119th General Meeting of the KCS

Type Symposium
Area Smart Light-Guided Nanomaterials & Devices
Room No. 402호
Time FRI 16:10-:
Code MAT2-6
Subject Light Harvesting Polymeric Chromophore-Catalyst Assemblies for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Devices
Authors Gyu Leem*, Kirk S Schanze1,*
University of Texas at San Antonio, Korea
1University of Texas at San Antonio, United States
Abstract Dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells (DSPECs) convert energy from the sun directly into fuel. The DSPEC approach is a hybrid based on molecular light absorption and excited state electron or hole injection into the conduction or valence bands of high band gap semiconductors. Toward fabricating DSPEC devices, we have reported a Layer-by-Layer (LbL) self-assembly process to construct polychromophore−catalyst assemblies consisting of a cationic polymer-based Ru polychromophores and water oxidation catalyst or proton reduction catalyst. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the polychromophore-catalyst assembly were characterized in solution and at the semiconductor interface and the energy/electron transfer processes were investigated in the polymer assembly. Importantly, photocurrent measurements of the polyelectrolyte LbL films formed on mesoporous semiconductor substrates demonstrate a clear anodic photocurrent response, coupled with the observation of O2. This is the first report to demonstrate the use of polyelectrolyte LbL to construct chromophore−catalyst assemblies for water splitting reaction.
E-mail gyu.leem@utsa.edu