Photophysics of the adsorbed bipyridyl complexes of ruthenium(II) with phosphines

Luminescence of the ruthenium(II) complexes cis-Ru(bpy)₂(CN)₂ (I), cis-[Ru(bpy)₂(PPh₃)CN](BF₄) (II), and cis-Ru(bpy)(dppe)(CN)₂ (III)[bpy=2.2′-bipyridyl, PPh₃=triphenylphosphine, dppe=1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane], adsorbed on silicon oxide (Aerosil) were studied at a temperature of 77 K. The luminescence spectra, decay times, and quantum yields were measured, and the intermolecular rate constants of radiative transitions and nonradiative decay of the excited electronic state with the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) were determined. It is found that the adsorption of the complex is accompanied by a decrease in the energy of the radiative MLCT state and by a considerable acceleration of its nonradiative decay. It is concluded that the interaction of the complexes with the surface adsorption centers occurs via formation of a strong hydrogen bond with a hydroxyl-hydrate cover, the interaction of complexes in the ³MLCT state being stronger than in the ground state. The additive (in the number of phosphorus atoms coordinated to the central ruthenium ion), a shift of the absorption and luminescence bands to shorter wavelengths in the sequence of complexes I–III, is retained when the complexes transform from solutions to the absorbed state.     

Spectroscopy and photophysics of chloro-bis-bipyridyl complexes of ruthenium(II) with pyridine ligands

The absorption, luminescence, and luminescence excitation spectra of ruthenium(II) complexes cis-[Ru(bpy)₂(L)Cl]⁺[bpy=2,2′-bipyridyl; L=NH₃, pyrazine, pyridine, 4-aminopyridine, 4-picoline, isonicotinamide, 4-cyanopyridine, 4,4′-bipyridyl, or trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene] in alcoholic (4: 1 EtOH-MeOH) solutions are studied. At 77 K, the quantum yields and decay times of the luminescence of the complexes are measured and the deactivation rate constants of the lowest electronically excited metal-to-ligand charge transfer state (³MLCT) are determined. The linear correlation between the energy of the lowest state ³MLCT d _π(Ru)>π*(bpy) of the cis-[Ru(bpy)₂(L)Cl]⁺ complexes and the parameter pK_a of the free 4-substituted pyridines and pyrazine used as ligands is established.     

Optical,electrochemical, and <Superscript>1</Superscript>H NMR characteristics of Mono-, Bi-, and tetranuclear cyclopalladated complexes with 4,4′-bipyridyl

The [Pd(C∧N)(4,4′-bpy)Cl], [Pd(C∧N)NO₃]₂(μ-4,4′-bpy) and [Pd(C∧N)(μ-4,4′-bpy)]₄(NO₃)₄ complexes (C∧N⁻ are deprotonated forms of 2-phenylpyridine (ppy), 2-(2′’-thienyl)pyridine (tpy), and 2-phenylbenzothiazole (bt); bpy is 4,4′ bipyridyl) are synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, electronic absorption and emission spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The upfield shifts of the chemical shift of a proton in the ortho-position to the donor carbon atom of the cyclopalladated ligand of complexes (Δδ = −(1.1–1.5) ppm) is assigned to the anisotropic effect of the circular current of the pyridine rings of 4,4′-bipyridyl orthogonal to the coordination plane. The characteristic long-wavelength absorption and phosphorescence bands of the complexes are assigned to the chromophore metal-complex fragment {M(C∧N)}. The quasi-reversible reduction waves of complexes are assigned to the ligand-centered processes of successive electron transfer to the π*-orbitals localized mainly on the coordinated pyridine components of 4,4′-bipyridyl.     

