Proton reduction by a bimetallic zinc selenolate electrocatalyst.

The development of alternative energy sources is the utmost priority of developing society. Unlike many prior homogeneous electrocatalysts that rely on a change in the oxidation state of the metal center and/or electrochemically active ligand, here we report the synthesis and structural characterization of a bimetallic zinc selenolate complex consisting of a redox silent zinc metal ion and a tridentate ligand that catalyzes the reduction of protons into hydrogen gas electrochemically and displays one of the highest reported TOF for a homogeneous TM-metal free ligand centered HER catalyst, 509 s. The current-voltage analysis confirms the onset overpotential of 0.