Sensitization of Nanocrystalline Metal Oxides with a Phosphonate-Functionalized Perylene Diimide for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation with a CoOx Catalyst.

A planar organic thin film composed of a perylene diimide dye (N,N'-bis(phosphonomethyl)-3,4,9,10-perylenediimide, PMPDI) with photoelectrochemically deposited cobalt oxide (CoOx) catalyst was previously shown to photoelectrochemically oxidize water (DOI: 10.1021/am405598w). Herein, the same PMPDI dye is studied for the sensitization of different nanostructured metal oxide (nano-MOx) films in a dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cell architecture. Dye adsorption kinetics and saturation decreases in the order TiO2 > SnO2 ≫ WO3. Despite highest initial dye loading on TiO2 films, photocurrent with hydroquinone (H2Q) sacrificial reductant in pH 7 aqueous solution is much higher on SnO2 films, likely due to a higher driving force for charge injection into the more positive conduction band energy of SnO2. Dyeing conditions and SnO2 film thickness were subsequently optimized to achieve light-harvesting efficiency >99% at the λmax of the dye, and absorbed photon-to-current efficiency of 13% with H2Q, a 2-fold improvement over the previous thin-film architecture. A CoOx water-oxidation catalyst was photoelectrochemically deposited, allowing for photoelectrochemical water oxidation with a faradaic efficiency of 31 ± 7%, thus demonstrating the second example of a water-oxidizing, dye-sensitized photoelectrolysis cell composed entirely of earth-abundant materials. However, deposition of CoOx always results in lower photocurrent due to enhanced recombination between catalyst and photoinjected electrons in SnO2, as confirmed by open-circuit photovoltage measurements. Possible future studies to enhance photoanode performance are discussed, including alternative catalyst deposition strategies or structural derivatization of the perylene dye.

Cobalt Polyoxometalate Co4V2W18O68(10-): A Critical Investigation of Its Synthesis, Purity, and Observed (51)V Quadrupolar NMR.

The vanadium-containing cobalt polyoxometalate (Co-POM) Co4V2W18O68(10-) (hereafter Co4V2W18) has been reported to be a stable, homogeneous water-oxidation catalyst, one with a claimed record turnover frequency that is also reportedly 200-fold faster than its phosphorus congener, Co4P2W18O68(10-). The claimed superior water-oxidation catalysis activity of the vanadium congener, Co4V2W18, rests squarely on the reported synthesis of Co4V2W18, its purity, and its stability in both the solid-state and in solution. Attempts to repeat the preparation of Co4V2W18 by either of two literature syntheses, along with the other studies reported herein, led to the discovery of multiple, convoluted problems in the prior literature of Co4V2W18. The three most serious of those problems proved to be the prior misunderstanding of the quadrupolar (herein (51)V) NMR peak widths in complexes that also contain paramagnetic metals such as Co(II), the incorrect assignment of a -506.8 ppm (51)V NMR to Co4V2W18, and then the use of that -506.8 peak to argue for the stability of Co4V2W18 in solution. The results are reported in a somewhat historical, "story" fashion en route to elucidating and fully supporting the 11 insights and take-home messages listed in the Summary and Conclusions section.

Visible-light-assisted photoelectrochemical water oxidation by thin films of a phosphonate-functionalized perylene diimide plus CoOx cocatalyst.

A novel perylene diimide dye functionalized with phosphonate groups, N,N'-bis(phosphonomethyl)-3,4,9,10-perylenediimide (PMPDI), is synthesized and characterized. Thin films of PMPDI spin-coated onto indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates are further characterized, augmented by photoelectrochemically depositing a CoOx catalyst, and then investigated as photoanodes for water oxidation. These ITO/PMPDI/CoOx electrodes show visible-light-assisted water oxidation with photocurrents in excess of 150 µA/cm(2) at 1.0 V applied bias vs. Ag/AgCl. Water oxidation is confirmed by the direct detection of O2, with a faradaic efficiency of 80 ± 15% measured under 900 mV applied bias vs. Ag/AgCl. Analogous photoanodes prepared with another PDI derivative with alkyl groups in place of PMPDI's phosphonate groups do not function, providing evidence that PMPDI's phosphonate groups may be important for efficient coupling between the inorganic CoOx catalyst and the organic dye. Our ITO/PMPDI/CoOx anodes achieve internal quantum efficiencies for water oxidation ∼1%, and for hydroquinone oxidation of up to ∼6%. The novelty of our system is that, to the best of our knowledge, it is the first device to achieve photoelectrochemically driven water oxidation by a single-layer molecular organic semiconductor thin film coupled to a water-oxidation catalyst.