Study of DNA Light Switch Ru(II) Complexes : Synthesis,Characterization, Photocleavage and Antimicrobial Activity

The three Ru(II) complexes of [Ru(phen)₂dppca]²⁺ (1) [Ru(bpy)₂dppca]²⁺ (2) and [Ru(dmb)₂dppca]²⁺ (3) (where phen = 1,10 phenanthroline, bpy = 2,2-bipyridine, dmb = 2 ,2-dimethyl 2′,2′-bipyridine and polypyridyl ligand containing a single carboxylate functionality dppca ligand (dipyridophenazine-11-carboxylic acid) have been synthesized and characterized. These complexes have been shown to act as promising calf thymus DNA intercalators and a new class of DNA light switches, as evidenced by UV-visible and luminescence titrations with Co²⁺ and EDTA, steady-state emission quenching by [Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ and KI, DNA competitive binding with ethidium bromide, viscosity measurements, and DNA melting experiments. The results suggest that 1, 2, and 3 complexes bind to CT-DNA through intercalation and follows the order 1 > 2 > 3. Under irradiation at 365 nm, the three complexes have also been found to promote the photocleavage of plasmid pBR322 DNA.     

Spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations of nitro-bis-bipyridyl complexes of ruthenium(II) with 4-substituted pyridine ligands

The luminescence, absorption, and luminescence excitation spectra of complexes cis-[Ru(bpy)₂(L)(NO₂)]⁺ [bpy = 2,2′-bipyridyl, L = pyridine, 4-aminopyridine, 4-dimethylaminopyridine, 4-picoline, isonicotinamide, or 4,4′-bipyridyl] in alcoholic (4 : 1 EtOH–MeOH) solutions are studied at 77 K. A linear correlation is established between the energy of the lowest electronically excited metal-toligand charge transfer state d_π(Ru) → π*(bpy) of the complexes and the pK_a parameter of the free 4-substituted pyridines used as ligands L. The B3LYP/[6-31G(d)+LanL2DZ(Ru)] hybrid density functional method is used to optimize the geometry of complexes and calculate their electronic structure and the charge distribution on the atoms of the nearest environment of ruthenium(II) ions. It is shown that there exists a mutually unambiguous correspondence between the charge on the nitrogen atom of ligands L coordinated in the complex and the pK_a parameter of ligands. The calculated energies of the electronically excited metal-to-ligand charge transfer states of complexes linearly (correlation coefficient 0.99) depend on the charge on the nitrogen atom of ligands L, which completely agrees with the experimental data.     

Spectroscopic and quantum-chemical investigations of chloro-bis-bipyridyl complexes of ruthenium(II) with 4-substituted pyridine ligands

The luminescence spectra of cis-[Ru(bpy)₂(L)Cl]⁺ (bpy is 2,2′-bipyridyl; L is pyrazine, pyridine, 4-amino-pyridine, 4-picolin, isonicotinamide, 4-cyanopyridine, or 4,4′bipyridyl) complexes are studied in alcoholic (4: 1 EtOH-MeOH) solutions at 77 K. A linear correlation is found between the energy of the lowest electronically excited metal-to-ligand charge transfer (³MLCT) state d _π(Ru) → π* (bpy) and the parameter pK _a of the free 4-substituted pyridines and pyrazine used as ligands L. The [B3LYP/6-31G + LanL2DZ(Ru)] hybrid method of the density functional theory is used to optimize the geometry of complexes and calculate their electronic structure and the charge distribution on the atoms of the nearest environment of the ruthenium ion. It is shown that there exists a linear unambiguous correlation between the negative charge on the nitrogen atom (qN ^L) of ligands L coordinated in the complex and the parameters pK _a of free ligands. The calculated energies of ³MLCT excited states almost linearly (correlation coefficient 0.958) depend on the charge qN ^L, which completely agrees with experimental data.     

Spectroscopy and photophysics of binuclear ruthenium(II) complexes with nitrogen-containing heterocyclic bridging ligands

The absorption spectra at room temperature and the spectra, the quantum yields, and the decay times of the luminescence at 77 K of binuclear complexes [X(bpy)₂Ru(BL)Ru(bpy)₂Cl]²⁺ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridyl; X = Cl, BL = pyrazine, 4,4′-bipyridyl, trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene, and trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane and X = NO₂, BL = 4,4′-bipyridyl) in alcoholic (4: 1 EtOH-MeOH) solutions are studied. It is shown that the interaction between the metal centers (MCs) of the complexes affects the characteristics of the electronically excited states (EESs) of each of them and facilitates increasing the transition dipole moment Ru(d_π)→BL(π_*). The deactivation rate constants of the lowest electronically excited metal-to-ligand charge transfer (³MLCT) state of the complexes are determined. In an asymmetric binuclear complex, the energy transfer from MC(NO₂) to MC(Cl) is revealed, with the rate constant of this transfer being not smaller than 3.2 × 10¹⁰ s^?1.     

