Stark spectroscopy of charge-transfer transitions in catechol-sensitized TiO2 nanoparticles

Organic Dyes in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Featuring Back Reflector

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using a photoelectrode covered by a porous layer of titanium dioxide, platinum counter electrode, iodide/triiodide electrolyte and three different dyes: phenylfluorone (PF), pyrocatechol violet (PCV) and alizarin (AL). After the adsorption of the dyes on the mesoporous TiO2 layer, the measurement of absorption spectra of all the tested dyes revealed a significant broadening of the absorption range. The positions of highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels of dye molecules were determined, indicating that all three dyes are good candidates for light harvesters in DSSCs. The cells were tested under simulated solar light, and their working parameters were determined. The results showed that the implementation of the back reflector layer made of BaSO4 provided an improvement in the cell efficiency of up to 17.9% for phenylfluorone, 60% for pyrocatechol violet and 21.4% for alizarin dye.

Surface Functionalization of Ti3C2Tx MXene Nanosheets with Catechols: Implication for Colloidal Processing

Precise tailoring of two-dimensional nanosheets with organic molecules is critical to passivate the surface and control the reactivity, which is essential for a wide range of applications. Herein, we introduce catechols to functionalize exfoliated MXenes (Ti₃C₂T_x) in a colloidal suspension. Catechols react spontaneously with Ti₃C₂T_x surfaces, where binding is initiated from a charge-transfer complex as confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) and UV-vis. Ti₃C₂T_x sheet interlayer spacing is increased by catechol functionalization, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), while Raman and atomic force microscopy-infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) measurements indicate binding of catechols at the Ti₃C₂T_x surface occurs through metal-oxygen bonds, which is supported by DFT calculations. Finally, we demonstrate immobilization of a fluorescent dye on the surface of MXene. Our results establish a strategy for tailoring MXene surfaces via aqueous functionalization with catechols, whereby colloidal stability can be modified and further functionality can be introduced, which could provide excellent anchoring points to grow polymer brushes and tune specific properties.

Proton Transfers at a Dopamine-Functionalized TiO2 Interface

Despite the many successful syntheses and applications of dopamine-functionalized TiO₂ nanohybrids, there has not yet been an atomistic understanding of the interaction of this 1,2-dihydroxybenzene derivative ligand with the titanium dioxide surfaces. In this work, on the basis of a wide set of dispersion-corrected hybrid density functional theory (DFT) calculations and density functional tight binding (DFTB) molecular dynamics simulations, we present a detailed study of the adsorption modes, patterns of growth, and configurations of dopamine on the anatase (101) TiO₂ surface, with reference to the archetype of 1,2-dihydroxybenzene ligands, i.e., catechol. At low coverage, the isolated dopamine molecule prefers to bend toward the surface, coordinating the NH₂ group to a Ti_5c ion. At high coverage, the packed molecules succeed in bending toward the surface only in some monolayer configurations. When they do, we observe a proton transfer from the surface to the ethyl-amino group, forming terminal NH₃ ⁺ species, which highly interact with the O atoms of a neighboring dopamine molecule. This strong Coulombic interaction largely stabilizes the self-assembled monolayer. On the basis of these results, we predict that improving the probability of dopamine molecules being free to bend toward the surface through thermodynamic versus kinetic growth conditions will lead to a monolayer of fully protonated dopamine molecules.

Characterization of adsorption and electronic excited states of quercetin on titanium dioxide nanoparticles

Adsorption of quercetin on colloidal titanium dioxide nanoparticles in ethanol and its excited-state electronic structure were investigated by means of electronic and vibrational spectroscopies. The changes in electronic charge redistribution as reflected by the dipole moment difference, ∆μ, between the ground and excited electronic states were measured with electroabsorption spectroscopy and analyzed using results of TD DFT computations. Adsorption of quercetin causes a red shift of its absorption spectrum. Raman spectra of quercetin analyzed with reference to analogous data for morin indicate binding of quercetin through the hydroxy groups of the catechol moiety. The difference dipole moment, which is 5.5D in free quercetin, increases to 11.8D in opposite direction in adsorbed quercetin, and is associated with charge-transfer to the Ti atom. The computed transition energy, intensity, vector Δμ and molecular orbitals involved in the electronic transition at different molecular configurations indicate a bidentate chelating mode of binding of quercetin.