Enhanced photocurrent generations in RuL2(NCS)2/di-(3-aminopropyl)-viologen self-assembled on In2O3 nanorods

A Ru(2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid)₂(NCS)₂ [RuL₂(NCS)₂]/di-(3-aminopropyl)-viologen (DAPV)/In₂O₃ nanorod system was prepared and applied for photocurrent generation with its maximum surface area . The In₂O₃ nanorods were prepared using the chemical-bath-deposition method. The various surface morphology of In₂O₃ were obtained by adding different amounts of 0.1 M HCl solution to the indium-containing solution. The DAPV and RuL₂(NCS)₂ were easily self-assembled on the indium-oxide surface. The energy levels of RuL₂(NCS)₂, DAPV, In₂O₃, and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) were well arranged, and the system forms an efficient acceptor-sensitizer. The photocurrent measurement of the systems showed excellent photocurrent of 50 nA/cm² under the air mass (AM) 1.5 condition (100 mW/cm²), which was increased by a factor of ten compared to ones without indium-oxide layers.     

Ru(II)染料与聚3-甲基噻吩复合敏化纳米结构TiO2电极的光电化学研究

利用光电流作用谱、循环伏安等光电化学方法研究了染料RuL₂(SCN)₂: 2TBA (L＝2,2'-bipydine-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid)与聚3-甲基噻吩(P3MT)复合敏化电极的光电化学性质. RuL₂(SCN)₂: 2TBA/P3MT复合敏化TiO₂纳米晶多孔膜电极比染料RuL₂(SCN)₂: 2TBA敏化TiO₂纳米结构电极的光电转换效率大幅度提高. 复合敏化电极中存在p-n异质结有效地抑制了电子的反向复合, 减少了电子的损失.     

Integrated Systems for Water Cleavage by Visible Light; Sensitization of TiO2 Particles by Surface Derivatization with Ruthenium Complexes

Irradiation of acidic (pH 2) solutions of RuL₃²⁺ 2Cl^? (L = diisopropyl 2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′ -dicarboxylate) in the presence of TiO₂ at 100°C leads to the loss of one bipyridyl ligand and the chemical fixation of RuL₂ at the surface of teh TiO₂ particles through formation of Ru-O-Ti bonds. These surface complexes are very stable and shift the absorption onset of TiO₂ beyond 600 mm. Efficient sensitization H₂-generation is achieved with this system beginning in the wave length domain between 590 and 665 nm. Preliminary water cleavage experiments with bifunctional TiO₂/Pt/RuO₂ redox catalyst are reported.     

Photophysical Properties and Heterogeneous Photoredox Catalytic Activities of Ru(bpy)3@InBTB Metal–Organic Framework (MOF)

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with negatively charged frameworks are suitable for selectively encapsulating cationic guest ions via a cation-exchange process. Encapsulating photoactive [RuL₃]²⁺ polypyridine complexes into the preorganized mesoscale channels of a MOF is a good method for stabilizing the excited states of the complexes. Three new RuL₃@InBTB MOFs were prepared by encapsulating cationic [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ (bpy=2,2′-bipyridine), [Ru(phen)₃]²⁺ (phen=1,10-phenanthroline), and [Ru(bpz)₃]²⁺ (bpz=2,2′-bipyrazine) into the mesopores of a three-dimensional (3D) InBTB MOF (H₃BTB=1,3,5-benzenetribenzoic acid). The photophysical properties of the resulting materials were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) analysis. The photoredox catalytic activities were also investigated for the aza-Henry reaction, hydrogenation of dimethyl maleate, and decomposition of methyl orange under visible light irradiation at room temperature. RuL₃@InBTB MOFs were found to be very stable and highly recyclable photoredox catalytic systems.     

