Tuning J-aggregates of tetra(p-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin by the headgroups of ionic surfactants in acidic nonionic micellar solution

J-aggregates of the diacid form of tetra(p-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (THPP) were found to be stable in nonionic micellar solution in the presence of trace ionic surfactant with an oxyacid headgroup. The excitation energy of exciton coupling depends systematically on the headgroups of the ionic surfactant, by which strong and weak coupling can be accomplished in the J-aggregates. The J-aggregates have two strong exciton bands corresponding to the B- and Q-bands of the protonated monomers. The total fluorescence of THPP is quenched through aggregate formation. A strong and sharply peaked resonance light-scattering signal that suggests a delocalized excitonic state was observed just slightly to the red of the absorption maximum of the J-aggregates. The overall resonance Raman intensities appeared to be stronger in the aggregates than in the monomers. In the kinetics of aggregation induced by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), no characteristics of autocatalyzed reactions were observed, and there was only a logarithmic phase that lasted only several seconds.     

J-aggregation of a sulfonated amphiphilic porphyrin at the air-water interface as a function of pH

π-A isotherms, ellipsometric measurements, Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) and reflection spectroscopy have been utilized to characterize the films of an amphiphilic porphyrin ((OD)(3)TPPS(3)) at the air-water interface as a function of pH. This porphyrin forms stable mono-molecular layers at such interfaces, and exhibits different J-aggregation as a function of pH. The J-aggregation of (OD)(3)TPPS(3) on neutral pH subphases is notable considering that the nitrogen atoms at the central macrocycle have a pK(a)≈4.9. The type of aggregates at neutral pH is like those detected at pH<4, because the central porphyrin ring is already protonated. However at basic pH the aggregation happens without protonation of the central ring but can be instead controlled by application of the surface pressure. At the air-water interface, (OD)(3)TPPS(3) shows two bands, a red component and a blue component, which have characteristics of non-degenerate linear oscillators being perpendicularly polarized between each other. The spectral behavior observed on subphases at different pHs is qualitatively interpreted by means of exciton coupling theory, assuming that the degenerate transitions attributed to the Soret band are split. Additionally, highly oriented molecular films of these J-aggregates were deposited onto transparent quartz slides.     

The interaction of 2-hydroquinone-5,10,15,20-tetra(p-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin with surfactants: solubilization and J-aggregates

J-aggregates of 2-hydroquinone-5,10,15,20-tetra(p-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (HQTHPP) induced by N-lauroyl sarcosine (SKL) in aqueous neutral solutions have been studied by optical absorption, fluorescence, and resonance light-scattering spectroscopies. As SKL concentration increases, the spectra evolve to reveal the presence of four independent species with relative concentration. The most important species is J-aggregates. The J-aggregates have two strong exciton bands corresponding to the B-band and Q-bands of HQTHPP monomers, and are found to be stable when the surfactant concentration is below 8.0 mmol/L. But above 8.0 mmol/L, the J-aggregates dissolve gradually into another species: porphyrin monomers. The total fluorescence of HQTHPP is quenched due to the aggregate formation. A strong and sharply peaked resonance light-scattering signal (>1800 counts/s, centered at 490 nm) is observed just slightly to the red of the J-aggregate absorption maximum. In the case of cetyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide, increasing surfactant concentrations have only shown to favor solubilization of porphyrin monomers. Evidently, the nature of polar headgroups of surfactants influences the tendency of THPP to aggregate.     

Substituent-control exciton in J-aggregates of protonated water-insoluble porphyrins

A series of protonated porphyrin J-aggregates of various water-insoluble tetraphenylporphyrin derivatives was prepared by aggregation at the liquid-liquid or gas-liquid interface. Using atomic force microscopy, we observed microcrystalline porphyrin J-aggregates. The J-aggregates have two strong exciton bands corresponding to the B (Soret)- and Q-bands of the protonated porphyrin. Interestingly, the excitation energy of the lower exciton (denoted by S1) markedly depends on the meso-substituents, whereas that of the higher exciton (denoted by S2) does not depend on them. These results indicate that the nature of the exciton coupling of the S1 transition dipole moment can be systematically changed by the substituents.     

