A dye-sensitized photoanode is prepared by coassembling
a Ru complex
photosensitizer and a Ru water oxidation catalyst (WOC) on a TiO2 substrate, in which the WOC molecules are immobilized in
a layer-by-layer fashion through metal-pyridine coordination with
the aid of a bifunctional anchoring and bridging molecule containing
multiple pyridine groups. Under visible-light irradiation, an anodic
photocurrent of around 200 μA/cm2 has been achieved
with O2 and H2 being generated at the photoanode
and Pt counter electrode, respectively. The pyridine anchoring strategy
provides a simple method to prepare photoelectrodes for applications
in photoelectrochemical cells.