DOI: 10.38007/978-1-80053-547-3

The transition to a sustainable energy economy is inextricably linked to our ability to master electron and photon management at the molecular level. On one hand, molecular electrocatalysis provides the essential bridge between renewable electricity and the chemical bonds of future fuels and feedstocks. On the other, controlling the interaction of intense light with matter through optical limiting is critical for protecting sensitive components in photonic and energy conversion devices. The efficiency, selectivity, and robustness of these functions are wholly dependent on the molecular architecture at the interface. This has spurred an intense search for designer molecular platforms that combine tunability, durability, and earth-abundant elements. 

This volume, “Molecular Electrocatalysis and Optical Limiting with Macrocycles: Porphyrin and Phthalocyanine Systems for Energy Applications and Photoprotection” is dedicated to a remarkable class of compounds that excel in both domains: synthetic macrocyclic complexes. Porphyrins and phthalocyanines are more than just active compounds; they are molecularly precise, programmable platforms. Their well-defined structures allow for unparalleled tuning of the electronic environment and steric constraints around the central core, enabling researchers to decipher reaction mechanisms at a fundamental level and engineer sites for specific functions be it multi-electron transfer or nonlinear optical absorption. 

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