Supramolecular donor–acceptor assemblies composed of carbon nanodiamond and porphyrin for photoinduced electron transfer and photocurrent generation

Supramolecular donor–acceptor assemblies composed of carbon nanodiamond (ND) and porphyrin (Por) are constructed through interensemble hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions. Formation of the supramolecular clusters composed of ND and porphyrin has been confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and IR spectroscopy. The resulting supramolecular clusters have been assembled as three-dimensional arrays onto nanostructured SnO₂ films using an electrophoretic deposition method for the test of photoelectrochemical properties. Enhancement in the photoelectrochemical performance as well as the broader photoresponse in the visible region is seen with formation of the supramolecular clusters between ND and porphyrins as compared with the reference system without porphyrins.