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Recent development on alternative route to bypass the bottle-neck of water oxidation, two-electron oxidation of water catalyzed by earth-abundant metalloporphyrins to form hydrogen peroxide, has been briefly reviewed. The three pioneering reports by Fujishima (Honda-Fujishima effect), Meyer (chemical oxidation of water), and Lehn (photochemical reduction of CO2) triggered the extensive studies on artificial photosynthesis to have been forming the modern history of artificial photosynthesis. The current situation, especially for artificial photosynthesis by molecular catalysts, however, has faced with bottleneck subject of photon-flux-density problem of sun light radiation. In this review article, three milestones in the modern history of artificial photosynthesis, photon-flux-density problem as the bottleneck subject in water oxidation, crucial viewpoint of renewable energy factor (REF) in designing artificial photosynthesis even in fundamental stage of studies are explained. Several approaches to minimize the energy cost in REF for molecular catalysts such as utilization of earth-abundant elements and synthesis of molecular catalyst in water at ambient temperature were also introduced. Recent development of two-electron oxidation of water to form hydrogen peroxide, which would uncover the blind point of the bottleneck subject, would induce a game change in the methodologies of artificial photosynthesis.

Water soluble tin(IV)-porphyrins, trans-dihydroxy-5,10,15,20-tetra(N-methyl-4′-pyridiniumyl)porphyrinate tin (IV) (Sn(IV)TMPyP(OH)2) was successfully synthesized in high yield (90%) through one-pot process in water at room temperature by treating the parent free base (H2TMPyP) with Sn(II)Cl2. Re-investigation by the detailed kinetic analysis of the time dependent 1H NMR signals indicated that the tin(IV)-insertion reaction reversibly proceeded through three steps to start from free base dimer, [H2TMPyP]2, through Sn(II)TMPyP. New intermediate, an association complex between SnCl2 and H2TMPyP, which should be a precursor of Sn(II)TMPyP, was clearly observed in UV–vis and 1H NMR for the first time. Sn(II)TMPyP was also detected at around 500 nm in UV–vis spectroscopy, while it was silent against 1H NMR, which was supported by DFT calculation to indicate that Sn(II)TMPyP has a paramagnetic nature through substantial population on triplet spin states. To explore possible one-pot process for other porphyrins, such as neutral tetra-meso-substituted-tolylporphyrin (TTP), tetra-meso-substituted-mesitylporphyrin (TMP), and anionic tetra-meso-substituted-carboxyphenylporphyrin (TCPP), the reactions in water, binary-phase system of water/dichloromethane, and methanol were examined. The anionic TCPP suffered the tin(IV)-insertion at ambient temperature only in methanol with good yield (90%).

A series of four Tin(IV)porphyrins with different substituents on meso-phenyl groups, trans-dihydroxy-5,10,15,20-tetra(p-tolyl)porphyrinatetin(IV) (Sn(IV)TTP(OH)2), trans-dihydroxy-tetra(2,4,6-trimethyl)phenylporphyrinatetin(IV) (Sn(IV)TMP(OH)2), trans-dihydroxy-5,10,15,20-tetra(p-carboxyphenyl)porphyrinatetin(IV) (Sn(IV)TCPP), and trans-dihydroxy-5,10,15,20-tetra(N-methyl-4′-pyridiniumyl)porphyrinatetin(IV) (Sn(IV)TMPyP(OH)2) have been prepared and characterized focusing on their protolytic behavior of the axial ligands, hydroxy groups, both in the ground and excites states as well as their electrochemical oxidation behavior. The two axially ligating hydroxy groups on each Tin(IV)-porphyrins exhibit protonations and deprotpnations in five steps. The pKa value of each protolytic equilibrium in the ground states was spectrophotometrically determined, while fluorescence decay time profiles indicate that the protolytic processes are sufficiently slower than the intrinsic fluorescence decay rates to lead to non-protolysis in the excited states. The oxidation peak potentials were determined by cyclic voltammetric analysis. Pourbaix diagram of each protolytic species of Sn(IV)TMPyP in water indicated that the one-electron oxidation of fully deprotonated Sn(IV)TMPyP(O−)2 is not a proton-coupled process, while the doubly hydroxy coordinated species Sn(IV)TMPyP(OH)2 has a proton-coupled one. Tin(IV)-porphyrins exhibit efficient catalytic currents on the first oxidation wave in their cyclic voltammetry and the saturated catalytic currents were high enough in a wide range of pH to be promising as water oxidation catalysts. This is the first detailed study on Tin(IV)-porphyrins to examine water oxidation ability of the one-electron oxidized form against twenty kinds of species (five protolytic species for each of the four Tin(IV)-porphyrins).