Probing the Reactivity and Radical Nature of Oxidized Transition Metal-Thiolate Complexes by Mass Spectrometry

Transition metal thiolate complexes such as [PPN]⁺[RuL₃]^- (PPN?=?bis(triphenylphosphoranylidene) ammonium and L?=?diphenylphosphinobenzenethiolate) are known to undergo addition reactions with unsaturated hydrocarbons via the formation of new C-S bonds in solution upon oxidation. The reaction mechanism is proposed to involve metal-stabilized thiyl radical intermediates, a new type of distonic ions such as [RuL₃]⁺ ion in the case of [PPN]⁺[RuL₃]^-. This study presents the reactivity and structure investigation of [RuL₃]⁺ by mass spectrometry (MS) in conjunction with ion/molecule reactions. The addition reactions of [RuL₃]⁺ with alkenes or methyl ketones in the gas phase are indeed observed, in agreement with the proposed mechanism. Such reactivity is also maintained by several fragment ions of [RuL₃]⁺, indicating the preserved thiyl diradical core structure is responsible for the addition reaction. The thiyl radical nature of [RuL₃]⁺ was further verified by the ion/molecule reaction of [RuL₃]⁺ with dimethyl disulfide, in which the characteristic CH₃S? transfer occurs, both at atmospheric pressure and also at low pressure (~mTorr). These results provide, for the first time, clear mass spectrometric evidence of the radical nature of [RuL₃]⁺ (i.e., the distonic ion structure of [RuL₃]⁺), arising from the oxidation of non-innocent thiolate ligands of the complex [PPN]⁺[RuL₃]^-. Similar thiolate complexes, including ReL₃ and NiL₂, were also examined. Although reactions of oxidized ReL₃ or NiL₂ with CH₃SSCH₃ take place at atmospheric pressure, the corresponding reaction did not occur in vacuum. Consistent with these data, the addition of ethylene was not observed either, indicating lower reactivities of [ReL₃]⁺ and [NiL₂]⁺ in comparison to [RuL₃]⁺.      

Photophysical and electrochemical behavior of thin solid films based on a three-dimensional ruthenium complex network

RuL ₃ ²⁺ (L=2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′-diphosphonic acid) thin solid films were fabricated by three-dimensional linking between the phosphonic acid substituents of L and Zr(O)Cl₂. The RuL₃ chromophores in the films are electronically independent of each other in the ground state and give emission spectra essentially identical to that of RuL ₃ ²⁺ in solution, although the emission lifetime is much shorter. The films are electrochemically active, showing pseudo-reversible oxidation behavior in cyclic voltammetry. A preliminary attempt has been made to apply these films to photoelectrochemical cells.     

Hydrogenation of nitroaromatics to anilines catalyzed by air‐stable arene ruthenium (II)–NNN pincer complexes

A series of air‐stable, phosphine‐free arene ruthenium (II)–NNN pincer complexes (RuL, RuL¹, RuL² and RuL³) have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and single‐crystal X‐ray analysis. Further, arene ruthenium (II)–NNN pincer complexes have been used as catalyst for hydrogenation of nitroaromatics into aniline in the presence of NaBH₄ at room temperature. The catalytic process suggested highly chemo‐selective nitroreduction with wide functional group tolerance.     

Anthraquinone Redox Relay for Dye-Sensitized Photo-electrochemical H2O2 Production

Anthraquinone (AQ) redox mediators are introduced to metal-free organic dye sensitized photo-electrochemical cells (DSPECs) for the generation of H₂O₂. Instead of directly reducing O₂ to produce H₂O₂, visible-light-driven AQ reduction occurs in the DSPEC and the following autooxidation with O₂ allows H₂O₂ accumulation and AQ regeneration. In an aqueous electrolyte, under 1 sun conditions, a water-soluble AQ salt is employed with the highest photocurrent of up to 0.4 mA cm⁻² and near-quantitative faradaic efficiency for producing H₂O₂. In a non-aqueous electrolyte, under 1 sun illumination, an organic-soluble AQ is applied and the photocurrent reaches 1.8 mA cm⁻² with faradaic efficiency up to 95 % for H₂O₂ production. This AQ-relay DSPEC exhibits the highest photocurrent so far in non-aqueous electrolytes for H₂O₂ production and excellent acid stability in aqueous electrolytes, thus providing a practical and efficient strategy for visible-light-driven H₂O₂ production.     