Quantum-chemical study of effect of conjugation on structure and spectral properties of C105 sensitizing dye

The structure and spectral properties of two organic ruthenium complexes used as sensitizing dyes for solar batteries (well-known N3 dye and its selenophene-conjugated analogue C105 ([Ru(bpy)(bpysef)(COOH)₂(NCS)₂] (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, bpysef = 4,4′-bis(5-hexylselenophene-2-yl)2,2′-bipyridine)) are comparatively studied within the density functional method. It is shown that the conjugation of the bipyridine ligand with selenophene affects the electronic structure of the C105 dye. A multilevel model for interpreting the electronic spectra of dyes is proposed based on the analysis of the shapes of molecular orbitals. The nature of the absorption bands of these ruthenium complexes in the region of 300–800 nm is explained. It is found that, in the polar acetonitrile solvent, these dyes are negatively solvatochromic, which agrees with the current classical views on the effect of the solvent on the shape of electronic absorption spectra of related compounds.     

A Study on the Spectra Characterization of Ruthenium(Ii) Complexes

Abstract

A series of Ru(II) complexes have been synthesized, and their electronic spectra and NMR spectroscopy properties were characterized. the chemical shifts of aromatic protons of [Ru(bpy)₃] (PF₆)₂, [Ru(phen)₃](ClO₄)₂ and [Ru(bqdi)₃](PF₆) move downfield, but the resonance peaks of cis-Ru(bpy)₂Cl₂ shift upfield. Within the visible spectra of the ruthenium(II) complexes appear a relatively high oscillator strength which is referred to as the π(Ru)→? (ligands) transition.     

Optical and electrochemical properties of cyclometalated Rh(III) complexes based on 4,6-diphenylpyrimidine with ethylenediamine, 2,2′-bipyridyl,and 1,10-phenanthroline

The [Rh(Hdp)₂(N∧N)]ClO₄ complexes (Hdp⁻ is the monodeprotonated form of 4,6-diphenylpyrimidine and (N∧N) is ethylenediamine, 2,2′-bipyridyl, and 1,10-phenanthroline) are synthesized and characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, IR, electronic absorption, and emission spectroscopy, as well as by cyclic voltammetry. The magnetic equivalence of two cyclometalated 4,6-diphenylpyrimidine ligands in the composition of complexes points to the cis position of metalated phenyl rings in the inner sphere. Quasi-reversible one-electron reduction waves are attributed to the ligand-centered electron transfer to the π* antibonding orbital of heterocyclic ligands, while irreversible oxidation waves are associated with electron detachment from the Rh-C σ bonding orbital of the {Rh(Hdp)₂} metal-complex fragment. The characteristic long-wave-length absorption bands and the vibrationally structured phosphorescence bands of complexes are assigned to the spin-allowed and spin-forbidden charge-transfer optical transitions between the σ_Rh-C and π_Hdp* orbitals localized on the {Rh(Hdp)₂} fragment of the complex.     

Synthesis,Characterization Luminiscence Studies and Microbial Activity of Ethylenediamine Ruthenium (II) Complexes with Dipyridophenazine Ligands

Three symmetric ligands 7-methyl dipyrido-[3,2-a;2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppz-CH₃), 7-nitro dipyrido-[3,2-a;2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppz-NO₂) and benzo[i]dipyrido-[3,2-a;2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppn) and their ruthenium(II) complexes [Ru(en)₂(L)][ClO₄]₂ (en= ethylenediamine), L= dppz-CH₃, dppz-NO₂ and dppn have been synthesized and characterized by IR, ¹H, ¹³C NMR and Mass spectra. The interactions of these complexes with calf thymus DNA have been investigated by spectrophotometric, spectrofluorimetric, circular dichroism, viscosity and thermal denaturation studies. As the planar extension of the intercalative ligand increases, the interaction of the complex with DNA increases, indicating that the size and shape of the intercalalative ligand has a marked effect on the strength of interaction. The plot of log K versus log [Na⁺] yield a slope of -1.26, -1.53, -1.60 for the complexes 1, 2 and 3 respectively. These three complexes have been found to promote the cleavage of plasmid pBR 322 DNA upon irradiation.     

Photophysics of mixed ligand complexes of ruthenium(II) with 2,2′-bipyridyl and phosphines

Luminescence of mixed ligand complexes of ruthenium(II) of the types cis-Ru(bpy)₂X₂(I), cis-[Ru(bpy)₂(PPh₃)X](BF₄)(II), and cis-Ru(bpy)(PP)X₂(III) (X = CN, NO₂, PPh₃ is triphenyl phosphine; PP is 1,2-bis(diphenylphospino)ethane (dppe) and cis-,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene (dppene)) is studied in alcohol matrices (EtOH/MeOH, 4:1) frozen at 77 K. A sequence of complexes I–III exhibits an additive (in the number of phosphorous atoms) blue shift of the absorption and luminescence bands and an increase in the quantum yield of luminescence and in the excited-state lifetime. The rate constant of nonradiative deactivation of the excited state decreases more than by an order of magnitude in the sequence I–III of cyano complexes and only by three times in a sequence of nitro complexes. This is assumed to be caused by a specific (in the hydrogen bond type) interaction of nitro groups of complexes with a proton solvent.     

LSP spectral changes correlating with SERS activation and quenching for R6G on immobilized Ag nanoparticles

In terms of chemical enhancement in Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS), we investigated the effect of halide and other anions to rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed Ag particles that were immobilized on the substrates. The residual species on chemically prepared Ag particles such as citrate or a-carbon were thoroughly substituted by various anions, e.g., Cl⁻, Br⁻, I⁻, SCN⁻, CN⁻, or S₂O₃ ²⁻ anions, whose adsorption features are elucidated by the formation constants for AgX₂ ^(m−1)−, here X denotes the above anions. In particular, Cl⁻, Br⁻, or SCN⁻ ions activated SERS of R6G via intrinsic electronic interaction with Ag, whereas CN⁻, S₂O₃ ²⁻, or I⁻ anions quenched it due to their exclusive adsorption onto the Ag surfaces. We found that the activation process with the anions commonly yields a marked blue-shift of the coupled plasmon peak from ca. 650–700 to 500–550 nm in elastic scattering. It is rationalized by slight increase of the gap size between adjacent Ag nanoparticles by only ca. 1 nm based on theoretical simulations. This is probably caused by slight dissolution, oxidative etching, of the particles according to large formation constants of the complexes. Consequently, partly remaining negative charges on the Ag surface, and a slight increase in the gap size, providing huge electric field, facilitated R6G cations to adsorb on the nanoparticles, especially at the junction.     

Specific solvent effects of hydroxylic solvents on the emission properties of ruthenium(ii)tris(2,2′-bipyridyl) chloride

The excited state of Ru(II)[bpy]₃ ²⁺ dissolved in hydroxylic solvents is subject to specific solvent effects, which were hitherto not understood on a quantitative basis. We determined the solvent effects of linear monovalent alcohols on the energy gap law of internal conversion with the help of lifetime and intensity measurements. An on-line method for measurement of the temperature dependence of quantum efficiencies was introduced. A modified Franck-Condon analysis of emission spectra by taking into account the shape of a Morse potential of the involved states was applied to compute excited-state energies.Abbreviations used Ru(II)[bpy]₃ ²⁺ ruthenium(II)tris(2,2-bipyridyl) chloride - MLCT metal-to-ligand charge transfer - PMT photomultiplier tube     

Spin-orbit coupling,spin-lattice relaxation,and spin-memory studies ofF-center-molecular-ion pairs in alkali halides

