Triphenylamine-based dye functionalized platinum colloid for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water: Synthesis, characterization, electron transfer, and photocatalysis

•A multibranched triphenylamine dye functionalized Pt nanocomposite was synthesized.•The multibranched triphenylamine dye demonstrated effective light-absorption.•Efficient electron transfer from the dye to Pt enhanced the photocatalytic activity.

A multibranched triphenylamine-based dye (tris(4-(2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl))-carbonyl-vinyl-)phenyl)amine) functionalized platinum homogeneous catalyst was successfully synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible absorption (UV–vis), and fluorescence studies. The FT-IR, TEM, and XRD studies demonstrated that the as-prepared homogeneous catalyst could be described as an organic-inorganic nanosphere composed of an organic multibranched dye shell and a platinum nanocore (ca. 2.9 nm). The fluorescence quenching and fluorescence decay studies indicated that the interfacial electrons transferred directly from the dye molecule to the platinum nanoparticle in this homogeneous catalyst under light irradiation. The homogeneous catalyst could be used as a stable photocatalyst for homogeneous photoinduced hydrogen evolution without an electron relay under UV–vis light irradiation.

Graphical abstractEfficient photo-excited electron transfer from the dye-shell to the platinum-core in the photocatalytic splitting of water under UV–vis light irradiation.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide