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Title: Structural Gating Enhances Long-Distance Light-Driven Interfacial Electron Transfer

Journal Article · · ACS Central Science

Structural gating provides a molecular means to transfer electrons preferentially in one desired vectorial direction, a behavior needed for applications in artificial photosynthesis. At the interfaces utilized herein, visible-light absorption by a transition metal complex opens a “structural gate” by planarization of otherwise rotating phenyl rings in p-phenylene ethynylene (PE) bridge units. Planarization provides a conjugated pathway for electron flow toward a conductive oxide surface. Interfacial electron transfer to the oxide restores rotation and closes the gate to the unwanted recombination reaction. This structural gating results in nearly quantitative long-distance (>20 Å) interfacial electron transfer that occurs ~1000 times faster than transfer in the opposite direction. A comparative kinetic study of these complexes with those that contain ionic bridge units, without gating function, as a function of the applied potential and hence –ΔG° provided a physical basis for the structural gating. A small distancedependent reorganization energy with weak electronic coupling underlies the success of this gate that enables efficient long-distance electron transfer and slow recombination.

Research Organization:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
NSF-MRI; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-01ER15256; SC0011979; SC0013461
OSTI ID:
2476764
Journal Information:
ACS Central Science, Journal Name: ACS Central Science Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 10; ISSN 2374-7943
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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  • Chidsey, Christopher E. D.; Bertozzi, Carolyn R.; Putvinski, T. M.
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