were obtained only in the cases of [Ru{bpyC 3 bpyRe(CO) 3 Cl} 3 ] 2+ (RuRe 3 ) and the binuclear complex [(dmb) 2 Ru(bpyC 3 bpy)Re-(CO) 3 Cl] 2+ (d 2 Ru−Re), while photocatalytic responses were extended further into the visible region. The excited state of ruthenium in all Ru−Re complexes was efficiently quenched by 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide (BNAH). Following reductive quenching in the case of d 2 Ru−Re, generation of the one-electron-reduced (OER) species, for which the added electron resides on the Ru-bound bpy end of the bridging ligand bpyC 3 bpy, was confirmed by transient absorption spectroscopy. The reduced Re moiety was produced via a relatively slow intramolecular electron transfer, from the reduced Ru-bound bpy to the Re site, occurring at an exchange rate (∆G ∼ 0). Electron transfer need not be rapid, since the rate-determining process is reduction of CO 2 with the OER species of the Re site. Comparison of these results with those for other bimetallic systems gives us more general architectural pointers for constructing supramolecular photocatalysts for CO 2 reduction.

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A titanium-boron binary oxide has been prepared by the sol-gel method and used as a photocatalyst for the decomposition of water. The structure of titanium oxide species in the Ti/B binary oxide was amorphous before and crystal after calcination in O2, while the boron oxide species retained its amorphous state. Pt-loaded Ti/B photocatalysts were found to decompose water stoichiometrically in aqueous suspension systems. Their photocatalytic activities decreased markedly with increase in the calcination temperature, indicating that the photocatalytic activity of the Ti/B binary oxide was strongly dependent on the crystal phase of the titanium oxide.