Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion in Broadly Absorbing Layered Film Systems for Sub-Bandgap Photocatalysis

Confinement-Enhanced Multi-Wavelength Photon Upconversion Based on Triplet-Triplet Annihilation in Nanostructured Glassy Polymers

Sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation photon upconversion (sTTA-UC) allows blue-shifting non-coherent low-intensity light and is potentially useful in solar-powered devices, bioimaging, 3D printing, and other applications. For technologically viable solar energy harvesting systems, solid materials that capture a large fraction of the solar spectrum and efficiently upconvert the absorbed energy must be developed. Here, it is shown that broadband-to-blue UC is possible in air-tolerant, easy-to-access, nanostructured polymers comprising a rigid hydrophilic matrix and liquid nanodroplets with dimensions on the order of tens of nanometers. The droplets contain 9,10-bis[(triisopropylsilyl)ethynyl] anthracene (TIPS-Ac) as emitter/annihilator and palladium(II) octaethyl porphyrin (PdOEP) and palladium(II) meso-tetraphenyl tetrabenzoporphine (PdTPBP) as sensitizers. The confinement of the three dyes in the liquid domains renders the various bimolecular energy transfer processes that are pivotal for the TIPS-Ac's triplet sensitization highly efficient, and the simultaneous use of multiple light harvesters with triplet energy levels resonant with the emitter/annihilator increases the absorption bandwidth to ca. 150 nm. The UC process at low power densities is most efficient when both sensitizers are simultaneously excited, thanks to their confinement in the nanodroplets, which leads to an increase in the triplet density, and therefore TTA rate and yield, optimizing the use of the harvested energy.

Materials Advances in Photocatalytic Solar Hydrogen Production: Integrating Systems and Economics for a Sustainable Future

Photocatalytic solar hydrogen generation, encompassing both overall water splitting and organic reforming, presents a promising avenue for green hydrogen production. This technology holds the potential for reduced capital costs in comparison to competing methods like photovoltaic-electrocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis, owing to its simplicity and fewer auxiliary components. However, the current solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of photocatalytic solar hydrogen production has predominantly remained low at ≈1-2% or lower, mainly due to curtailed access to the entire solar spectrum, thus impeding practical application of photocatalytic solar hydrogen production. This review offers an integrated, multidisciplinary perspective on photocatalytic solar hydrogen production. Specifically, the review presents the existing approaches in photocatalyst and system designs aimed at significantly boosting the solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, while also considering factors of cost and scalability of each approach. In-depth discussions extending beyond the efficacy of material and system design strategies are particularly vital to identify potential hurdles in translating photocatalysis research to large-scale applications. Ultimately, this review aims to provide understanding and perspective of feasible pathways for commercializing photocatalytic solar hydrogen production technology, considering both engineering and economic standpoints.

Photonic crystal-assisted sub-bandgap photocatalysis via triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion for the degradation of environmental organic pollutants

This study explores novel approaches to enhance photocatalysis efficiency by introducing a photonic crystal (PC)-enhanced, multi-layered sub-bandgap photocatalytic reactor. The design aims to effectively utilize sub-bandgap photons that might otherwise go unused. The device consists of three types of layers: (1) two polymeric triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) layers converting low-energy green photons (λEx = 532 nm, 2.33 eV) to high-energy blue photons (λEm = 425 nm, 2.92 eV), (2) a platinum-decorated WO3 layer (Eg = 2.8 eV) serving as a visible-light photocatalyst, and (3) a PC layer optimizing both TTA-UC and photocatalysis. The integration of the PC layer resulted in a 1.9-fold increase in UC emission and a 7.9-fold enhancement in hydroxyl radical (•OH) generation, achieved under low-intensity sub-bandgap irradiation (17.6 mW cm-2). Consequently, the combined layered structure of TTA/Pt-WO3/TTA/PC achieved a remarkable 38.8-fold improvement in •OH production, leading to outstanding degradation capability for various organic pollutants (e.g., 4-chlorophenol, bisphenol A, and methylene blue). This multi-layered sub-bandgap photocatalytic structure, which uniquely combines TTA-UC and PC layers, offers valuable insights into designing efficient photocatalytic systems for future solar-driven environmental remediation.

