Synthesis and Characterization of MWCNTs-Porphyrin Hybrid Architectures as Active Light Harvesting Systems

During the last decade, many research groups explored the possibility to use the sunlight as a renewable energysource by using artificial molecular networks able to mimic the natural photosynthetic process. These networks can be obtained from the combination of different moieties, the Donor (ferrocene), the photoactive compound (porphyrin) and the Acceptor (carbon material) connected to each other through “molecular wires” of variable lengths. With the aim of mimicking these photosynthetic systems we have focused our attention on the synthesis of new β-modified porphyrin with a ferrocenyl moiety as donor and a new carbon material (MWCNTs) as acceptor in addition to C60, GNP and CSs previously studied by our research group1–3. Ethynylene-phenylene subunit was chosen as molecular spacer to connect ferrocene, porphyrin and MWCNTs.