CHARGE SEPARATION IN THE LIGHT-INDUCED ELECTRON-TRANSFER REACTION OF AMPHIPHILIC CO-POLYMERS CONSISTING OF POLYANION AND PHENANTHRENE SEGMENTS

A report is given of the fact that charged segments in the amphiphilic polymers, consisting of electrolyte and hydrophobic segments as media for electron transfer in an aqueous systems forming microheterogeneous phases, can retard the back electron transfer reaction (back-reaction) of the photo-products. It is demonstrated that the electrolyte segments of amphiphilic polymers can play a role to drive the charge separation of charged products in the photoinduced electron transfer reaction. An analogous effect has often been demonstrated with surfactant micellar systems. An appropriate combination of the acceptor and amphiphilic polymers could serve as a storage system for light energy.