Photoinduced electron transfer of single walled carbon nanotubes surrounded by fullerodendrimers in aqueous media

Photoinduced electron-transfer processes of single walled carbon nano-tubes (SWNTs) dispersed in aqueous solution in the presence of fullerodendrimer have been studied by the steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic methods. On addition of methylviologen dication (MV²⁺ as an electron pooling reagent, the radical cation MV^•+ was accumulated by visible light illumination of the SWNT-fullerodendrimer ensembles. The fluorescence lifetimes of the fullerene moiety and efficient accumulation of MV^•+ suggest that the photosensitized charge separation occurs between the fullerene moiety and SWNTs, followed by electron-mediating and hole-shifting processes, resulting in the persistent MV^•+.