Immobilization of Iridium Triazolylidene Complexes into Polymer Scaffolds and Their Application in Water Oxidation

A triazolylidene irdium complex was postmodified with simple methods to introduce two alcohol groups in the triazolylidene backbone. The reaction of this difunctionalized iridium triazolylidene unit with terephthalic acid chloride allowed for integrating these iridium complexes into a polymeric assembly. Both the monomeric complexes as well as the polymerized systems showed activity in water oxidation driven by cerium ammonium nitrate as a chemical oxidant with comparable catalytic performance. Post-reaction analysis of the aqueous reaction solution by ICP MS showed a partial loss of iridium from the polymer into the aqueous phase under catalytic conditions, indicating a need for more robust polymer supports for this type of application.