Self-assembled π-conjugated chromophores: preparation of one- and two-dimensional nanostructures and their use in photocatalysis

Photocatalytic systems have attracted research interest as a clean approach to generate energy from abundant sunlight. In this context, developing efficient and robust photocatalytic structures is crucial. Recently, self-assembled organic chromophores have entered the stage as alternatives to both molecular systems and (in)organic semiconductors. Nanostructures made of self-assembled π-conjugated dyes offer, on the one hand, molecular customizability to tune their optoelectronic properties and activities and on the other hand, provide benefits from heterogeneous catalysis that include ease of separation, recyclability and improved photophysical properties. In this contribution, we present recent achievements in constructing supramolecular photocatalytic systems made of chromophores for applications in water splitting, H2O2 evolution, CO2 reduction, or environmental remediation. We discuss strategies that can be used to prepare ordered photocatalytic systems with an emphasis on the effect of packing between the dyes and the resulting photocatalytic activity. We further showcase supramolecular strategies that allow interfacing the organic nanostructures with co-catalysts, molecules, polymers, and (in)organic materials. The principles discussed here are the foundation for the utilization of these self-assembled materials in photocatalysis.

Porphyrin-Based Nanomaterials for the Photocatalytic Remediation of Wastewater: Recent Advances and Perspectives

Self-organized, well-defined porphyrin-based nanostructures with controllable sizes and morphologies are in high demand for the photodegradation of hazardous contaminants under sunlight. From this perspective, this review summarizes the development progress in the fabrication of porphyrin-based nanostructures by changing their synthetic strategies and designs. Porphyrin-based nanostructures can be fabricated using several methods, including ionic self-assembly, metal-ligand coordination, reprecipitation, and surfactant-assisted methods. The synthetic utility of porphyrins permits the organization of porphyrin building blocks into nanostructures, which can remarkably improve their light-harvesting properties and photostability. The tunable functionalization and distinctive structures of porphyrin nanomaterials trigger the junction of the charge-transfer mechanism and facilitate the photodegradation of pollutant dyes. Finally, porphyrin nanomaterials or porphyrin/metal nanohybrids are explored to amplify their photocatalytic efficiency.

Progress on photocatalytic semiconductor hybrids for bacterial inactivation

Due to its use of green and renewable energy and negligible bacterial resistance, photocatalytic bacterial inactivation is to be considered a promising sterilization process. Herein, we explore the relevant mechanisms of the photoinduced process on the active sites of semiconductors with an emphasis on the active sites of semiconductors, the photoexcited electron transfer, ROS-induced toxicity and interactions between semiconductors and bacteria. Pristine semiconductors such as metal oxides (TiO₂ and ZnO) have been widely reported; however, they suffer some drawbacks such as narrow optical response and high photogenerated carrier recombination. Herein, some typical modification strategies will be discussed including noble metal doping, ion doping, hybrid heterojunctions and dye sensitization. Besides, the biosafety and biocompatibility issues of semiconductor materials are also considered for the evaluation of their potential for further biomedical applications. Furthermore, 2D materials have become promising candidates in recent years due to their wide optical response to NIR light, superior antibacterial activity and favorable biocompatibility. Besides, the current research limitations and challenges are illustrated to introduce the appealing directions and design considerations for the future development of photocatalytic semiconductors for antibacterial applications.

Zinc porphyrin/mesoporous titania thin film electrodes: a hybrid material nanoarchitecture for photocatalytic reduction

In this work, photocatalytic reduction of methyl viologen is achieved using zinc tetra(4-N-methylpyridyl)porphine (ZnP) functionalized mesoporous titania thin films (MTTF). Also, ZnP sensitizing and photophysical properties are retained in the hybrid material.