We report here a new class of co-catalysts for hydrogen evolution on TiO2 particles upon photo-irradiation. TiO2 particles prepared by sol/gel method was allowed to graft metal ion by a simple treatment with metal salts (Pt (IV), Rh (III), Cu (II), Fe(III), Al (III) ions) in water. The metal ion surface-grafted particles of TiO2(sol/gel) exhibit excellent photochemical hydrogen evolution compared to Pt (0) cluster loaded particles of TiO2(sol/gel) under the UV light irradiation of λ > 290 nm. XPS analysis shows that the valence states of the metal ions grafted on the TiO2 particles are the same with the parent metal ion salts and no metal (0) clusters were detected. DFT calculation of the simple model of metal ion/TiO2 indicated that an injected electron mostly localized on the metal ion sites, but not on Ti sites, which rationalizes the metal ion serve as the hydrogen evolution sites. Earth abundant metal ions, Cu (II), Fe (III), and Al (III) thus can provide new class of hydrogen evolution sites for artificial photosynthetic systems. To explore the possibility of utilizing semiconductor as an electron relay in the future system of molecular-catalyst-sensitized water splitting into hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide, the stability of hydrogen peroxide on various TiO2 surfaces was examined. Hydrogen peroxide was found to be pretty stable on Rh (III), Fe (III), and Al (III) ions surface-grafted TiO2, while Pt (IV) and Cu (II) ion grafted one similarly caused decomposition of hydrogen peroxide as Pt (0) cluster loaded TiO2 (Pt(0)/TiO2).

The second most earth abundant atom incorporated meso-tetrapyridylporphyrinatesilicon(IV) (SiTPyP) as an electrochemical catalyst was newly synthesized. The two axially ligated water molecules on SiTPyP and the four meso-substituted pyridyl nitrogens suffer eight-step protonations and deprotonations. Our detailed pKa study indicated that the two axially ligated water molecules were fully deprotonated to exist as O−–Si–O− under the condition of pH > 2. Under basic conditions, SiTPyP(O−)2 exerted the two-electron oxidation of water to form hydrogen peroxide as the primary product in aqueous acetonitrile, which was initiated through a one-electron oxidation process on the electrode with faradaic yield of 84–92%.

The reaction mechanism of photochemical water oxidation catalyzed by Al(III)-porphyrins (AlTMPyP(OH)2) covalently adsorbed through one axial OH group coordination on the surface of TiO2 particle was investigated by time resolved nanosecond laser flash photolysis (NLFP). Three types of transient species with completely different absorption and decay characteristics were detected by means of NFLP、demonstrating that the photochemical production of H2O2 from water is initiated only by one-photon excitation of catalyst followed by stepwise two-electron conversion processes, providing a promising model for photochemical water oxidation. Upon laser flash excitation of AlTMPyP adsorbed on transparent TiO2 film leads to the formation of AlTMPyP(OH) radical cation through one-electron injection from the excited singlet state of catalyst to the conduction band of TiO2. The radical cation is subsequently deprotonated into AlTMPyP(O*), which further reacts with OH-/H2O to form a key intermediate, the radical anion of AlTMPyP(O-OH), having characteristic O-O bond at the axial position within a delay time of 2-3 µs. Thereafter the radical anion efficiently transfers second electron to TiO2 leading to the formation of AlTMPyP(O-OH) (~ 67 µs), which reacts further with OH-/H2O to liberate free hydrogen peroxide as an end-product with regeneration of the starting catalyst, AlTMPyP(OH), (~ 550 µs).

We report herein a new molecular catalyst for efficient water splitting, aluminum porphyrins (tetra-methylpyridiniumylporphyrinatealuminum: AlTMPyP), containing earth's most abundant metal as the central ion. One-electron oxidation of the aluminum porphyrin initiates the two-electron oxidation of water to form hydrogen peroxide as the primary reaction product with the lowest known overpotential (97 mV). The aluminum-peroxo complex was detected by a cold-spray ionization mass-spectrometry in high-resolution MS (HRMS) mode and the structure of the intermediate species was further confirmed using laser Raman spectroscopy, indicating the hydroperoxy complex of AlTMPyP to be the key intermediate in the reaction. The two-electron oxidation of water to form hydrogen peroxide was essentially quantitative, with a Faradaic efficiency of 99 %. The catalytic reaction was found to be highly efficient, with a turnover frequency up to ∼2×104 s-1 . A reaction mechanism is proposed involving oxygen-oxygen bond formation by the attack of a hydroxide ion on the oxyl-radical-like axial ligand oxygen atom in the one-electron-oxidized form of AlTMPyP(O- )2 , followed by a second electron transfer to the electrode.

