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Dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells have emerged as a potential candidate for solar-to-fuel conversion. Herein, we report a Cu(I)-based donor− chromophore−acceptor triad comprising a triphenylamine electron donor and a dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine electron acceptor as the active material for photoanodes. Energy levels of this triad are carefully aligned for thermodynamically favorable photoinduced electron transfer. Once this triad is surface-grafted onto zinc oxide nanowires, photoelectrochemical studies confirm the utility of this architecture for oxidative processes such as alcohol oxidation with modest yields.

Copper(II)-based electrocatalysts for water oxidation in aqueous solution have been studied previously, but photodriving these systems still remains a challenge. In this work, a bis(diimine)copper(I)-based donor−chromophore−acceptor system is synthesized and applied as the light-harvesting component of a photoanode. This molecular assembly was integrated onto a zinc oxide nanowire surface, and upon photoexcitation, chronoamperometric studies reveal that the integrated triad can inject electrons directly into the conduction band of zinc oxide, generating oxidizing equivalents that are then transferred to a copper(II) water oxidation catalyst in aqueous solution, yielding O 2 from water with a Faradaic efficiency of 76%.

Perylene bisimide (PBI) derivative 3 having thiophene moieties at the bay positions has been designed and synthesized which forms J-aggregates in aqueous media and these aggregates serve as reactors for the generation of Au NPs and themselves undergo oxidative polymerization through thiophene moieties to generate polymeric species 4. The as prepared polymeric species 4 and gold NPs generated supramolecular ensemble 4: Au NPs which serve as promising photocatalytic system for Heck and multifold Heck coupling reaction. Moreover, the work being reported in this manuscript demonstrates the deposition of supramolecular ensemble 4: Au NPs on paper strips for preparation of "dip catalytic strip" as an efficient, economic, efficient, green, portable and recyclable catalytic system. The efficiency of this catalytic system is evident from its broad scope, benign reaction conditions, multifold Heck coupling, seven times reusability (in solution form) and eight times reusability ("dip catalytic strip").

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