Kinetic Investigation on Tetrakis(4-Sulfonatophenyl)Porphyrin J-Aggregates Formation Catalyzed by Cationic Metallo-Porphyrins

Under mild acidic conditions, various metal derivatives of tetrakis(4-N-methylpyridinium)porphyrin (gold(III), AuT₄; cobalt(III), CoT₄; manganese(III), MnT₄ and zinc(II), ZnT₄) catalytically promote the supramolecular assembling process of the diacid 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (H₂TPPS₄) into J-aggregates. The aggregation kinetics have been treated according to a well-established model that involves the initial formation of a critical nucleus containing m porphyrin units, followed by autocatalytic growth, in which the rate evolves as a power of time. An analysis of the extinction time traces allows to obtain the rate constants for the auto-catalyzed pathway, k_c, and the number of porphyrins involved in the initial seeding. The aggregation kinetics have been investigated at fixed H₂TPPS₄ concentration as a function of the added metal derivatives MT₄. The derived rate constants, k_c, obey a rate law that is first order in [MT₄] and depend on the specific nature of the catalyst in the order AuT₄ > CoT₄ > MnT₄ > ZnT₄. Both resonance light scattering (RLS) intensity and extinction in the aggregated samples increase on increasing [MT₄]. With the exception of AuT₄, the final aggregated samples obtained at the highest catalyst concentration exhibit a negative Cotton effect in the J-band region, evidencing the occurrence of spontaneous symmetry breaking. The role of the nature of the metal derivative in terms of overall charge and presence of axial groups will be discussed.

Donor-Acceptor Cyanocarbazole-Based Supramolecular Photocatalysts for Visible-Light-Driven H2 Production

Highly efficient, stable, and metal-free supramolecular photocatalysts for H₂ production are uncommon and of significant interest. In this study, a donor-acceptor (D-A) cyanocarbazole-based supramolecule (2CzPN) is assembled by intermolecular C≡N⋅⋅⋅H-Ar H-bonding interactions to form an efficient, stable, and metal-free photocatalyst for H₂ evolution. The catalyst affords an H₂ production rate of 91.8 μmol h^-1 (20 mg of samples, λ>420 nm) and a corresponding apparent quantum efficiency of 7.5 % at 420 nm. The photon-generated carrier separation of the 2CzPN supramolecule, which is higher than that of the analogous polymer, can be attributed to the strong D-A characteristics and high crystallinity. This study offers the first experimental evidence of visible-light H₂ evolution among D-A cyanocarbazole-based supramolecules and it enriches the variety of supramolecular photocatalysts. This stable and effective metal-free 2CzPN supramolecular photocatalyst has obvious advantages among very few supramolecular photocatalysts for H₂ production.

Tuning the Supramolecular Structures of Metal-Free Porphyrin via Surfactant Assisted Self-Assembly to Enhance Photocatalytic Performance

Metal-free porphyrin with good planarity is beneficial to π-π stack interactions, which promotes electron coupling and the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers. It is necessary to develop metal-free porphyrin-based photocatalysts and exploit the photocatalytic mechanism. Herein, metal-free porphyrin (5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin, TCPP) was self-assembled through an acid-based neutralization reaction and mixing dual-solvents under surfactants to form different aggregates. Morphology structures, optical and optoelectronic properties of the TCPP aggregates were characterized in detail. TCPP self-assemblies showed higher photocatalytic activities for the degradation of phenol under visible light than untreated TCPP powders, and the aggregates of nanorods formed through the acid-based neutralization reaction in the presence of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) possessed 2.6 times more activity than the nanofiber aggregates formed through mixing dual-solvents. It was proved that self-assembly methods are crucial for controlling the aggregation of porphyrins to form different aggregations, which have a profound impact on the photocatalytic activity.

Encapsulation of Gold Nanorods with Porphyrins for the Potential Treatment of Cancer and Bacterial Diseases: A Critical Review

Cancer and bacterial diseases have been the most incidental diseases to date. According to the World Health Report 2018, at least every family is affected by cancer around the world. In 2012, 14.1 million people were affected by cancer, and that figure is bound to increase to 21.6 million in 2030. Medicine therefore sorts out ways of treatment using conventional methods which have been proven to have many side effects. Researchers developed photothermal and photodynamic methods to treat both cancer and bacterial diseases. These methods pose fewer effects on the biological systems but still no perfect method has been synthesized. The review serves to explore porphyrin and gold nanorods to be used in the treatment of cancer and bacterial diseases: porphyrins as photosensitizers and gold nanorods as delivery agents. In addition, the review delves into ways of incorporating photothermal and photodynamic therapy aimed at producing a less toxic, more efficacious, and specific compound for the treatment.

