Hinged Carboxylate in the Artificial Distal Pocket of an Iron Porphyrin Enhances CO2 Electroreduction at Low Overpotential

Abstract To efficiently capture, activate, and transform small molecules, metalloenzymes have evolved to integrate a well‐organized pocket around the active metal center. Within this cavity, second coordination sphere functionalities are precisely positioned to optimize the rate, selectivity, and en...

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Main Authors: Adrien Smith, Philipp Gotico, Régis Guillot, Stéphane Le Gac, Winfried Leibl, Ally Aukauloo, Bernard Boitrel, Marie Sircoglou, Zakaria Halime
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-03-01
Series:Advanced Science
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202500482
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author Adrien Smith
Philipp Gotico
Régis Guillot
Stéphane Le Gac
Winfried Leibl
Ally Aukauloo
Bernard Boitrel
Marie Sircoglou
Zakaria Halime
author_facet Adrien Smith
Philipp Gotico
Régis Guillot
Stéphane Le Gac
Winfried Leibl
Ally Aukauloo
Bernard Boitrel
Marie Sircoglou
Zakaria Halime
author_sort Adrien Smith
collection DOAJ
description Abstract To efficiently capture, activate, and transform small molecules, metalloenzymes have evolved to integrate a well‐organized pocket around the active metal center. Within this cavity, second coordination sphere functionalities are precisely positioned to optimize the rate, selectivity, and energy cost of catalytic reactions. Inspired by this strategy, an artificial distal pocket defined by a preorganized 3D strap is introduced on an iron‐porphyrin catalyst (sc‐Fe) for the CO2‐to‐CO electrocatalytic reduction. Combined electrochemical, kinetic, and computational studies demonstrate that the adequate positioning of a carboxylate/carboxylic group acting in synergy with a trapped water molecule within this distal pocket remarkably enhances the reaction turnover frequency (TOF) by four orders of magnitude compared to the perfluorinated iron‐tetraphenylporphyrin catalyst (F20Fe) operating at a similar low overpotential. A proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) is found to be the key process responsible for the unexpected protonation of the coordinating carboxylate, which, upon CO2 insertion, shifts from the first to the second coordination sphere to play a possible secondary role as a proton relay.
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spelling doaj-art-2cbcc5a098c94118a2a4737fb2aebdbd2025-08-20T02:24:47ZengWileyAdvanced Science2198-38442025-03-011211n/an/a10.1002/advs.202500482Hinged Carboxylate in the Artificial Distal Pocket of an Iron Porphyrin Enhances CO2 Electroreduction at Low OverpotentialAdrien Smith0Philipp Gotico1Régis Guillot2Stéphane Le Gac3Winfried Leibl4Ally Aukauloo5Bernard Boitrel6Marie Sircoglou7Zakaria Halime8Université Paris‐Saclay CNRS Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay Orsay 91400 FranceInstitute for Integrative Biology of the Cell CEA CNRS Université Paris‐Saclay Gif‐sur‐Yvette 91191 FranceUniversité Paris‐Saclay CNRS Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay Orsay 91400 FranceUniv Rennes CNRS ISCR (Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes)‐UMR 6226 Rennes 35000 FranceInstitute for Integrative Biology of the Cell CEA CNRS Université Paris‐Saclay Gif‐sur‐Yvette 91191 FranceUniversité Paris‐Saclay CNRS Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay Orsay 91400 FranceUniv Rennes CNRS ISCR (Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes)‐UMR 6226 Rennes 35000 FranceUniversité Paris‐Saclay CNRS Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay Orsay 91400 FranceUniversité Paris‐Saclay CNRS Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay Orsay 91400 FranceAbstract To efficiently capture, activate, and transform small molecules, metalloenzymes have evolved to integrate a well‐organized pocket around the active metal center. Within this cavity, second coordination sphere functionalities are precisely positioned to optimize the rate, selectivity, and energy cost of catalytic reactions. Inspired by this strategy, an artificial distal pocket defined by a preorganized 3D strap is introduced on an iron‐porphyrin catalyst (sc‐Fe) for the CO2‐to‐CO electrocatalytic reduction. Combined electrochemical, kinetic, and computational studies demonstrate that the adequate positioning of a carboxylate/carboxylic group acting in synergy with a trapped water molecule within this distal pocket remarkably enhances the reaction turnover frequency (TOF) by four orders of magnitude compared to the perfluorinated iron‐tetraphenylporphyrin catalyst (F20Fe) operating at a similar low overpotential. A proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) is found to be the key process responsible for the unexpected protonation of the coordinating carboxylate, which, upon CO2 insertion, shifts from the first to the second coordination sphere to play a possible secondary role as a proton relay.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202500482artificial distal pocketbiomimeticcarbon dioxideelectrocatalysishydrogen bonding
spellingShingle Adrien Smith
Philipp Gotico
Régis Guillot
Stéphane Le Gac
Winfried Leibl
Ally Aukauloo
Bernard Boitrel
Marie Sircoglou
Zakaria Halime
Hinged Carboxylate in the Artificial Distal Pocket of an Iron Porphyrin Enhances CO2 Electroreduction at Low Overpotential
Advanced Science
artificial distal pocket
biomimetic
carbon dioxide
electrocatalysis
hydrogen bonding
title Hinged Carboxylate in the Artificial Distal Pocket of an Iron Porphyrin Enhances CO2 Electroreduction at Low Overpotential
title_full Hinged Carboxylate in the Artificial Distal Pocket of an Iron Porphyrin Enhances CO2 Electroreduction at Low Overpotential
title_fullStr Hinged Carboxylate in the Artificial Distal Pocket of an Iron Porphyrin Enhances CO2 Electroreduction at Low Overpotential
title_full_unstemmed Hinged Carboxylate in the Artificial Distal Pocket of an Iron Porphyrin Enhances CO2 Electroreduction at Low Overpotential
title_short Hinged Carboxylate in the Artificial Distal Pocket of an Iron Porphyrin Enhances CO2 Electroreduction at Low Overpotential
title_sort hinged carboxylate in the artificial distal pocket of an iron porphyrin enhances co2 electroreduction at low overpotential
topic artificial distal pocket
biomimetic
carbon dioxide
electrocatalysis
hydrogen bonding
url https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202500482
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