Photo-Electrochemical Water Splitting Behavior of Directionally Aligned CdSe Quantum Dots on Copper(II) Benzene-1,3,5-Tricarboxylate Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs).

Abstract

Herein, a facile synthesis protocol for the development of directional alignment of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) on the surface of Copper benzene-1, 3, 5-tricarboxylate (CuBTC) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) was proposed. The sensitization of CdSe QDs with MOFs offered enhancement of light-harvesting properties in the visible region of the solar spectrum due to the broad absorption band of CdSe QDs. As a photo-anode, it has generated current density of ˜20 mA/cm² at 1.70 V (vs. Reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) during the photo-electrochemical water splitting in 1 M Na₂S electrolyte. The present investigation demonstrates the directional attachment of CdSe QDs on CuBTC is beneficial in facilitating light-harvesting and photo-electrochemical properties of CuBTC MOFs.