Light-harvesting nanostructured devices

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This project, which brings together the expertise on nanostructuring obtained in the group of G. Wilde with the expertise in synthesizing photo-responsive molecular systems by Y. Zhen, is designed to explore the functionalization of anodically generated mesoporous metal oxide membranes towards photo-functional devices able to harvest/utilize visible light. Several different combinations of mesoporous metal oxide templates have already been synthesized in our laboratories by anodic oxidation (with or without subsequent atomic layer deposition), and initial experiments concerning the functionalization of the metal oxide pores with functional molecular species have already been performed. We shall further functionalize these structures and assemble devices for two inter-related applications relying on similar approaches but different physicochemical effects for utilizing visible light. In particular, functionalized mesoporous membranes providing a regular and adjustable template with defined geometry shall be used for the design of photovoltaic / photocatalytic devices and photoconductive devices / photosensitive switches. The design strategy proposed herein will provide detailed insight into the relative importance of structural and geometrical aspects, as well as detailed structure-activity relationships because the geometrical arrangement of arrays of the different functional species can be pre-defined. Moreover, the results of macroscopic measurements (on the ensemble of identical functional nanostructures) can be compared to local measurements to distinguish between effects due to the particular nanostructure and local molecular interactions within the arrays.