Visible Light-Driven Water Splitting in Photoelectrochemical Cells with Supramolecular Catalysts on Photoanodes

Abstract

By using a supramolecular self-assembly method, a functional water splitting device based on a photoactive anode TiO2(1+2) has been successfully assembled with a molecular photosensitizer 1 and a molecular catalyst 2 connected by coordination of 1 and 2 with Zr4+ ions on the surface of nanostructured TiO2. On the basis of this photoanode in a three-electrode photoelectrochemical cell, a maximal incident photon to current conversion efficiency of 4.1% at ∼450 nm and a photocurrent density of ∼0.48 mA cm–2 were successfully obtained