Donor-acceptor columnar liquid crystals (DACLCs) is a class of supramolecular organic materials consisting of two molecular components: an electron-poor aromatic (acceptor) and an electron-rich aromatic (donor). Upon the alternating self-assembly of the DACLC components, an intense charge-transfer (CT) absorption band is observed due to direct excitation of an electron from the donor to a neighboring acceptor. This tunable CT “band gap”, along with the related redox potentials of DACLC materials, presents an exciting opportunity to develop new photo-catalytic organic redox materials. Here, we explore the combination of several functional properties of DACLCs towards their application in photo-electrolysis solar energy conversion specifically. This includes tuning the light absorption and surface deposition of DACLCs to be able to absorb enough energy from sunlight to successfully split water. In addition, we interrogate the importance of the interface between the DACLC electrode and an aqueous solution, changing the side chain make-up in DACLCs to tune the hydrophilicity when performing redox chemistry. We discuss how Improving the interface with molecules such as highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) could improve how the molecules stick to the electrode and act when in solution.

Use of donor-acceptor columnar liquid crystals for photo-electrolysis solar energy conversion

ACS Spring 2022

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