Artificial Photosynthesis

Catalyzing Sustainable Electrosynthesis

We develop catalysts for sustainable electrosynthesis to address climate change and rising global energy demands. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, which produces the value-added products needed to sustain life from light, water, and carbon dioxide, we use biological design principles to create synthetic molecular electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide capture and conversion as well as nitrogen/phosphorus cycling.

Related Publications

• Reviews
• Molecular Catalysis
• Bioinorganic, Organometallic, and Supramolecular Hybrids

Reviews

• 

  Porosity as a Design Element for Developing Catalytic Molecular Materials for Electrochemical and Photochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction

  245

  De La Torre, P.; An, L.; Chang, C. J.

  Adv. Mater. 2023, 35, e2302122

• 

  Hybrid Catalysts for Artificial Photosynthesis: Merging Approaches from Molecular, Materials, and Biological Catalysis

  200

  Smith, P. T,; Nichols, E. M.; Cao, Z.; Chang, C. J.

  Acc. Chem. Res. 2020, 53, 575–587

• 

  Metal-Polypyridyl Catalysts for Electro- and Photochemical Reduction of Water to Hydrogen

  140

  Zee, D. Z.; Chantarojsiri, T.; Long, J. R.; Chang, C. J.

  Acc. Chem. Res. 2015, 48, 2027-2036

• 

  Complexes of earth-abundant metals for catalytic electrochemical hydrogen generation under aqueous conditions

  107

  Thoi, V. S.; Sun, Y.; Long, J. R.; Chang, C. J.

  Chem. Soc. Rev. 2013, 42, 2388-2400

Molecular Catalysis

• 

  Multifunctional Charge and Hydrogen-Bond Effects of Second-Sphere Imidazolium Pendants Promote Capture and Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 in Water Catalyzed by Iron Porphyrins

  232

  Narouz, M. R.; De La Torre, P.; An, L.; Chang, C. J.

  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202207666

• 

  Exchange Coupling Determines Metal-Dependent Efficiency for Iron- and Cobalt-Catalyzed Photochemical CO2 Reduction

  231

  De La Torre, P.; Derrick, J. S.; Snider, A.; Smith, P. T.; Loipersberger, M.; Head-Gordon, M.; Chang, C. J.

  ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 8484-8493

• 

  Templating Bicarbonate in the Second Coordination Sphere Enhances Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Catalyzed by Iron Porphyrins

  229

  Derrick, J. S.; Loipersberger, M.; Nistanaki, S. K.; Rothweiler, A. V.; Head-Gordon, M.; Nichols, E. M.; Chang, C. J.

  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 11656-11663

• 

  Metal–Ligand Cooperativity via Exchange Coupling Promotes Iron- Catalyzed Electrochemical CO2 Reduction at Low Overpotentials

  213

  Derrick, J. S., Loipersberger, M.; Chatterjee, R.; Iovan, D. A.; Smith, P. T.; Chakarawet, K.; Yano, J.; Long, J. R.; Head-Gordon, M.; Chang, C. J.

  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 20489–20501

• 

  Positional effects of second-sphere amide pendants on electrochemical CO2 reduction catalyzed by iron porphyrins

  175

  Nichols, E. M.; Derrick, J. S.; Nistanaki, S. K.; Smith, P. T.; Chang, C. J.

  Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 2952-2960

• 

  Bioinspired design of redox-active ligands for multielectron catalysis: effects of positioning pyrazine reservoirs on cobalt for electro- and photocatalytic generation of hydrogen from water

  139

  Jurss, J. W.; Khnayzer, R. S.; Panetier, J. A.; El Roz, K. A.; Nichols, E. M.; Head-Gordon, M.; Long, J. R.; Castellano, F. N.; Chang, C. J.

  Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 4954-4972

• 

  Visible-Light Photoredox Catalysis: Selective Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Carbon Monoxide by a Nickel N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Isoquinoline Complex

  114

  Thoi, V. S.; Kornienko, N.; Margarit, C. G.; Yang, P.; Chang, C. J.

