Broadband light active MTCNQ-based metal-organic semiconducting hybrids for enhanced redox catalysis

Efficient harvesting of solar light is highly desirable for a wide range of applications, including photo catalysis and energy conversion. However, traditional semiconducting metal oxide photocatalysts are typically effective only under UV irradiation while metal-metal oxide hybrids can utilize the UV as well as the visible component of the solar light. In this article, we fabricate hybrids of metal-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) on cotton fibres as a supporting three-dimensional (3D) template for photo-reductive catalysis. These materials extend the absorption of light from the visible to infrared region, thereby allowing the use of over 95% of solar irradiation. We demonstrate the ability of these materials to harvest light across a broad wavelength range by utilizing them as highly active materials for reductive photocatalysis. The mechanism of the underlying charge-transfer phenomena under different photo-excitation conditions reveals a photo-illumination induced redox process at the catalyst/reactant interface resulting in superior catalytic efficiency. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd.All rights reserved.