Substituent effect on the ligand-centred electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution of antimony(iii) corroles†

Abstract

A series of antimony(III) triaryl corroles bearing different numbers of meso-pentafluorophenyl substituents was synthesized and evaluated as catalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Introduction of the electron-withdrawing pentafluorophenyl group to the corrole macrocycle led to a significant boost in electro-catalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity in organic and aqueous media, highlighting the tunability of these complexes for enhanced catalytic activity.