Photoactive Dendrimer for Water Photoreduction: A Scaffold to Combine Sensitizers and Catalysts

We report on the synthesis and characterization of platinum nanoparticles (PtNps) inside the cavities of a PAMAM dendrimer decorated with [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) units at the periphery. The phosphorescent ruthenium complexes are used as signaling units of the Pt2+ complexation in the dendritic architecture and as photosensitizer units in the photocatalytic production of H-2 from water. This is the first example of water photoreduction in which the catalyst and the sensitizer are anchored on a dendritic molecular scaffold. This study provides a new outlook in the design of new supramolecular systems and materials for developing artificial photosynthesis.