A trimetallic Cu^II derivative, [Cu₃(L)₂(NO₃)₂] (1) is first afforded, incorporating a tetradentate Schiff base precursor, H₂L [where H₂L = N,N′-bis(salicylidene)-1,3-propanediamine]. This compound is employed as an electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution by reduction of proton or H₂O under homogenous and heterogeneous systems. Electrocatalytic H₂ evolution study, involving CV, DPV, CPE and GC, shows that compound 1 is highly active toward proton reduction in homogenous system using acetic acid as proton source in organic solvent. Moreover, the catalyst-modified electrode shows quite interesting H₂ evolution activity in neutral aqueous solution when it is compared to a polished bare electrode, implying its potentiality in future solar energy storage via photo electrochemical water splitting.

首先提供三金属Cu ^II衍生物[Cu ₃（L）₂（NO ₃）₂ ]（1），其中掺入四齿Schiff碱前体H ₂ L [其中H ₂ L =  N，N'-双（水杨基） ）-1,3-丙二胺]。该化合物被用作在均相和异相体系下通过质子或H ₂ O还原而析氢的电催化剂。涉及CV，DPV，CPE和GC的电催化H ₂放出研究表明，化合物1在使用乙酸作为有机溶剂中的质子源的均相系统中，对碳原子还原具有很高的活性。此外，与抛光的裸电极相比，催化剂改性的电极在中性水溶液中显示出非常有趣的H ₂放出活性，这暗示了其通过光电化学水分解在将来的太阳能存储中的潜力。