Pathways Following Electron Injection: Medium Effects and Cross-Surface Electron Transfer in a Ruthenium-Based, Chromophore–Catalyst Assembly on TiO2

Interfacial dynamics following photoexcitation of the water oxidation assembly [((PO3H2)2bpy)2RuII(bpy-bimpy)RuII(tpy)(OH2)]4+, −[RuaII–RubII–OH2]4+, on nanocrystalline TiO2 electrodes, starting from either −[RuaII–RubII–OH2]4+ or −[RuaII–RubIII–OH2]5+, have been investigated. Transient absorption measurements for TiO2–[RuaII–RubII–OH2]4+ in 0.1 M HPF6 or neat trifluoroethanol reveal that electron injection occurs with high efficiency but that hole transfer to the catalyst, which occurs on the electrochemical time scale, is inhibited by local environmental effects. Back electron transfer occurs to the oxidized chromophore on the microsecond time scale. Photoexcitation of the once-oxidized assembly, TiO2–[RuaII–RubIII–OH2]5+, in a variety of media, generates −[RuaIII–RubIII–OH2]6+. The injected electron randomly migrates through the surface oxide structure reducing an unreacted −[RuaII–RubIII–OH2]5+ assembly to −[RuaII–RubII–OH2]4+. In a parallel reaction, −[RuaIII–RubIII–OH2]6+ formed by electron injectio...