Electron transfer cascade by organic/inorganic ternary composites of porphyrin, zinc oxide nanoparticles, and reduced graphene oxide on a tin oxide electrode that exhibits efficient photocurrent generation.

A bottom-up strategy has been developed to construct a multiple electron transfer system composed of organic/inorganic ternary composites (porphyrin, zinc oxide nanoparticles, reduced graphene oxide) on a semiconducting electrode without impairing the respective donor-acceptor components. The hierarchical electron transfer cascade system exhibited remarkably high photocurrent generation with an incident-photon-to-current efficiency of up to ca. 70%.