Amphiphilic micellar CdSe QD as microreactors to self-assemble nickel complexes for photosynthetic hydrogen evolution in water

摘要

Inspired by the internal structure of photosynthetic organelles, integration of all the molecular components into a soft material to generate storable fuels is an interesting target in supermolecular chemistry. We report here on the light-driven hydrogen production inside of amphiphilic CdSe QDs micellar microreactors, where the hydrophobic cavity can attract water insoluble Nickel complexes through self-assembly, in the presence of electron donor, giving a high efficiency with TONs of 10667 at a mild condition. Combination of the steady-state and time-resolved studies, it is proposed that the photo-excited electrons from the conduction band of CdSe QDs to Ni2+ centered complexes occurs. Futhermore, the supermolecular assembly can be concentrated into stable photocatalytic material, which could be further placed on surface or in the pores of solid supports. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.