An ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical platform for quantifying photoinduced electron-transfer properties of a single entity.

Abstract

Understanding the photoinduced electron-transfer process is of paramount importance for realizing efficient solar energy conversion. It is rather difficult to clarify the link between the specific properties and the photoelectrochemical performance of an individual component in an ensemble system because data are usually presented as averages because of interplay of the heterogeneity of the bulk system. Here, we report a step-by-step protocol to fabricate an ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical platform for real-time detection of the intrinsic photoelectrochemical behaviors of a single entity with picoampere and sub-millisecond sensitivity. Using a micron-thickness nanoparticulate TiO2-filmed Au ultramicroelectrode (UME) as the electron-transport electrode, photocurrent transients can be observed for each individual dye-tagged oxide semiconductor nanoparticle collision associated with a single-entity photoelectrochemical reaction. This protocol allows researchers to obtain high-resolution photocurrent signals to quantify the photoinduced electron-transfer properties of an individual entity, as well as to precisely process the data obtained. We also include procedures for dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging and collision frequency-concentration correlation to confirm that the photoelectrochemical collision events occur at an unambiguously single-entity level. The time required for the entire protocol is ~36 h, with a single-entity photoelectrochemical measurement taking <1 h to complete for each independent experiment. This protocol requires basic nanoelectrochemistry and nanotechnology skills, as well as an intermediate-level understanding of photoelectrochemistry.