Layer-By-Layer Assembly of Atomically Precise Alloy Nanoclusters Photosystems for Solar Water Oxidation

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) have garnered tremendous attention as light-harvesting antennas in heterogeneous photocatalysis due to unique atomic stacking mode, quantum confinement effect, and enriched active sites. However, metal NCs as photosensitizers suffer from extremely short carrier lifetime, poor photostability, and difficulty in carrier migration, which hinder the wide-spread utilization of metal NCs in solar energy conversion. To solve these problems, herein, Ag-doped glutathione (GSH)-capped gold NCs, i.e., alloy Au1-xAgx@GSH NCs and non-conjugated insulating polymer of poly(diallyl-dimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) are utilized as the building blocks for layer-by-layer assembly of spatially multilayered alloy NCs/metal oxide (MO) photosystems. The alternately deposited ultrathin PDDA layer in-between Au1-xAgx@GSH NCs on the MO substrate functions as an efficient charge flow mediator to relay the directional photoelectron transfer over Au1-xAgx@GSH NCs, giving rise to the cascade charge transfer chain. This peculiar carrier migration mode endowed by exquisite interface configuration design significantly boosts the unidirectional electron migration from the Au1-xAgx@GSH NCs to the MO substrate, substantially improving the visible-light-driven photoelectrochemical water oxidation performances of MO/(PDDA-Au1-xAgx)(n) multilayer heterostructured photoanodes. The work will inspire the rational construction of alloy metal NCs-based photosystems for modulating spatially controllable charge transfer pathway for solar energy conversion.