Fabrication of porphyrin–titanium oxide–fullerene assemblies on an ITO electrode and their photocurrent responses

A porphyrin–fullerene assembly via titanium oxide coordinative bonding was constructed on an ITO electrode, by using the techniques of self-assembly and the surface sol–gel process. In the presence of triethanolamine, clear photocurrent responses from the modified electrode were observed in the anodic direction, and they were much larger than the electrodes modified with the porphyrin or the fullerene alone. It is suggested that the photocurrent is ascribed to photoinduced charge separation between the porphyrin and the fullerene moieties.