Ru complexes for CO ₂ activation

A series of asymmetric Ru(II) complexes, comprising variable terpyridine and benzotriazole ligands, enables rapid ( k obs ∼ 1368–2840 s −1 ) and energy-efficient (overpotential ∼ 460–570 mV) CO 2 -to-CO electrochemical conversion. The intricate electronic exchange between ligand and metal core leads to the formation of key one-electron reduced species for stepwise CO 2 conversion, as revealed by spectroelectrochemical-UV–Vis and FTIR, EPR, and DFT studies.