BODIPY Chemisorbed on SnO and TiO Surfaces for Photoelectrochemical Applications.

Advancement toward dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells to produce solar fuels by solar-driven water splitting requires a photosensitizer that is firmly attached to the semiconducting photoelectrodes. Covalent binding enhances the efficiency of electron injection from the photoexcited dye into the metal oxide. Optimization of charge transfer, efficient electron injection, and minimal electron-hole recombination are mandatory for achieving high efficiencies.

Concentration-Dependent Photocatalytic Upcycling of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Plastic Waste.

Photocatalytic plastic waste upcycling into value-added feedstock is a promising way to mitigate the environmental issues caused by the nondegradable nature of plastic waste. Here, we developed a MoS/g-CN photocatalyst that can efficiently upcycle poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) into valuable organic chemicals. Interestingly, the conversion mechanism is concentration-dependent.

BODIPY and dipyrrin as unexpected robust anchoring groups on TiO nanoparticles.

Covalent attachment of molecules to metal oxide surfaces typically demands the presence of an anchoring group that in turn requires synthetic steps to introduce. BODIPY (4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza--indacene) chromophores have long been used in dye-sensitized solar cells, but carboxylic acid groups typically had to be installed to act as surface anchors. We now find that even without the introduction of such anchors, the unmodified BODIPY can bind to TiO surfaces its BF group through boron-oxygen surface bonds.

Terahertz Conductivity of Semiconducting 2H and Metallic 1T Phases of Molybdenum Disulfide.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS) has been extensively studied in its commonly occurring semiconducting 2H phase. Recent synthetic advances have enabled the bulk synthesis of the catalytically promising metallic 1T phase. However, the conductivity of bulk 1T-MoS has not been well characterized to ascertain the carrier transport properties.

Single Copper Atoms Enhance Photoconductivity in g-CN.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) and its doped analogues have been studied over the past decade in part due to their promising applications in heterogeneous photocatalysis; however, the effect of doping on the photoconductivity is poorly understood. Herein, we investigate Cu doped g-CN (Cu-g-CN) and demonstrate via extended X-ray absorption fine structure that Cu incorporates as an individual ion. Time-resolved optical pump terahertz probe spectroscopy was utilized to measure the ultrafast photoconductivity in response to a 400 nm pump pulse and showed that the Cu dopant significantly enhances photoconductivity of the as-prepared powdered sample, which decays within 10 ps.