Study of ion adsorption at passive iron by using the impedance and photoadmittance methods

Intensity-modulated photocurrent (photoadmittance) and electrochemical impedance of anodicoxidized iron electrode in neutral nitrate solutions and in the presence of Ba²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl^?, and C₆H₅COO^? (benzoate) are studied. It is shown that the ion adsorption at passive iron affects but slightly the system’s impedance; by contrast, it affects the photocurrent value significantly: when adsorbing, the anions increase the photoeffect, while the cations decrease it. These effects are associated with the potential drop redistribution in the Helmholtz layer and the film. The dissimilar changes of the generation current in the presence of similarly charged ions at their equal concentration evidence their different adsorption activity. The correlation between the generation current and surface-active ion concentration in solution is found. The photoelectrochemical spectroscopy allows evaluating qualitatively the surface-active ion adsorption at the passive iron and judging on the ion adsorption by the dependence of the generation current on the ion concentration.     

Photosensitization of Nanocrystalline TiO2 Electrode Modified with C60 Carboxylic Acid Derivatives

C₆₀ carboxylic acid derivatives can be readily adsorbed on the surface of nanocrystalline TiO₂ film. The C₆₀ carboxylic acids adsorbed on nanocrystalline TiO₂ films act as charge‐transfer sensitizer. The electron transport from TiO₂ to the C₆₀ derivatives results in the generation of the cathodic photocurrent. The short‐circuit photocurrent of a C₆₀ tetracarboxylic acid is 0.45 μA/cm² under 464 nm light illumination. The photoelectric behaviour of ITO electrodes modified by the same C₆₀ carboxylic acids is different from that of the modified TiO₂ electrodes, and shows anodic photocurrent.     

Anthraquinone Redox Relay for Dye‐Sensitized Photo‐electrochemical H2O2 Production

Anthraquinone (AQ) redox mediators are introduced to metal‐free organic dye sensitized photo‐electrochemical cells (DSPECs) for the generation of H₂O₂. Instead of directly reducing O₂ to produce H₂O₂, visible‐light‐driven AQ reduction occurs in the DSPEC and the following autooxidation with O₂ allows H₂O₂ accumulation and AQ regeneration. In an aqueous electrolyte, under 1 sun conditions, a water‐soluble AQ salt is employed with the highest photocurrent of up to 0.4 mA cm^?2 and near‐quantitative faradaic efficiency for producing H₂O₂. In a non‐aqueous electrolyte, under 1 sun illumination, an organic‐soluble AQ is applied and the photocurrent reaches 1.8 mA cm^?2 with faradaic efficiency up to 95 % for H₂O₂ production. This AQ‐relay DSPEC exhibits the highest photocurrent so far in non‐aqueous electrolytes for H₂O₂ production and excellent acid stability in aqueous electrolytes, thus providing a practical and efficient strategy for visible‐light‐driven H₂O₂ production.     

PHOTOCHEMISTRY ON SURFACES. EXCITED STATE BEHAVIOR OF RUTHENIUM TRIS(BATHOPHENANTHROLINE DISULFONATE) ON COLLOIDAL ALUMINA-COATED SILICA PARTICLES*

Abstract— The excited state behavior of an anionic ruthenium(II) complex, RuL₃^4-(L=bathophen-anthroline disulfonate), that is electrostatically bound to positively charged alumina-coated silica particles is investigated. The apparent association constant for the binding of RuL₃^4-to the particles is 1.2 × 10⁴M^-1. Surface photochemical processes result in decreased emission yields and multiexponential excited state decay. Excited state quenching by ground-state molecules is evident at high surface coverages. The non-exponential decay kinetics observed at low surface coverages can be attributed either to clustering of the RuL₃^4-molecules or photoionization promoted by Lewis acid sites on the particle surface.     

Synthesis of ZnO/Cu2S core/shell nanorods and their enhanced photoelectric performance

In this work, two kinds of ZnO/Cu₂S core/shell nanorods (NRs) have been successfully synthesized from ZnO NRs for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting by a versatile hydrothermal chemical conversion method (H-ZnO/Cu₂S core/shell NRs) and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method (S-ZnO/Cu₂S core/shell NRs), respectively. The photoelectrode is composed of a core/shell structure where the core portion is ZnO NRs and the shell portion is Cu₂S nanoparticles sequentially located on the surface. The ZnO NRs array provides a fast electron transport pathway due to its high electron mobility properties. The optical property of both two kinds of core/shell NRs was characterized, and enhanced absorption spectrum was discovered. Our PEC system produced very high photocurrent density and photoconversion efficiency under 1.5 AM irradiation for hydrogen generation. On the basis of a versatile chemical conversion process based on the ion-by-ion growth mechanism, H-ZnO/Cu₂S core/shell NRs exhibit a much higher photocatalytic activity than S-ZnO/Cu₂S core/shell NRs. The photocurrent density and photoconversion efficiency of H-ZnO/Cu₂S core/shell NRs are up to 20.12 mA cm^?2 at 0.85 V versus SCE and 12.81 % at 0.40 V versus SCE, respectively.     

