Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Properties of Biphasic Organic p- and n-Type Semiconductor Nanoparticles Fabricated by a Reprecipitation Process

The visible-light-responsive photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic properties of nanoparticles of C-60, partially hydrolyzed aluminum phthalocyanine chloride (denoted as AlPc), and a composite of the two are reported. The three types of nanoparticles were obtained through a reprecipitation method from N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone solutions of C-60, aluminum phthalocyanine chloride (AlPcCl), and their mixture, respectively. The nanoparticle composite's ultraviolet-visible absorption, diffuse-reflectance and Fourier transform IR spectra, X-ray diffraction pattern, and scanning electron microscopy image are all similar to the sum of those of the C-60 and AlPc particles, respectively. The nano-ordered composite exhibits p/n junctionlike photoelectrochemical characteristics, which were investigated in comparison with those of vapor-deposited C-60 (n-type), AlPcCl (p-type), C-60/AlPcCl (n/p), and AlPcCl/C-60 (p/n) electrodes. The nanoparticle composite further shows photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of trimethylamine to carbon dioxide in a suspension system.