'Ship-in-a-bottle' synthesis of fluorescent iridium (III) complex ion unto zeolite Y supercages

Incorporation of photosensitizer complex, Ir (bpy)33+ inside zeolite Y supercages was done via “ship-in-a-bottle” synthesis method. Elemental analysis of the Ir (III) exchanged – zeolite Y showed that the ratio of Ir to Al to Si (Ir:Al:Si) was 1:1.6:2. The light-harvesting ability of the iridium complex has been observed in the absorption spectra of the composite. Grafting the surface of the zeolite with TiO2 was done to assess the possibility of electron injection from the complex to a photocatalytic surface. Results of the degradation study using Ir (bpy)33+/zeolite Y/TiO2 assembly resulted in a two-fold increase in the rate of degradation of RhB as compared to the TiO2 alone. This paper demonstrates the potential application of Ir (III) dyes entrapped inside a zeolite matrix for the construction of photocatalytic assemblies.