ja052415w_si_001.pdf (110.4 kB)
Reactivity of Monolayer-Protected Gold Nanoclusters at Dye-Sensitized Liquid/Liquid Interfaces
journal contribution
posted on 2005-08-03, 00:00 authored by Bin Su, Nicolas Eugster, Hubert H. GiraultHexanethiolate monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters (MPCs) were used as redox quenchers
at the polarizable water/1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) interface. Photocurrent responses originating from the
heterogeneous quenching of photoexcited water soluble porphyrin complexes by MPCs dissolved in the
DCE phase were observed. As MPCs can function as both electron acceptors and donors, the photocurrent
results from the superposition of two simultaneous processes, which correspond to the oxidation and
reduction of MPCs. The magnitude of the net photocurrent is essentially determined by the balance of the
kinetics of these two processes, which can be controlled by tuning the Galvani potential difference between
the two phases. We show that, within the available potential window, the apparent electron-transfer rate
constants follow classical Butler−Volmer dependence on the applied potential difference.