Coupling one electron photoprocesses to multielectron catalysts: Towards a photoelectrocatalytic system

Review on application of perylene diimide (PDI)-based materials in environment: Pollutant detection and degradation

Environment pollution is getting serious and various poisonous contaminants with chemical durability, biotoxicity and bioaccumulation have been widespreadly discovered in municipal wastewaters and surface water. The detection and removal of pollutants show great significance for the protection of human health and other organisms. Due to its distinctive physical and chemical properties, perylene diimide (PDI) has received widespread attention from different research fields, especially in the area of environment. In this review, a comprehensive summary of the development of PDI-based materials in fluorescence detection and advanced oxidation technology for environment was introduced. Firstly, we chiefly presented the recent progress about the synthesis of PDI and PDI-based nanomaterials. Then, their application in fluorescence detection for environment was presented and categorized, principally including the detection of heavy metal ions, harmful anions and organic contaminants in the environment. In addition, the application of PDI and PDI-based materials in different advanced oxidation technologies for environment, such as photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, Fenton and Fenton-like reaction and persulfate activation, was also summarized. At last, the challenges and future prospects of PDI-based materials in environmental applications were discussed. This review focuses on presenting the practical applications of PDI and PDI-based materials as fluorescent probes or catalysts (especially photocatalysts) in the detection of hazardous substances or catalytic elimination of organic contaminants. The contents are aimed at supplying the researchers with a deeper understanding of PDI and PDI-based materials and encouraging their further development in environmental applications.

The effect of inner-sphere reorganization on charge separated state lifetimes at sensitized TiO2 interfaces

Improving the efficiency of photo-electrocatalytic cells depends on controlling the rates of interfacial electron transfer to promote the formation of long-lived charge separated states. Ultimately, for efficient catalytic assemblies to see widespread implementation, repeated electron transfer in the absence of charge recombination needs to be realized. In this study, a series of manganese-based transition metal complexes known to undergo charge transfer-induced spin crossover are employed to study how significant increases in inner-sphere reorganization energy affect the rates of interfacial electron transfer. Each complex is characterized by transient spectroscopic and electrochemical methods to calculate the rate of electron transfer to a model chromophore anchored to the surface of a TiO₂ film. Likewise, open-circuit voltage decay measurements were used to determine the voltage-dependent lifetime of injected electrons in TiO₂ in the presence of each complex. To further characterize the rates of electronic recombination, density functional theory was used to calculate the inner-sphere and outer-sphere reorganization energy for each complex. These calculations were then combined with classical Marcus theory to determine the theoretical rate of back-electron transfer from the TiO₂ conduction band. These results show that, in model complexes, a significant reduction in the recombination rate constant is achieved for complexes possessing a significant inner-sphere reorganization energy.

Color Bricks: Building Highly Organized and Strongly Absorbing Multicomponent Arrays of Terpyridyl Perylenes on Metal Oxide Surfaces

Terpyridine-substituted perylenes containing cyclic anhydrides in the peri position were synthesized. The anhydride group served as an anchor for assembly of the terpyridyl-crowned chromophores as monomolecular layers on metal oxide surfaces. Further coordination with Zn(2+) ions allowed for layer-by-layer formation of supramolecular assemblies of perylene imides on the solid substrates. With properly selected anchor and linker molecules it was possible to build high quality structures of greater than ten successive layers by a simple and straightforward procedure. The prepared films were stable and had a broad spectral coverage and high absorbance. To demonstrate their potential use, the synthesized dyes were employed in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells, and electron injection from the perylene antennas to titanium dioxide was observed.

Visible-light-assisted photoelectrochemical water oxidation by thin films of a phosphonate-functionalized perylene diimide plus CoOx cocatalyst

A novel perylene diimide dye functionalized with phosphonate groups, N,N'-bis(phosphonomethyl)-3,4,9,10-perylenediimide (PMPDI), is synthesized and characterized. Thin films of PMPDI spin-coated onto indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates are further characterized, augmented by photoelectrochemically depositing a CoOx catalyst, and then investigated as photoanodes for water oxidation. These ITO/PMPDI/CoOx electrodes show visible-light-assisted water oxidation with photocurrents in excess of 150 μA/cm(2) at 1.0 V applied bias vs. Ag/AgCl. Water oxidation is confirmed by the direct detection of O2, with a faradaic efficiency of 80 ± 15% measured under 900 mV applied bias vs. Ag/AgCl. Analogous photoanodes prepared with another PDI derivative with alkyl groups in place of PMPDI's phosphonate groups do not function, providing evidence that PMPDI's phosphonate groups may be important for efficient coupling between the inorganic CoOx catalyst and the organic dye. Our ITO/PMPDI/CoOx anodes achieve internal quantum efficiencies for water oxidation ∼1%, and for hydroquinone oxidation of up to ∼6%. The novelty of our system is that, to the best of our knowledge, it is the first device to achieve photoelectrochemically driven water oxidation by a single-layer molecular organic semiconductor thin film coupled to a water-oxidation catalyst.