Construction of an efficient artificial light-harvesting system based on hyperbranched polyethyleneimine and improvement of photocatalytic performance

Abstract

An artificial light-harvesting system (ALHS) was developed in aqueous solution by employing the electrostatic co-assembly of a tetraphenylethylene derivative modified with two sulfonate groups (TPE-BSBO) and hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (PEI) as the energy donors, and 4,7-bis(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (DBT) as the energy acceptors. The ALHS exhibits not only high efficiency in energy transfer and conversion but also a significant enhancement in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially superoxide anion radicals (O₂˙⁻), facilitating its utilization in photocatalytic oxidation reactions.