Current Generation by Fullerene in the Presence of Tetraphenylborate at a Nitrobenzene|Water Interface under Illumination with a Fluorescent Light

Abstract

Abstract We found that currents flowed across an interface, when a nitrobenzene solution containing fullerene, C60, and tetraoctylammonium tetraphenylborate was illuminated. Expecting that a photochemical reaction of C60 would be responsible for the currents, we investigated its mechanism. Voltammetric and spectroscopic experiments suggested that the currents were generated through ion transfer of anions produced during the photochemical reaction and/or electron transfer between anion radical of C60 and oxygen. Further, we propose a galvanic cell based on the photochemical reaction.