Summary The spin-orbit parameter Δ, spin-lattice relaxation timeT ₁, and spin-mixing parameter ɛ ofF _H(OH⁻) andF _H(CN⁻) centers in several alkali halides have been studied with magnetic circular dichroism at ∼2 K. A close comparison of the experimental results before and after optically induced association of theF center with the molecular ion has been made. In crystals of NaCl structure the negative spin-orbit parameter Δ changes little betweenF andF _H centers in the same host. For CsCl and CsBr two values of Δ have been derived forF _H(CN⁻) centers with axis parallel or perpendicular to the magnetic field. In all studied systems, the spin-lattice relaxation timeT ₁ is already shorter before aggregation compared toF formation. The spin-mixing parameter ɛ decreases slightly forF _H(OH⁻) compared toF centers, while it increases drastically forF _H(CN⁻) defects and reaches its maximum possible value ɛ=0.5 in cesium halides. First attempts to interpret these magneto-optical results will be presented. In honour of Prof. Fausto Fumi on the occasion of his retirement from teaching.     

Spectroscopic studies on the luminescence properties of ternary europium complexes with different ligands

In this paper, ligand effect of several bi-dental oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N) ligands on the red luminescence properties of europium ion (Eu³⁺) was studied comprehensively. Absorption, emission, and excitation spectral properties of ternary europium complexes with different combinations of ligands including thenoyl trifluoroacetone (TTA), naphthyl trifluoroacetone (NTA), 2,2′-bipyridyl (bpy) and phenanthroline (Phen) were investigated. Efficient Eu³⁺ red emission was observed with all the combinations of the above mentioned ligands. The most intense emission was found with the all nitrogen coordinated complex Eu(bpy)₂(Phen)₂ while the longest wavelength excitation band was recorded with oxygen-nitrogen mixed NTA-bpy complex Eu(NTA)₁(bpy)₃. With change of the ligands combination and ratio, the Eu³⁺ emission peak changes slightly from 612 to 618 nm. The absorption and excitation spectra of the europium complexes were compared and analyzed referring to the individual absorption spectral properties of the ligands. The relation between ligand-to-metal charge transfer states and luminescence intensities for different complexes was studied.     

The key Cl− ligand for metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer in mononuclear terpyridine ruthenium(II) and binuclear ruthenium(II) tetrapyridylpyrazine complexes

Electronic structures of binuclear ruthenium complexes [Ru₂(terpy)₂(tppz)]⁴⁺ ( 1A ) and [Ru₂Cl₂(L)₂(tppz)]²⁺ {L = bpy ( 2A ), phen ( 3A ), and dpphen ( 4A )} were studied by density functional theory calculations. Abbreviations of the ligands (Ls) are bpy = 2,2′‐bipyridine, phen = 1,10‐phenanthroline, dpphen = 4,7‐diphenyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline, terpy = 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine, and tppz = tetrakis(2‐pyridyl)pyrazine. Their mononuclear reference complexes [Ru(terpy)₂]²⁺ ( 1B ) and [RuClL(terpy)]⁺ {L = bpy ( 2B ), phen ( 3B ), and dpphen ( 4B )} were also examined. Geometries of these mononuclear and binuclear Ru(II) complexes were fully optimized. Their geometric parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data. The binuclear complexes were characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammograms. Hexafluorophosphate salts of binuclear ruthenium complexes of 3A and 4A were newly prepared. The crystal structure of binuclear complex 1A (PF₆)₄ was also determined. Orbital interactions were analyzed to characterize the metal‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer (MLCT) states in these complexes. The Cl^? ligand works to raise the orbital energy of the metal lone pair, which leads to the low MLCT state. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper(I) Complexes of N-(2-{[(2E)-2-(4-Nitrobenzylidenyl)Hydrazinyl]Carbonyl}Phenyl)Benzamide and Triphenylphosphine: Synthesis,Characterization and Luminescence Properties