Microemulsion-Assisted Self-Assembly and Synthesis of Size-Controlled Porphyrin Nanocrystals with Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Design and engineering of highly efficient light-harvesting nanomaterial systems to emulate natural photosynthesis for maximizing energy conversion have stimulated extensive efforts. Here we present a new class of photoactive semiconductor nanocrystals that exhibit high-efficiency energy transfer for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light. These nanocrystals are formed through noncovalent self-assembly of In(III) meso-tetraphenylporphine chloride (InTPP) during microemulsion assisted nucleation and growth process. Through kinetic control, a series of uniform nanorods with controlled aspect ratio and high crystallinity have been fabricated. Self-assembly of InTPP porphyrins results in extensive optical coupling and broader coverage of the visible spectrum for efficient light harvesting. As a result, these nanocrystals display excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production and photostability under the visible light in comparison with the commercial InTPP porphyrin powders.

Platinized spherical supramolecular nanoassemblies of a porphyrin: facile synthesis and excellent catalytic recyclability

Porphyrin-based supramolecular nanoassemblies of a spherical morphology have been attracting broad interest owing to their wide application possibilities in numerous fields of paramount significance. Most of the existing assembly protocols, however, either suffer from the requirement of elaborately-designed yet tediously-synthesized ad hoc porphyrins, the use of surfactant templates, or accurate consideration of the experimental parameters etc. The initiation of a facile surfactant-free fabrication protocol performable under ambient conditions using commercial porphyrins as building blocks is strongly desired. We herein report that a commercial metal-free porphyrins, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin (TPPNH2), could be facilely organized to form well-defined discrete spherical nanoassemblies at room temperature by means of a simple reprecipitation method. We further find that the as-manufactured TPPNH2 nanospheres could work as photocatalysts towards the reduction of potassium tetrachloroplatinate(ii), leading to their self-platinization and the production of platinum/porphyrin nanosphere nanocomposites, wherein ultrathin Pt nanoparticles of a size of ca. 3 nm are immobilized on the porphyrin nanospheres. Significantly, by taking the advantage of their easy sedimentation from aqueous suspensions, we show that the as-produced composites could serve as qualified heterogeneous nanocatalysts in terms of their excellent catalytic stability and recyclability towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol, where the catalytic reactivity exhibits only trivial changes even after the reactions have been repeated 8 times continuously. Taking into account the general concerns of porphyrins- and Pt-based nanostructures, this might provide a facile method for the construction of spherical porphyrin nanostructures with self-platinization capability. Meanwhile, considering the high cost and scarcity of Pt, our nanocomposites with excellent stability and recyclability likely have a bright future of potential uses.

Energy-Related Small Molecule Activation Reactions: Oxygen Reduction and Hydrogen and Oxygen Evolution Reactions Catalyzed by Porphyrin- and Corrole-Based Systems

Globally increasing energy demands and environmental concerns related to the use of fossil fuels have stimulated extensive research to identify new energy systems and economies that are sustainable, clean, low cost, and environmentally benign. Hydrogen generation from solar-driven water splitting is a promising strategy to store solar energy in chemical bonds. The subsequent combustion of hydrogen in fuel cells produces electric energy, and the only exhaust is water. These two reactions compose an ideal process to provide clean and sustainable energy. In such a process, a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) during water splitting, and an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as a fuel cell cathodic reaction are key steps that affect the efficiency of the overall energy conversion. Catalysts play key roles in this process by improving the kinetics of these reactions. Porphyrin-based and corrole-based systems are versatile and can efficiently catalyze the ORR, OER, and HER. Because of the significance of energy-related small molecule activation, this review covers recent progress in hydrogen evolution, oxygen evolution, and oxygen reduction reactions catalyzed by porphyrins and corroles.

