Chemistry Letters, Vol.40, No.1, 87-89, 2011
Hybridization of Carbon Nanotubes with Si-pi Polymers and Attachment of Resulting Hybrids to TiO2 Surface
The Sonogashira coupling of diethynyldisilanes with dibromopyrene in the presence of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) produced soluble hybrid materials of poly(disilanylenediethynylpyrene)s and SWNTs. Ball milling of poly(disilanylenediethynylpyrene)s or poly(disilanylenequinquethienylene) with SWNTs also afforded the polymer-SWNT hybrids. Irradiation of TiO2 electrodes in chloroform solutions of the hybrids led to the attachment of the hybrids to the TiO2 surface via Si-O-Ti bonding. Applications of the hybrid-attached TiO2 electrodes to dye-sensitized solar cells were studied.