Manipulation of supramolecular 2D assembly of functional dyes toward artificial light-harvesting systems

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, excellent research has revealed that light-harvesting systems (LHSs) are composed of beautifully aligned chlorophyll molecules; the regulated alignment of chlorophylls is responsible for the efficient and selective light-harvesting energy transfer processes in purple bacteria. This finding led to the construction of a regularly arranged assembly of functional dyes as a step toward fabricating artificial LHSs. While most approaches toward the construction of dye assemblies have depended on molecular interactions such as covalent, coordination, and hydrogen bonds, my approach involves guest–host interactions using an inorganic nanosheet as the host material. This short review presents the construction of a 2D dye assembly and its effective utilization in artificial light-harvesting applications. Owing to the highly stable and uniform 2D alignment of functional dyes on inorganic nanosheets, nearly 100 % singlet–singlet energy transfer and efficient light-harvesting were achieved. I believe that the results presented herein will contribute to the construction of efficient photochemical reaction systems in supramolecular host–guest assemblies, which may facilitate the realization of artificial photosynthesis.