Zinc porphyrin/mesoporous titania thin film electrodes: a hybrid material nanoarchitecture for photocatalytic reduction

In this work, photocatalytic reduction of methyl viologen is achieved using zinc tetra(4- N -methylpyridyl)porphine (ZnP) functionalized mesoporous titania thin films (MTTF). Metalloporphyrins are the core of natural systems that harvest energy from the sun. Thus, a bioinspired approach is used, taking advantage of ZnP sensitizing capabilities and MTTF organized structure. In this work, photocatalytic reduction of methyl viologen is achieved using zinc tetra(4- N -methylpyridyl)porphine (ZnP) functionalized mesoporous titania thin films (MTTF). Also, ZnP sensitizing and photophysical properties are retained in the hybrid material.