Water-Soluble Iridium-NHC-Phosphine Complexes as Catalysts for Chemical Hydrogen Batteries Based on Formate.

Molecular hydrogen, obtained by water electrolysis or photocatalytic water splitting, can be used to store energy obtained from intermittent sources such as wind and solar power. The storage and safe transportation of H2 , however, is an open and central question in such a hydrogen economy. Easy-to-synthesize, water-soluble iridium-N-heterocyclic carbene-phosphine (Ir(I) -NHC-phosphine) catalysts show unprecedented high catalytic activity in dehydrogenation of aqueous sodium formate.