Self-assembling hydrogel scaffolds for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

ABSTRACT: Integration into a soft material of all the molecular components necessary to generate storable fuels is an interesting target in supramolecular chemistry. The concept is inspired by the internal structure of photosynthetic organelles, such as plant chloroplasts, which colocalize molecules involved in light absorption, charge transport and catalysis to create chemical bonds using light energy. We report here on the light-driven production of hydrogen inside a hydrogel scaffold built by the supramolecular self-assembly of a perylene monoimide amphiphile. The charged ribbons formed can electrostatically attract a nickel-based catalyst, and electrolyte screening promotes gelation. We found the emergent phenomenon that screening by the catalyst or the electrolytes led to two-dimensional crysta

SUBMITTER: Weingarten AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4326083 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature