Issue 47, 2009
From the journal:

Journal of Materials Chemistry

Photoinduced electron transfer in aqueous carbon nanotube/block copolymer/CdS hybrids: application in the construction of photoelectrochemical cells†

Grigoris Mountrichas,a   Atula S. D. Sandanayaka,bc   Solon P. Economopoulos,a   Stergios Pispas,a   Osamu Ito,*b   Taku Hasobe*cd  and  Nikos Tagmatarchis*a  

* Corresponding authors

a Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vass. Constantinou Avenue, Athens, Greece
E-mail: tagmatar@eie.gr
Fax: +30210-7273794
Tel: +30210-7273835

b Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan
E-mail: ito@tagen.tohuku.ac.jp
Tel: +81-22-217-5608

c School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Nomi, Ishikawa, Japan
E-mail: t-hasobe@jaist.ac.jp
Tel: +81-761-51-1580

d PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan

Abstract

Pristine and shorted multi-walled carbon nanotubes (pMWCNT and sMWCNT, respectively) non-covalently modified with a block copolymer (poly[sodium (2-sulfamate-3-carboxylate) isoprene-b-styrene]—abbreviated as CSI) are used for the formation of CdS semiconductor nanohybrids. The CdS nanoparticles are preferentially localized on the surface of the nanotubes due to specific interactions with the polymer chains. In these nanohybrid materials photoinduced electron transfer phenomena are found to occur from the photoexcited CdS nanoparticles to the nanotubes as evidenced by the efficient fluorescence emission quenching of CdS nanoparticles. Nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy sheds light on the transient species formed by charge separation, namely (pMWCNT)˙−/CSI/(CdS)˙+ and (sMWCNT)˙−/CSI/(CdS)˙+. The MWCNT/CSI/CdS nanohybrid materials are deposited onto ITO electrodes by the drop-casting method. The ITO/sMWCNT/CSI/CdS electrode exhibit an incident photon to photocurrent efficiency (IPCE) of 7% at an applied bias of +0.2 V vs.SCE in a standard three-compartment electrochemical cell. Direct electron injection from the reduced nanotubes to ITO electrode after the photoinduced charge separation is responsible for the photocurrent generation.

Graphical abstract: Photoinduced electron transfer in aqueous carbon nanotube/block copolymer/CdS hybrids: application in the construction of photoelectrochemical cells

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/B914914G
Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Jul 2009
Accepted
17 Sep 2009
First published
13 Oct 2009

J. Mater. Chem., 2009,19, 8990-8998

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Photoinduced electron transfer in aqueous carbon nanotube/block copolymer/CdS hybrids: application in the construction of photoelectrochemical cells

G. Mountrichas, A. S. D. Sandanayaka, S. P. Economopoulos, S. Pispas, O. Ito, T. Hasobe and N. Tagmatarchis, J. Mater. Chem., 2009, 19, 8990 DOI: 10.1039/B914914G

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