Copper(I) complexes of the formula [Cu(L)(PPh₃)₂]X (1–4) (X = Cl(1), ClO₄(2), BF₄(3) and PF₆(4)) [where L = N-(2-{[(2E)-2-(4-nitrobenzylidenyl)hydrazinyl]carbonyl}phenyl)benzamide; PPh₃ = triphenylphosphine] have been prepared by the condensation of N-[2-(hydrazinocarbonyl)phenyl]benzamide with 4-nitrobenzaldehyde followed by the reaction with CuCl, [Cu(MeCN)₄]ClO₄, [Cu(MeCN)₄]BF₄ and [Cu(MeCN)₄]PF₆ in presence of triphenylphosphine as a coligand. Complexes 1–4 were then characterized by elemental analyses, FTIR, UV-visible and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Mononuclear copper(I) complexes 1–4 were formed with L in its keto form by involvement of azomethine nitrogen and the carbonyl oxygen along with two PPh₃ groups. A single crystal X-ray diffraction study of the representative complex [(Cu(L)(PPh₃)₂]CIO₄ (2) reveals a distorted tetrahedral geometry around Cu(I). Crystal data of (2): space group = C2/c, a = 42.8596 (9) Å, b = 14.6207 (3) Å, c = 36.4643 (7) Å, V = 20,653.7 (7) ų, Z = 16. Complexes 1–4 exhibit quasireversible redox behaviour corresponding to a Cu(I)/Cu(II) couple. All complexes show blue-green emission as a result of fluorescence from an intra-ligand charge transition (ILCT), ligand to ligand charge transfer transition (LLCT) or mixture of both. Significant increase in size of the counter anion shows marked effect on quantum efficiency and lifetime of the complexes in solution.     

Measurement of Magnitude and Sign of Heteronuclear Coupling Constants in Transition Metal Complexes

Sets of specifically tailored E.COSY-type correlation experiments and double-quantum/zero-quantum (DQ/ZQ) experiments are presented which enable the determination of sign and size of small heteronuclear coupling constants across the metal center of transition metal complexes. For the octahedrally coordinated complexes, [Ru(TPM)(H)(CO)(PPh₃)]⁺[BF₄]⁻(1) and [Ir(TPM)(H)(CO)(CO₂CH₃)]⁺[BF₄]⁻(2), 14 of 15 and 15 of 15 possible two-bond scalar coupling constants across the metal center were measured, respectively, using¹⁵N and¹⁵N/¹³C enriched samples (TPM = tris(1-pyrazolyl)methane)). The reduced coupling constants²K_X-M-Y= 4π²²J/(hγ_Xγ_Y) were found to be positive when the coupled nuclei X and Y weretranswith respect to the metal center, and negative when the coupled nuclei were incisposition. The validity of this sign rule was verified forJ_CC,J_NN,J_PN,J_PC,J_CN,J_HP,J_HC, andJ_HNcouplings. Idiosyncracies associated with 2D NMR spectra for the sign determination of coupling constants with¹⁵N which lead to corrections for the signs ofJ_HN,J_PN, andJ_CNcouplings reported previously are discussed.     

DFT study of electronic structure and optical properties of some Ru- and Rh-based complexes for dye-sensitized solar cells

The paper reports Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD DFT) calculations providing the structure, electronic properties and spectra of [Ru(II)(bpy)_{3? n} (dcbpy) _n ]²⁺ and [Rh(III)(bpy)_{3? n} (dcbpy) _n ]³⁺ complexes, where bpy?=?2,2′-bipyridyl, dcbpy?=?4,4′-dicarboxy-2,2′-bipyridyl, and n?=?0,?1,?2,?3, studied as possible pigments for dye-sensitized solar cells. The role of the metallic ion and of the COOH groups on the optical properties of these complexes are compared and contrasted and their relevance as dyes for hybrid organic–inorganic photovoltaic cells is discussed. It was found that the optical spectra are strongly influenced by the metallic ion, with visible absorption bands for the Ru(II) complexes and only ultraviolet bands for the Rh(III) complexes. Upon excitation, the extra positive charge of the Rh³⁺ centre tends to draw electrons towards the metal ion, facilitating some charge transfer from the ligand to the metal, whereas in the case of the Ru²⁺ ion the electron transfer is clearly from the metal to the ligand. The carboxyl groups play an important role in strengthening the absorption bands in solution in the visible region. Of the complexes studied, the most suited as pigments for dye-sensitized solar cells are the [Ru(II)(bpy)_{3? n} (dcbpy) _n ]²⁺ complexes with n?=?1 and 2. This is based on the following arguments: (i) their intense absorption band in the visible region, (ii) the presence of the anchoring groups allowing the bonding to the TiO₂ substrate and the charge transfer, and (iii) the good energy level alignment with the conduction band edge of the semiconducting substrate and the redox level of the electrolyte.