High-efficiency triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion microemulsion with facile preparation and decent air tolerance

Current research of triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) faces difficulty such as overuse of organic solvents and quenching of excited triplet sensitizers by molecular oxygen. Herein, we propose an efficient and facile preparation strategy of TTA-UC microemulsion to overcome these issues. With simple device and short preparation process, air-stable TTA-UC with a high upconversion efficiency of 16.52% was achieved in microemulsion coassembled from TritonX114, tetrahydrofuran and upconverting chromophores (platinum octaethyl-porphyrin and 9,10-diphenylanthracene). This is comparable to the highest UC efficiency ever reported for TTA-UC microemulsion systems. The excellent UC performance of TX114-THF could be attributed to two perspectives. Firstly, small-size micelle accommodated chromophores up to high concentrations in organic phase, which promoted efficient molecular collision. Additionally, high absorbance at 532 nm ensured full use of excitation light, getting more long wavelength photons involved in the TTA-UC process. Moreover, air-stable TTA-UC also performed well in microemulsion with various surfactants, including nonionic surfactants (Tween 20, Tween 80, Triton X-110, Triton X-114), ionic surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide) and block copolymers (pluronic F127, pluronic P123), through three conjectural assembly models according to the structural characteristics of surfactant molecules (concentrated, uncompacted and scattered). These discoveries could provide estimable reference for selection of surfactants in relevant fields of TTA-UC.

Nanoengineering Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion: From Materials to Real-World Applications

Using light to control matter has captured the imagination of scientists for generations, as there is an abundance of photons at our disposal. Yet delivering photons beyond the surface to many photoresponsive systems has proven challenging, particularly at scale, due to light attenuation via absorption and scattering losses. Triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC), a process which allows for low energy photons to be converted to high energy photons, is poised to overcome these challenges by allowing for precise spatial generation of high energy photons due to its nonlinear nature. With a wide range of sensitizer and annihilator motifs available for TTA-UC, many researchers seek to integrate these materials in solution or solid-state applications. In this Review, we discuss nanoengineering deployment strategies and highlight their uses in recent state-of-the-art examples of TTA-UC integrated in both solution and solid-state applications. Considering both implementation tactics and application-specific requirements, we identify critical needs to push TTA-UC-based applications from an academic curiosity to a scalable technology.

Recent Advances in the Photoreactions Triggered by Porphyrin-Based Triplet–Triplet Annihilation Upconversion Systems: Molecular Innovations and Nanoarchitectonics

Triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) is a very promising technology that could be used to convert low-energy photons to high-energy ones and has been proven to be of great value in various areas. Porphyrins have the characteristics of high molar absorbance, can form a complex with different metal ions and a high proportion of triplet states as well as tunable structures, and thus they are important sensitizers for TTA-UC. Porphyrin-based TTA-UC plays a pivotal role in the TTA-UC systems and has been widely used in many fields such as solar cells, sensing and circularly polarized luminescence. In recent years, applications of porphyrin-based TTA-UC systems for photoinduced reactions have emerged, but have been paid little attention. As a consequence, this review paid close attention to the recent advances in the photoreactions triggered by porphyrin-based TTA-UC systems. First of all, the photochemistry of porphyrin-based TTA-UC for chemical transformations, such as photoisomerization, photocatalytic synthesis, photopolymerization, photodegradation and photochemical/photoelectrochemical water splitting, was discussed in detail, which revealed the different mechanisms of TTA-UC and methods with which to carry out reasonable molecular innovations and nanoarchitectonics to solve the existing problems in practical application. Subsequently, photoreactions driven by porphyrin-based TTA-UC for biomedical applications were demonstrated. Finally, the future developments of porphyrin-based TTA-UC systems for photoreactions were briefly discussed.

