Patent ID: 8138414

Claim:
A semiconductor anode comprising: a metal oxide semiconductor formed on a conductive substrate; a dye formed on a surface of the metal oxide semiconductor; and a polymer self-assembled on a dye-free surface of the metal oxide semiconductor, wherein the metal oxide semiconductor is TiO 2 and wherein the polymer comprises a repeating unit represented by formula 1 below: wherein, A is —O—; —NH—; alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, or arylalkyl of 1-10 carbon atoms; or one selected from the group consisting of cyclic and noncyclic alkylenes, alkenylenes, arylenes, arylalkylenes, and alkylarylenes of 1-20 carbon atoms that are unsubstituted or substituted by a hetero atom selected from the group consisting of N, O, and S; B is hydrogen, halogen, nitrile, or one selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, and arylalkyl of 1-20 carbon atoms; R 1 is a bond, or one selected from the group consisting of alkylenes, arylenes, arylalkylenes, and alkylarylenes of 1-20 carbon atoms that are unsubstituted or substituted by a hetero atom selected from the group consisting of N, O and S; X is selected from the group consisting of —OH, —SH, —COOH, —CONH 2 , —OCOR, —OCOCF 3 , —SCOR, —CH 7 SH, —CH 2 SCN, —SH 2 SCOCH 3 , —COOR, —Si(OMe) 3 , —Si(OEO 3 , —COCH═CH 2 , —OCOCH═CH 2 , —CH 2 O(PEG) d OCH 3 , —CH 2 Cl, —CH 2 OCOCCl 3 , and —CH═CH 2 where R is alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, or arylalkyl of 1-20 carbon atoms, PEG is polyethyleneglycol, d is PEG having a molecular weight of 200 to 10,000, Me is a methyl group, and Et is an ethyl group; n is 2 to 10,000; and the repeating unit may be a combination of 2 to 10 different repeating units.