DESIGN OF SUPRAMOLECULAR SYSTEMS FOR SPECTRAL SENSITIZATION OF SEMICONDUCTORS

A ''supramolecular approach'' to the design of photosensitizers for wide band-gap semiconductors is sketched. Interesting possibilities are identified in terms of photoinduced charge separation and antenna effect. A number of experimental studies are discussed to emphasize: (i) the versatility of systems based on transition metal complexes, in terms of tunability and synthetic control of photophysical and redox properties; (ii) the availability of a variety of specific fast photophysical methods (luminescence techniques, UV/VIS laser flash spectroscopy, time-resolved resonance Raman and infrared spectroscopies) for monitoring intercomponent energy and electron transfer processes; (iii) the achievement of a fair degree of kinetic control on such processes by molecular design.