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Published on: April 22, 2016
Time-Resolved Raman Spectroscopy of Polaron Formation in a Polymer Photocatalyst
Verity L Piercy1, Khezar H Saeed1, Andrew W Prentice2
1Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy and Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZF, U.K.
Abstract:
Polymer photocatalysts are a synthetically diverse class of materials that can be used for the production of solar fuels such as H2, but the underlying mechanisms by which they operate are poorly understood. Time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy provides a powerful structure-specific probe of photogenerated species. Here we report the use of time-resolved resonance Raman (TR3) spectroscopy to study the formation of polaron pairs and electron polarons in one of the most active linear polymer photocatalysts for H2 production, poly(dibenzo[b,d]thiophene sulfone), P10. We identify that polaron-pair formation prior to thermalization of the initially generated excited states is an important pathway for the generation of long-lived photoelectrons.
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