Grafting of a Molecular Rhenium CO2 Reduction Catalyst onto Colloid-Imprinted Carbon

An aminophenethyl-substituted [Re(2,2’-bipyridine)(CO)₃Cl] catalyst ([Re(NH₂-bpy)]) was tethered to nanoporous colloid-imprinted carbon (CIC) electrode surfaces via an electrochemical oxidative grafting method. Hybrid CIC|[Re(NH₂-bpy)] electrodes showed an improved stability and an increased loading per geometrical area in comparison to modified smooth glassy carbon electrodes. The catalyst also remained active upon immobilization and CO₂ was selectively reduced to CO by the CIC|[Re(NH₂-bpy)] electrodes in acetonitrile with a Faradaic efficiency of 92 ± 6% and a Re-based TON of approximately 900.