表面In掺杂TiO2的N719/TiO2-Inx%/FTO薄膜电极的光电转换效率

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备出In 表面修饰的TiO₂ (TiO₂-Inx%)纳米粒子, x%代表在In 掺杂的TiO₂样品中In³⁺与In³⁺和Ti⁴⁺离子摩尔百分含量. 利用二(四丁基铵)顺式-双(异硫氰基)双(2,2''-联吡啶-4,4''-二羧酸)钌(II)(N719)作为敏化剂, 制备出N719/TiO₂/FTO (氟掺杂锡氧化物)和N719/TiO₂-Inx%/FTO染料敏化薄膜电极. 光电转换效率实验表明, 在薄膜电极+0.5 mol·L^-1 LiI+0.05 mol·L^-1 I₂的三甲氧基丙腈(MPN)溶液+Pt 光电池体系中,N719/TiO₂-Inx%/FTO薄膜电极的光电转换效率均高于N719/TiO₂/FTO, 其中N719/TiO₂-In0.1%/FTO的光电转换效率比N719/TiO₂/FTO提高了20%. 利用X 射线衍射(XRD)、X 射线光电子能谱(XPS)、漫反射吸收光谱(DRS)、荧光(PL)光谱和表面光电流作用谱确定了TiO₂-Inx%样品中In3+离子的存在方式和能带结构; 利用表面光电流作用谱研究了N719/TiO₂-Inx%/FTO薄膜电极的光致界面电荷转移过程. 结果表明, In3+离子在TiO₂表面形成O-In-Cl_n (n=1, 2)物种, 该物种的表面态能级位于导带下0.3 eV处; 在光电流产生过程中, O-In-Cl_n (n=1, 2)表面态能级有效地抑制了光生载流子在TiO₂-Inx%层的复合, 促进了阳极光电流的增加, 从而导致N719/TiO₂-Inx%/FTO薄膜电极的光电转化效率高于N719/TiO₂/FTO, 并进一步讨论了光致界面电荷转移的机理.     

Identification of the [(bpy)2Ru(Im)(H2O)]2+ complex as an reaction intermediate by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary The synthesis of the complex [(bpy)₂Ru(Im)₂]²⁺ (bpy=2,2-bipyridine; Im=imidazole) has been monitored by reversed-phase HPLC. The analytical results obtained during the reaction have shown that it is feasible to identify and isolate the [(bpy)₂RuIm(H₂O)]²⁺ complex as a reaction intermediate. The optimization of the synthetic procedures for these two species has been established and the compounds have been obtained in high purity. The use of HPLC has enabled complete analytical control of the synthesis of the [(bpy)₂RuL₂]²⁺ class of compounds, enabling the identification of reaction intermediates.     

Multiply charged ions of ruthenium(II), rhodium(III) and cobalt(III) complexes in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Multiply charged ions from electrospray ionization (ESI) were observed for ruthenium-bidentate ligand complexes, such as [RuL₂B]X₂ and [(RuL₂)₂B]X₄, where L is 2,2′-bipyridine, B are tetradentate ligands of 2,2′-bis(2′-pyridyl)bibenzimidazole and 2,6-bis(2′-pyridyl)benzodiimidazole, bidentate ligand of 2-(2′-pyridyl)benzimidazole and related compounds and X is CIO₄^- or CI^-. ESI mass spectra showed a simple mass pattern for easy structural assignment and detecting impurities. The mass spectra for binuclear complexes provide a charge state distribution ranging from 4+ to 2+ for Ru(II)—Ru(II) compounds and 5+ to 2+ for Ru(II)—Rh(III) compounds. It was found that different multiply charged ions are generated by loss of counterions and by protonation/deprotonation at the proton site of ligands B. The abundances of these ions are qualitatively explained in terms of the acidity of metal complexes depending on the bridging ligand structures and the charge of the metal ions. Ions produced by removal of ligands were hardly observed.     