Effects of NaCl on the J-aggregation of two thiacarbocyanine dyes in aqueous solutions

The effects of NaCl on the aggregation of two typical thiacarbocyanine dyes (3,3'-di(3-sulfopropyl)-4,5,4',5'-dibenzo-9-phenyl-thiacarbocyanine triethyl ammonium salt (Dye 1) and 3,3'-di(3-sulfopropyl)-4,5,4',5'-dibenzo-9-methyl-thiacarbocyanine triethyl ammonium salt (Dye 2)) in aqueous solution have been studied by using absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and 1H- and 23Na-NMR measurements. It is found that the J-aggregation of two dyes can be promoted by the addition of NaCl and that the effective coherence length of the J-aggregate is shorter than that obtained without NaCl. Fluorescence spectra demonstrate that the fluorescence intensities of the J-aggregates of two dyes are quenched by addition of NaCl. This is consistent with the decrease of the effective coherence length of J-aggregates of the two dyes in the presence of NaCl. 1H-NMR spectra of two dyes show that the Na(+) ions penetrate into the J-aggregates and replace the counterion (triethylammonium ions) in two dyes. The measurements of the chemical shifts of 23Na nuclei provide further information about the interaction between the Na(+) ions and dye anions in the J-aggregates of the two dyes. Due to this interaction, the electrostatic repulsion between the dye anions in the J-aggregates can be reduced and thus accelerate the aggregation of the two dyes in the presence of NaCl. The apparent association constants between Na(+) ions and dye molecules in J-aggregates of Dye 1 and Dye 2 estimated from the measured chemical shifts of 23Na nuclei are about 2.38 M(-1) and 1.35 M(-1), respectively.     

四-（4-吡啶基）卟啉二酸聚集体的共振拉曼光谱

研究了近激子吸收带激发下四-（4-吡啶基）卟啉二酸（H8TPyP^6＋）聚集体的共振拉曼光谱。测量了H8TPyP^6＋单体和聚集体的紫外可见吸收谱和共振光散射光谱．在氘代位移的基础上结合相关体系振动光谱研究,对测得的H8TPyP^6＋单体和聚集体的拉曼谱带进行了指认．聚集体的形成导致H8TPyP^6＋的卟啉环CC／CN面内伸缩振动向低波数方向位移2-6cm^-1,而卟啉环鞍形面外振动带向高波数方向位移12cm^-1．基于拉曼谱带的强度和频率变化分析了聚集引起的H8TPyP^6＋分了内结构变化和分子间氢键作用．     

Infrared Spectroscopic Investigations of J-aggregates of Protonated Tetraphenylporphine

Protonated tetraphenylporphine(H2TPP) J-aggregates were prepared by aggregation on the liquid-air interface,Using FTIR spectroscopy,the authors observed the infrared absorption spectra of H2TPP and its J-aggregates.The IR spectra of H2TPP J-aggregates show significant changes compared with that of H2TPP monomer.Intensity changes(e.g.,strong enhancement of the in-plane vibronic mode and weakening of the out-of-plane vibronic mode of phenyi and porphyrin skeletal) were interpreted on the basis of stacking effects.Observation of the same type of bands collapse into single band was explained by the increase in the symmetry of H2TPP molecules.And the new bands at 1635 and 3407 cm-1 indicate the aggregates containing a large amount of bound water.     

Raman and UV-visible absorption spectra of ion-paired aggregates of copper porphyrins

Raman and UV-visible absorption spectra of ion-paired aggregate constructed from two copper porphyrins, copper tetrakis(4-N-methylpyridyl)porphyrin (CuTMPyP) and copper tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)pophyrin (CuTSPP), are reported in this paper. The absorption bands of the aggregate was found exhibiting obvious shift and broadening, which are attributed to the excitonic coupling between the two paired porphyrin rings. The excitonic coupling in the aggregates also induces evident alteration for Raman intensities compared with monomer spectrum. Aggregation results in only small shifts (2-3 cm(-1)) for Raman lines connecting with the vibrations of porphyrin rings, manifesting only slight structural change of porphyrin skeletons. On the other hand, evident downshift (5 cm(-1)) was observed for the Cm-pyridyl stretch mode (1254 cm(-1)) of CuTMPyP, suggesting weakening of the Cm-pyridyl bonds by aggregation. Raman depolarization ratios of the aggregates are different from those of the monomers, implying a lowering of effective symmetry due to the molecular packing in the aggregates.     