Ionic Self-Assembly of a Giant Vesicle as a Smart Microcarrier and Microreactor

Giant vesicles (1-10 μm) were constructed via a facile ionic self-assembly (ISA) strategy using an anionic dye Acid Orange II (AO) and an oppositely charged ionic-liquid-type cationic surfactant 1-tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (C14mimBr). This is the first report about preparing giant vesicles through ISA strategy. Interestingly, the giant vesicle could keep the original morphology during the evaporation of solvent and displayed solid-like properties at low concentration. Moreover, giant vesicles with large internal capacity volume and good stability in solution could also be achieved by increasing the concentrations of AO and C14mimBr which contributed to the increase of the other noncovalent cooperative interactions. In order to facilitate comparison, a series of parallel experiments with similar materials were carried out to investigate and verify the driving forces for the formation of these kinds of giant vesicles by changing the hydrophobic moieties or the head groups of the surfactants. It is concluded that the electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic effect and π-π stacking interaction play key roles in this self-assembly process. Importantly, the giant vesicles can act as a smart microcarrier to load and release carbon quantum dot (CQD) under control. Besides, the giant vesicles could also be applied as a microrector to synthesize monodispersed Ag nanoparticles with diameter of about 5-10 nm which exhibited the ability to catalyze reduction of 4-nitroaniline. Therefore, it is indicated that our AO/C14mimBr assemblies hold promising applications in the areas of microencapsulation, catalyst support, and lightweight composites owing to their huge sizes and large microcavities.

Porphyrin Diacid-Polyelectrolyte Assemblies: Effective Photocatalysts in Solution

Developing effective and versatile photocatalytic systems is of great potential in solar energy conversion. Here we investigate the formation of supramolecular catalysts by electrostatic self-assembly in aqueous solution: Combining positively charged porphyrins with negatively charged polyelectrolytes leads to nanoscale assemblies where, next to electrostatic interactions, π⁻π interactions also play an important role. Porphyrin diacid-polyelectrolyte assemblies exhibit a substantially enhanced catalytic activity for the light-driven oxidation of iodide. Aggregates with the hexavalent cationic porphyrin diacids show up to 22 times higher catalytic activity than the corresponding aggregates under neutral conditions. The catalytic activity can be increased by increasing the valency of the porphyrin and by choice of the loading ratio. The structural investigation of the supramolecular catalysts took place via atomic force microscopy and small angle neutron scattering. Hence, a new facile concept for the design of efficient and tunable self-assembled photocatalysts is presented.

Porphyrin-Based Nanostructures for Photocatalytic Applications

Well-defined organic nanostructures with controllable size and morphology are increasingly exploited in optoelectronic devices. As promising building blocks, porphyrins have demonstrated great potentials in visible-light photocatalytic applications, because of their electrical, optical and catalytic properties. From this perspective, we have summarized the recent significant advances on the design and photocatalytic applications of porphyrin-based nanostructures. The rational strategies, such as texture or crystal modification and interfacial heterostructuring, are described. The applications of the porphyrin-based nanostructures in photocatalytic pollutant degradation and hydrogen evolution are presented. Finally, the ongoing challenges and opportunities for the future development of porphyrin nanostructures in high-quality nanodevices are also proposed.

Semi-insulating behaviour of self-assembled tin(IV)corrole nanospheres

Three novel tin(iv)corrole complexes have been prepared and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques including single crystal X-ray structural analysis. Packing diagrams of the tin(iv)corroles revealed that corrolato-tin(iv)-chloride molecules are interconnected by intermolecular C-HCl hydrogen bonding interactions. HCl distances are 2.848 Å, 3.051 Å, and 2.915 Å, respectively, for the complexes. In addition, the C-HCl angles are 119.72°, 144.70°, and 147.08°, respectively, for the complexes. It was also observed that in one of the three synthesized complexes dimers were formed, while in the other two cases 1D infinite polymer chains were formed. Well-defined and nicely organized three-dimensional hollow nanospheres (SEM images on silicon wafers) with diameters of ca. 676 nm and 661 nm are obtained in the complexes, forming 1D polymer chains. By applying a thin layer of tin(iv)corrole nanospheres to an ITO surface (AFM height images of ITO films; ∼200 nm in height), a device was fabricated with the following composition: Ag/ITO-coated glass/tin(iv)corrole nanospheres/ITO-coated glass/Ag. The resistivity (ρ) of the nanostructured film was calculated to be ∼2.4 × 10(8) Ω cm, which falls in the range of semi-insulating semiconductors. CAFM current maps at 10 V bias show bright spots with a 10-20 pA intensity and indicate that the nanospheres (∼250 nm in diameter) are the electron-conducting pathway in the device. The semi-insulating behavior arises from the non-facile electron transfer in the HOMOs of the tin(iv)corrole nanospheres.

