Stable Photoinduced Charge Separation in a Colloidal Mixture of Exfoliated and Semiconductor Nanosheets

Abstract

Photoinduced electron transfer was observed in a multi-component colloid system consisting of clay, semiconducting layered niobate, and methylviologen (MV). In the colloid, the clay and niobate nanosheets were phase-separated, and MV species was selectively adsorbed on the clay. UV irradiation excited the niobate nanosheets from which electron transfer occurred to methylviologen. The charge-separated state was kept stably.