  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 14413-14424

• 

  A Molecular MoS2 Edge Site Mimic for Catalytic Hydrogen Generation

  91

  Karunadasa, H. I.; Montalvo, E.; Sun, Y.; Majda, M.; Long, J. R.; Chang, C. J.

  Science 2012, 335, 698-702

• 

  Molecular Cobalt Pentapyridine Catalysts for Generating Hydrogen from Water

  78

  Sun, Y.; Bigi, J. P.; Piro, N. A.; Tang, M. L.; Long, J. R.; Chang, C. J.

  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 9212-9215

• 

  A Molecular Molybdenum-Oxo Catalyst for Generating Hydrogen from Water

  58

  Karunadasa, H. I.; Chang, C. J.; Long, J. R.

  Nature 2010, 464, 1329-1333

Bioinorganic, Organometallic, and Supramolecular Hybrids

• 

  Supramolecular Enhancement of Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction Catalyzed by Cobalt Porphyrin Organic Cages for Ammonia Electrosynthesis in Water

  244

  An, L.; Narouz, M. R.; Smith, P. T.; De La Torre, P.; Chang, C. J.

  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202305719

• 

  Synergistic Porosity and Charge Effects in a Supramolecular Porphyrin Cage Promote Efficient Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

  236

  An, L.; De La Torre, P.; Smith, P. T.; Narouz, M. R.; Chang, C. J.

  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202209396

• 

  Supramolecular Tuning Enables Selective Oxygen Reduction Catalyzed by Cobalt Porphyrins for Direct Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide

  195

  Smith, P. T.; Kim, Y.; Benke, B. P.; Kim, K.; Chang, C. J.

  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 4902-4907

• 

  Iron Porphyrins Embedded into a Supramolecular Porous Organic Cage for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction in Water

  182

  Smith, P. T.; Benke, B. P.; Cao, Z.; Kim, Y.; Nichols, E. M.; Kim, K.; Chang, C. J.

  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 9684-9688

• 

  Chelating N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands Enable Tuning of Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Formate and Carbon Monoxide through Surface Organometallic Chemistry

  176

  Cao, Z.; Derrick, J. S.; Xu, J.*; Gao, R.; Gong, M.; Nichols, E. M.; Smith, P. T.; Liu, X.; Wen, X.; Coperet, C.; Chang, C. J.

  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 4981-4985

• 

  Supramolecular Porphyrin Cages Assembled at Molecular–Materials Interfaces for Electrocatalytic CO Reduction

  168

  Gong, M.; Cao, Z.; Liu, W.*; Nichols, E. M.; Smith, P. T.; Derrick, J. S.; Liu, Y. S.; Liu, J.; Wen, X.; Chang, C. J.

  ACS Cent. Sci. 2017, 3, 1032-1040

• 

  A Molecular Surface Functionalization Approach to Tuning Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts for Carbon Dioxide Reduction

  152

  Cao, Z.; Kim, D.; Yu, Y.; Xu, J.; Lin, S.; Wen, X.; Nichols, E. M.; Jeong, K.; Reimer, J. A.; Yang, P.; Chang, C. J.

  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 8120-8125

• 

  Hybrid bioinorganic approach to solar-to-chemical conversion

  143

  Nichols, E. M.; Gallagher, J. J.; Liu, C.; Su, Y.; Resasco, J.; Yu, Y.; Sun, Y.; Yang, P.; Chang, M. C. Y.; Chang, C. J.

  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2015, 112, 11461-11466

• 

  Covalent organic frameworks comprising cobalt porphyrins for catalytic CO2 reduction in water

  142

  Lin, S.; Diercks, C. S.; Zhang, Y.; Kornienko, N.; Nichols, E. M.; Zhao, Y.; Paris, A. R.; Kim, D.; Yang, P.; Yaghi, O. M.; Chang, C. J.

  Science 2015, 346, 1208-1213