Hyperbranched crystalline nanostructure produced from ionic π-conjugated molecules

We report the first synthesis of a hyperbranched sheaf-like nanostructure by ionic self-assembly of organic semiconductors that forms via combined oriented attachment and Ostwald ripening growth mechanisms.

Nanobiocatalytic assemblies for artificial photosynthesis

Natural photosynthesis, a solar-to-chemical energy conversion process, occurs through a series of photo-induced electron transfer reactions in nanoscale architectures that contain light-harvesting complexes, protein-metal clusters, and many redox biocatalysts. Artificial photosynthesis in nanobiocatalytic assemblies aims to reconstruct man-made photosensitizers, electron mediators, electron donors, and redox enzymes for solar synthesis of valuable chemicals through visible light-driven cofactor regeneration. The key requirement in the design of biocatalyzed artificial photosynthetic process is an efficient and forward electron transfer between each photosynthetic component. This review describes basic principles in combining redox biocatalysis with photocatalysis, and highlights recent research outcomes in the development of nanobiocatalytic assemblies that can mimic natural photosystems I and II, respectively. Current issues in biocatalyzed artificial photosynthesis and future perspectives will be briefly discussed.

Hierarchical cooperative binary ionic porphyrin nanocomposites

Cooperative binary ionic (CBI) solids comprise a versatile new class of opto-electronic and catalytic materials consisting of ionically self-assembled pairs of organic anions and cations. Herein, we report CBI nanocomposites formed by growing nanoparticles of one type of porphyrin CBI solid onto a second porphyrin CBI substructure with complementary functionality.

Structural, electrochemical and photochemical investigation of the water-soluble tin(IV) tetrakis(2-N-hydroxyethyl-4-pyridinium)porphyrin photocatalyst

The water-soluble tin(IV) tetrakis(2-N-hydroxyethyl-4-pyridinium)porphyrin 1 photocatalyst was synthesized in good yield and its structure determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Electrochemical measurements on tin(IV) porphyrin 1 reveal a range of complex redox processes that are highly dependent on the pH and electrode used. The cathodic processes at ca. -0.6 to -0.8 V were assigned to electrochemical processes on the pyridyl moiety following differential pulse voltammetry and spectroelectrochemical investigation into the electrochemical properties of tin(IV) porphyrin. Photocatalytic experiment on tin(IV) porphyrin 1 under anaerobic conditions using triethanolamine (TEAO) as a sacrifical donor reveal a phlorin species as the main product which rapidly disappears upon exposure to oxygen. These results suggest that tin(IV) porphyrin π-radical anion is perhaps not the species responsible for the apparent ability tin(IV) porphyrins to photocatalytically reduce various substrates, including water to hydrogen.

Binary ionic porphyrin nanosheets: electronic and light-harvesting properties regulated by crystal structure

Crystalline solids self-assembled from anionic and cationic porphyrins provide a new class of multifunctional optoelectronic micro- and nanomaterials. A 1 : 1 combination of zinc(II) tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (ZnTPPS) and tin(IV) tetra(N-methyl-4-pyridiniumyl)porphyrin (SnTNMePyP) gives porphyrin nanosheets with high aspect ratios and varying thickness. The room temperature preparation of the nanosheets has provided the first X-ray crystal structure of a cooperative binary ionic (CBI) solid. The unit cell contains one and one-half molecules of aquo-ZnTPPS(4-) (an electron donor) and three half molecules of dihydroxy-SnTNMePyP(4+) (an electron acceptor). Charge balance in the solid is reached without any non-porphyrinic ions, as previously determined for other CBI nanomaterials by non-crystallographic means. The crystal structure reveals a complicated molecular arrangement with slipped π-π stacking only occurring in isolated dimers of one of the symmetrically unique zinc porphyrins. Consistent with the crystal structure, UV-visible J-aggregate bands indicative of exciton delocalization and extended π-π stacking are not observed. XRD measurements show that the structure of the Zn/Sn nanosheets is distinct from that of Zn/Sn four-leaf clover-like CBI solids reported previously. In contrast with the Zn/Sn clovers that do exhibit J-aggregate bands and are photoconductive, the nanosheets are not photoconductive. Even so, the nanosheets act as light-harvesting structures in an artificial photosynthesis system capable of reducing water to hydrogen but not as efficiently as the Zn/Sn clovers.