Artificial photosynthesis and the production of solar fuels could be a key element in a future renewable energy economy providing a solution to the energy storage problem in solar energy conversion. We have developed a hybrid strategy for solar water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen based on a Dye Sensitized Photoelectrosynthesis Cell (DSPEC). This is a hybrid approach which integrates molecular level light absorption and catalysis and the bandgap and transport properties of high bandgap semiconductor oxides. In the DSPEC for water splitting, a derivatized, core/shell nanostructured photoanode is the key. It consists of a transparent conductive metal oxide core - nanoITO (indium tin oxide) or nanoATO (antimony tin oxide) _ coated with a thin outer shell of TiO2 formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD). A �chromophore-catalyst assembly�, [(PO3H2)2bpy)2Ru(4-Mebpy-4-bimpy)Rub(tpy)(OH2)]4+, which combines both light absorber and water oxidation catalyst in a single molecule, is surface-bound to the TiO2  shell. Visible photolysis of the resulting core/shell/assembly with a Pt cathode resulted in water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen with an absorbed photon conversion efficiency (APCE) of 4.5% at peak photocurrent.

Solar water splitting in a molecular photoelectrochemical cell

247th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.