Self-assembled pyrene-based nanostructures for photocatalytic sacrificial hydrogen evolution

Organic semiconductors have gained lot of interest in recent years, because of their potential in the development of sustainable energy production through the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy. As such, the development of photocatalytic systems represents a challenge and an opportunity for chemists to transform the energy landscape. Among the plethora of photocatalytic materials, self-assembled organic chromophores are one of the most promising photosensitizers, because in their aggregated state they can possess beneficial photophysical properties that drive redox reactions, leading to the production of solar fuels or valuable commodity chemicals. The aim of this thesis is to prepare pyrene-based monomers that, through proper chemical design, can self-assemble into a supramolecular material with improved photocatalytic properties. The newly prepared photocatalytic system, in presence of ascorbic acid as sacrificial hole scavenger and platinum as co-catalyst, has shown efficient reduction of protons for generation of hydrogen solar fuel.