One-dimensional exciton diffusion in perylene bisimide aggregates

The dynamics and mobility of excitons in J-aggregates of perylene bisimides are investigated by transient absorption spectroscopy with a time resolution of 50 fs. The transient spectra are compatible with an exciton delocalization length of two monomers and indicate that vibrational and configurational relaxation processes are not relevant for the spectroscopic properties of the aggregates. Increasing the pump pulse energy and in that way the initial exciton density results in an accelerated signal decay and pronounced exciton-exciton annihilation dynamics. Modeling the data by assuming a diffusive exciton motion reveals that the excitons cannot migrate freely in all three directions of space but their mobility is restricted to one dimension. The observed anisotropy supports this picture and points against direct Fo?rster-transfer-mediated annihilation between the excitons. A diffusion constant of 1.29 nm(2)/ps is deduced from the fitting procedure that corresponds to a maximal exciton diffusion length of 96 nm for the measured exciton lifetime of 3.6 ns. The findings indicate that J-aggregates of perylene bisimides are promising building blocks to facilitate directed energy transport in optoelectronic organic devices or artificial light-harvesting systems.     

Exciton-coupled charge-transfer dynamics in a porphyrin J-aggregate/TiO(2) complex

Exciton-coupled charge-transfer (CT) dynamics in TiO(2) nanoparticles (NP) sensitized with porphyrin J-aggregates has been studied by femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. J-aggregates of 5,10,15-triphenyl-20-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) porphyrin (TPPcat) form CT complexes on TiO(2) NP surfaces. Catechol-mediated strong CT coupling between J-aggregate and TiO(2) NP facilitates interfacial exciton dissociation for electron injection into the conduction band of the TiO(2) nanoparticle in pulse width limited time (<80 fs). Here, the electron-transfer (<80 fs) process dominates over the intrinsic exciton-relaxation process (J-aggregates: ca. 200 fs) on account of exciton-coupled CT interaction. The parent hole on J-aggregates is delocalized through J-aggregate excitonic coherence. As a result, holes immobilized on J-aggregates are spatially less accessible to electrons injected into TiO(2) , and thus the back electron transfer (BET) process is slower than that of the monomer/TiO(2) system. The J-aggregate/porphyrin system shows exciton spectral and temporal properties for better charge separation in strongly coupled composite systems.     

Influence of hydrogen bonding on excitonic coupling and hierarchal structure of a light-harvesting porphyrin aggregate

Helical porphyrin nanotubes of tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TSPP) were examined in DCl/D(2)O solution using resonance Raman and resonance light scattering spectroscopy to probe the influence of hydrogen bonding on the excitonic states. Atomic force microscopy reveals similar morphology for aggregates deposited from DCl/D(2)O and from HCl/H(2)O solution. Deuteration results in subtle changes to the aggregate absorption spectrum but large changes in the relative intensities of Raman modes in the J-band excited resonance Raman spectra, revealing relatively more reorganization along lower-frequency vibrational modes in the protiated aggregate. Depolarization ratio dispersion and changes in the relative Raman intensities for excitation wavelengths spanning the J-band demonstrate interference from overlapping excitonic transitions. Distinctly different Raman excitation profiles for the protiated and deuterated aggregates reveal that isotopic substitution influences the excitonic structure of the J-band. The deuterated aggregate exhibits a nearly two-fold increase in intensity of resonance light scattering as a result of an increase in the coherence number, attributed to decreased exciton-phonon scattering. We propose that strongly coupled cyclic N-mers, roughly independent of isotopic substitution, largely decide the optical absorption spectrum, while water-mediated hydrogen bonding influences the further coherent coupling among them when they are assembled into nanotubes. The results show that, similar to natural light-harvesting complexes such as chlorosomes, hydrogen bonding can have a critical influence on exciton dynamics.     