Silicon as the second most abundant element on Earth was effectively utilized as the central atom in the porphyrin to induce photochemical oxygenation of alkenes as the first example of photocatalytic reaction through activation of water molecule in the presence of K2PtCl6 as an electron acceptor. Oxygen atom of water was confirmed to be incorporated in the oxygenated product by the photoreaction with H218O. The excited triplet state of silicon porphyrin was revealed to be responsible for the photochemical oxygenation. The one-electron oxidized silicon porphyrin was predicted by DFT calculation to have its spin population mostly on the axially ligated hydroxyl oxygen atom. The oxyl radical character of the axial ligand could rationalize the oxygenation reaction.

5, 10, 15, 20-tetra(N-methylpyridinium-4′-yl)porphyrinate tin(IV) (SnTMPyP) was found to exhibit two-electron water oxidation to form hydrogen peroxide as a primary product initiated by electrochemical one-electron oxidation. Dioxygen was also formed by the further two-electron oxidation of hydrogen peroxide on the anode. Isotope labelling experiment using H218O and enzyme catalase that converts H2O2 into O2 revealed an incorporation of 18O into the oxidation products, indicating the two-electron oxidation of water in the electrolysis catalysed by SnTMPyP. The overpotential of forming H2O2 under the practical condition is 370 mV. The Faradaic yield of the water oxidation was almost quantitative both under the basic (pH 10.9) and the nearly neutral conditions (pH 8.5), though the reactivity was much higher under the basic condition.

Two-electron water oxidation is an energy-efficient way for solar energy conversion and one of the promising candidates to get through the bottleneck of artificial photosynthesis, photon- flux density problem. In light of renewable energy factor (REF) that is defined by Energy output/Energy input, for the realization of practical systems, the energy input for catalyst preparation have much importance. Herein, we report a facile, cost-effective and environment benign synthesis of zinc (II) 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4′-yl)porphyrin (ZnTMPyP) in water at room temperature. We observed coordination of water molecules to the central Zn(II) ion of ZnTMPyP and four-step protolytic equilibria among five axially ligated species. Electrochemical and controlled potential electrolysis experiments, as well as theoretical DFT calculation, showed that ZnTMPyP(OH)(O−) exhibits the two-electron water oxidation to form hydrogen peroxide as the primary product initiated by one-electron oxidation process of the catalyst with a moderate turnover frequency (96.4 s-1) and a small overpotential (∼60 mV). Isotope-labeled studies clearly showed that water molecule served as an oxygen atom source in the formation of hydrogen peroxide.

A new water-soluble silicon(IV)-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (SiTCPP) with silicon(iv), the second most abundant element on Earth, in the center of porphyrin was synthesized. Fundamental properties including protolytic behaviour of axially coordinating hydroxy groups, and electrochemical behaviour were characterized. The properties were compared with those of silicon(IV)-tetra(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)porphyrin (SiTMP) and silicon(IV)-tetra(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)porphyrin (SiTFMPP) and discussed in respect to the electron donating/withdrawing effect of the substituents. Two axially coordinating hydroxy groups of SiTCPP exhibit a four-step protolytic behaviour under the acidic conditions along with a single step protolysis of peripheral carboxyl groups. Though SiTCPP and SiTFMPP did not show any reactivity in the photochemical oxygenation of a substrate with K2PtCl6 as a sacrificial electron acceptor, the first oxidation wave in the electrochemical process of SiTCPP and SiTFMPP showed catalytic behaviour in aqueous acetonitrile solution at any pH condition, in contrast to SiTMP which has only a reversible oxidation wave under neutral and weakly acidic conditions. The criteria for the electrochemical oxidative activation of water and the photooxygenation of the substrate were obtained. The higher oxidation wave of Si-porphyrins than ∼0.86 volt vs. SHE is required for the electrochemical oxidation of water, while suitable protecting groups such as a methyl substituent is a requisite for the photochemical oxygenation with K2PtCl6 as a sacrificial electron acceptor.