Funneling and Enhancing Upconversion Emission by Light-Harvesting Molecular Wires

Triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) upconversion has shown promising potentials in the augmentation of solar energy conversion. However, challenging issues exist in improving TTA upconversion efficiencies in solid-states, one of which is the back energy transfer from upconverted singlet annihilators to sensitizers, resulting in decreasing upconversion emission. Here we present a light-harvesting molecular wire consisting of dendrons with 9,10-diphenylanthracene derivatives (DPAEH) at the periphery and p-phenylene ethynylene oligomers (PPE) as the wire core. The peripheral DPAEH antenna funnels singlet excitonic energy to the wire on a 12 ps time scale. Incorporating the molecular wire into the TTA upconversion solid consisting of the DPAEH annihilator and the porphyrin sensitizer evidently improves the upconversion quantum yield from 1.5% to 2.7% upon 532 nm excitation by suppressing the back energy transfer from the singlet annihilator to the sensitizer. This finding offers a potential route to use a singlet energy light-harvesting architecture for enhancing TTA upconversion.

Photocatalytic oxygen evolution triggered by photon upconverted emission based on triplet-triplet annihilation

A visible light responsive photocatalyst, Mo-doped BiVO4 (Mo:BVO), was shown to promote oxygen evolution from water in response to photon upconverted emission based on triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) in the same aqueous dispersion. Composites comprising a triplet sensitizer (Pt(ii) octaethylporphyrin; PtOEP) and a singlet emitter (9,10-diphenylanthracene; DPA) intercalated in a layered clay compound (montmorillonite or saponite) were prepared using a facile but versatile solvothermal method. These composites were capable of converting green incident light (λ = 535 nm) to blue light (λ = 430 nm) even in air. The host layered clay as well as the co-intercalated surfactant evidently functioned as barriers against water and oxygen to prevent the quenching of the active compounds. The TTA upconversion driven photocatalytic oxygen evolution using the aqueous mixture of the dyes-clay composite and particulate photocatalysts can be a potential approach to eliminate the undesired optical losses and thus be a breakthrough for future industrial and large-scale installation in an inexpensive manner.

Highly Ordered 2D-Assemblies of Phase-Segregated Block Molecules for Upconverted Linearly Polarized Emission

Materials based on the laminar ordering of self-assembled molecules have a unique potential for applications requiring efficient energy migration through densely packed chromophores. Here, employing molecular assemblies of coil-rod-coil block molecules for triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) based on triplet energy migration with linearly polarized emission is reported. By covalently attaching discrete-length oligodimethylsiloxane (oDMS) to 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA), highly ordered 2D crystalline DPA sheets separated by oDMS layers are obtained. Transparent films of this material doped with small amounts of triplet sensitizer Pt^II octaethylporphyrin show air-stable TTA-UC under non-coherent excitation. Upon annealing, an increase in TTA-UC up to two orders of magnitude is observed originating from both an improved molecular ordering of DPA and an increased dispersion of the sensitizer. The molecular alignment in millimeter-sized domains leads to upconverted linearly polarized emission without alignment layers. By using a novel technique, upconversion imaging microscopy, the TTA-UC intensity is spatially resolved on a micrometer scale to visually demonstrate the importance of molecular dispersion of sensitizer molecules for efficient TTA-UC. The reported results are promising for anti-counterfeiting and 3D night-vision applications, but also exemplify the potential of discrete oligodimethylsiloxane functionalized chromophores for highly aligned and densely packed molecular materials.

