Characterization and catalytic prospects of metalloporphyrin-functionalized conducting polymers

Molecular catalysts are attracting interest as drivers of redox reactions for sustainable applications. Through systematic molecular design, they could be engineered to have high selectivity and activity towards a multitude of catalytic reactions. However, as long as they are used in homogeneous setups, they will suffer from inconvenient energy supply, inefficient charge transport and difficulty in separation from reaction products. To be relevant for industrial applications, molecular catalysts must be bound to solid materials in direct contact with the energy source. In this regard, conducting polymers are particularly interesting, as they provide a straightforward means of both surface immobilization and charge transport. In this work, we synthesize and characterize three different metalloporphyrin-functionalized conducting polymers and apply them to catalysis of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). We show that incorporation of porphyrins into conducting polymers is a reliable immobilization method, that the properties of both the porphyrin units and the polymer backbone are preserved in all systems, and that the polymers provide efficient charge transport to and from the catalytic centers. Nevertheless, we also find that the polymers are negatively affected by intermediates formed during the HER and the ORR. We conclude that the choice of immobilization method has a large impact on the quality of the molecular catalyst, and that the effect of the catalytic cycle on the immobilization matrix must be considered in the molecular design process.