A versatile route to (η5-C5R5)RuL2X from allylmethylruthenium complexes

Divalent ruthenium complexes, (η⁵-C₅R₅)RuL₂X (R = H, CH₃; X = Br, Cl), are formed by thermal decomposition of (η⁵-C₅R₅)Ru(CH₃)X(η³-C₃H₅) in the presence of several neutral ligands.     

ZnO/BiVO4-V2O5异质结构光生电荷性质及可见光下表面光电流行为

利用水热法合成了花状和球状ZnO微纳材料,并与硝酸铋和偏钒酸铵溶液体系反应构筑了ZnO/BiVO4-V2O5复合体系.利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)及X射线衍射(XRD)对材料进行了系统的表征.利用表面光伏(SPV)、表面光电流(SPC)和瞬态光伏(TPV)技术研究了ZnO/BiVO4-V2O5表面光生电荷的产生和传输机制.结果显示该复合材料在可见区产生了良好的光电响应,获得了较高的光生载流子的分离效率,光生电荷的寿命也同时增加.在单色弱可见光(波长500 nm)照射下,复合材料产生良好重复性的表面光电流响应.     

A Photoelectrochemical Biosensor Fabricated using Hierarchically Structured Gold Nanoparticle and MoS2 on Tannic Acid Templated Mesoporous TiO2

In a tannic acid assisted synthesis of mesoporous TiO₂, tannic acid was used as a cost effective and non‐toxic template for pore formation. Meanwhile, a gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) deposited TiO₂ nanocomposite was coated on an indium tin oxide electrode for the fabrication of a photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensing system. Upon the formation of anatase structure, the electrode was coated with MoS₂ for effective visible light absorption. The mesoporous structure led to an enhanced surface area by improving Au NPs and glucose oxidase adsorption. Incorporation of Au NPs led to an enhanced photonic efficiency due to the generation of Schottky barriers. The obtained nanocomposite was used for the light‐driven, real‐time, and selective PEC glucose sensing. Under visible light irradiation, the enzyme immobilized electrodes yielded significant photocurrent improvement owing to the releasing electron donor H₂O₂. The obtained PEC biosensor demonstrated acceptable reproducibility and stability with a sensitivity of 4.42 μA mM^?1 cm^?2 and a low detection limit of 1.2 μM glucose. Also, the linear measurement range was found to be 0.004–1.75 mM glucose. The results indicated that the proposed production method of mesoporous TiO₂ will pave the way for a green chemistry based porous material production, along with the extension of the implementation of semiconductors in PEC biosensing systems.     

CoO改性TiO2光催化从水析氢光电化学行为研究

评价了不同Co担载量的CoO-TiO₂系列光催化剂在无氧条件下光催化重整乙醇水溶液反应中析氢性能, 并利用连续瞬间电流-时间响应和循环伏安法等电化学方法, 重点考察了不同Co担载量光催化剂在紫外和可见光光照条件下电流响应强度和起始响应速率的差别, 以及暗态和光照条件下光催化析氢电位变化等光电化学行为. 实验结果表明, 适当量CoO的改性能够显著地提高TiO₂光催化析氢性能, 表现出了良好的稳定性, 最佳担载量为0.4% Co, 将产氢速率由原来的2.9×10^－3 mL•h^－1提高到了2.85×10^－1 mL•h^－1, 提高了近2个数量级. 光电化学行为研究表明, 紫外光照射时CoO改性明显增强了TiO₂的光电流响应强度, 其相对大小顺序为: 3.0% Co＞0.4% Co＞0.0% Co, 但光电流起始响应速度随着担载量的增加有所下降, 其相对大小顺序是: 0.0% Co≈0.4% Co＞3.0% Co. 利用可见光源照射时, 除光电流响应强度总体下降, 光电流响应强度的相对大小顺序为0.4% Co＞0.0% Co＞3.0% Co, 而光电流起始响应速度十分接近.