High Photon Upconversion Efficiency with Hybrid Triplet Sensitizers by Ultrafast Hole-Routing in Electronic-Doped Nanocrystals

Low-power photon upconversion (UC) based on sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation (sTTA) is considered as the most promising upward wavelength-shifting technique to enhance the light-harvesting capability of solar devices. Colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) with conjugated organic ligands have been recently proposed to extend the limited light-harvesting capability of molecular absorbers. Key to their functioning is efficient energy transfer (ET) from the NC to the triplet state of the ligands that sensitize free annihilator moieties responsible for the upconverted luminescence. The ET efficiency is typically limited by parasitic processes, above all nonradiative hole-transfer to the ligand highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO). Here, a new exciton-manipulation approach is demonstrated that enables loss-free ET by electronically doping CdSe NCs with gold impurities that introduce a hole-accepting intragap state above the HOMO energy of 9-anthracene acid ligands. Upon photoexcitation, the NC photoholes are rapidly routed to the Au-level, producing a long-lived bound exciton in perfect resonance with the ligand triplet. This hinders hole-transfer leading to ≈100% efficient ET that translates into an upconversion quantum yield as high as ≈12% (≈24% in the normalized definition), which is the highest performance for NC-based upconverters based on sTTA to date and approaches the record efficiency of optimized organic systems.

Tuning the Quantum Dot (QD)/Mediator Interface for Optimal Efficiency of QD-Sensitized Near-Infrared-to-Visible Photon Upconversion Systems

Lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dots (QDs) have shown promising performance as a sensitizer in infrared-to-visible photon upconversion systems. To investigate the key design rules, we compare three PbS-sensitized upconversion systems using three mediator molecules with the same tetracene triplet acceptor at different distances from the QD. Using transient absorption spectroscopy, we directly measure the triplet energy-transfer rates and efficiencies from the QD to the mediator and from the mediator to the emitter. With increasing distance between the mediator and PbS QD, the efficiency of the first triplet energy transfer from the QD to the mediator decreases because of a decrease in the rate of this triplet energy-transfer step, while the efficiency of the second triplet energy transfer from the mediator to the emitter increases because of a reduction in the QD-induced mediator triplet state decay. The latter effect is a result of the slow rate constant of the second triplet energy-transfer process, which is 3 orders of magnitude slower than the diffusion-limited value. The combined results lead to a net decrease of the steady-state upconversion quantum yield with distance, which could be predicted by our kinetic model. Our result shows that the QD/mediator interface affects both the first and second triplet energy transfer processes in the photon upconversion system, and the QD/mediator distance has an opposite effect on the efficiencies of the first and second triplet energy transfer. These findings provide important insight for the further rational improvement of the overall efficiency of QD-based upconversion systems.

Efficient Photocatalysis of Composite Films Based on Plasmon-Enhanced Triplet-Triplet Annihilation

To avoid secondary environmental pollution caused by photocatalysts in their applications, our work offers a new strategy for fabricating photocatalytic films based on plasmon-enhanced triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC). Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films containing platinum (II)-octaethylporphyrin and 9,10-diphenylanthracene (PtDPAP), and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were prepared. While graphene (G) was used as an adhesive and conductive layer, CdS nanoparticles were deposited onto the films (AuNPs-PtDPAP/G/CdS) by plasma glow discharge pretreatment. The AuNPs-PtDPAP film had an enhancement in the green-to-blue upconversion compared with the pristine PtDPAP film. CdS can utilize the AuNPs plasmon-enhanced TTA-UC photons to realize efficient photocatalytic reactions. The pseudo-first-order rate constant (k_pfo) of the optimized active and stable photocatalytic film, 0.3 AuNPs-PtDPAP/G/CdS, reached 0.294 h^-1 for tetracycline degradation under green light irradiation. Its k_pfo in decomposing tetracycline under visible light is 2.62 times higher than that of the PtDPAP/G/CdS. The reported composite films provide a strategy to improve the photocatalytic activity and promote the practical applications of nanosize photocatalysts.

Enhanced triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion by photonic crystals and Au plasma resonance for efficient photocatalysis

The coupling electromagnetic field of AVS structure effect and AuNPs LSPR can synergistically improve TTA-UC efficiency, thereby enhancing the photocatalytic activity of g-C₃N₄@CdS.