Cs atoms on helium nanodroplets and the immersion of Cs+ into the nanodroplet

We report the non-desorption of cesium (Cs) atoms on the surface of helium nanodroplets (He(N)) in their 6(2)P(1/2) ((2)Π(1/2)) state upon photo-excitation as well as the immersion of Cs(+) into the He(N) upon photo-ionization via the 6(2)P(1/2) ((2)Π(1/2)) state. Cesium atoms on the surface of helium nanodroplets are excited with a laser to the 6(2)P states. We compare laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra with a desorption-sensitive method (Langmuir-Taylor detection) for different excitation energies. Dispersed fluorescence spectra show a broadening of the emission spectrum only when Cs-He(N) is excited with photon energies close to the atomic D(1)-line, which implies an attractive character of the excited state system (Cs?-He(N)) potential energy curve. The experimental data are compared with a calculation of the potential energy curves of the Cs atom as a function of its distance R from the center of the He(N) in a pseudo-diatomic model. Calculated Franck-Condon factors for emission from the 6(2)P(1/2) ((2)Π(1/2)) to the 6(2)S(1/2) ((2)Σ(1/2)) state help to explain the experimental data. The stability of the Cs?-He(N) system allows to form Cs(+) snowballs in the He(N), where we use the non-desorbing 6(2)P(1/2) ((2)Π(1/2)) state as a springboard for ionization in a two-step ionization scheme. Subsequent immersion of positively charged Cs ions is observed in time-of-flight mass spectra, where masses up to several thousand amu were monitored. Only ionization via the 6(2)P(1/2) ((2)Π(1/2)) state gives rise to a very high yield of immersed Cs(+) in contrast to an ionization scheme via the 6(2)P(3/2) ((2)Π(3/2)) state. When resonant two-photon ionization is applied to cesium dimers on He droplets, Cs(2) (+)-He(N) aggregates are observed in time-of-flight mass spectra.     

J-aggregates of diprotonated tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin induced by ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate

The J-aggregation behavior of diprotonated tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (H2TPPS4(2-)) in aqueous solution in the presence of the hydrophilic ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (bmimBF4) was investigated in detail using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, resonance light scattering (RLS) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. With the addition of bmimBF4, increasing peaks appeared at a wavelength of 490 nm in the absorption spectra to account for the formation of H 2TPPS4(2-) J-aggregates. In addition, the experimental results also showed decreased fluorescence emission, enhanced RLS signals, intensified Raman scattering peaks, and the disappearance of NMR signals to further indicate that porphyrin J-aggregates exist in the studied system. NMR shifts of bmimBF 4 toward high field occurred corresponding to H2, H4, and H5 in the cationic imidazolium ring (bmim+), suggesting that bmim+ enters the magnetic shielding domain of the anionic phenyl sulfonate ion owing to the association process between the "large" cation and anion. Additionally, the fact that the absorption spectral shifts occurred in the nonprotonated porphyrin TPPS4(4-) further indicates the existence of the ion association effect of bmim+, which functions as an important factor in porphyrin aggregation.     

Perfluorophenyl-Directed Giant Porphyrin J-Aggregates

Quadrupolar interactions of porphyrin bearing two pentafluorophenylethynyl terminals ( 1 ) drove the formation of a successive one-dimensional staircase structure, i.e., J-aggregates, to yield millimeter-length needles with a single-crystalline character in methylcyclohexane solution. In contrast, π-stacked interactions of porphyrin bearing two nonfluorinated phenyl terminals ( 2 ) formed no aggregates in solution. A spin-cast film of 1 also showed bathochromic shift of the Soret and Q bands, indicating the formation of J-aggregates. The molecular arrangement of the J-aggregates was revealed by microbeam glazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray diffraction (GIWAXD), and was in good agreement with the optimized structure generated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.     

Side-chain-controlled H- and J-aggregation of amphiphilic porphyrins in CTAB micelles

The aggregation behavior of a series of amphiphilic 4-hydroxyphenyl porphyrins with one (P1), two (P2) and three (P3) hexadecyl side chains in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles has been studied by means of UV-vis and fluorescence spectra. It was found that the number of hexadecyl side chains not only controls the H- and J-aggregation of the porphyrins in CTAB micelles, but also influences the aggregation concentration and tendency. With increasing porphyrin concentration, P1 and P2 form H-aggregates in CTAB micelles, while P3 forms J-aggregates. Porphyrins with more hexadecyl side chains tend to form aggregates more easily and at lower concentrations in CTAB micellar solutions.     

The role of cellulose acetate as a matrix for aggregation of pseudoisocyanine iodide: absorption and emission studies

Films of pseudoisocyanine iodide in a cellulose acetate matrix were prepared by spin coating and characterized by UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. The comparison with self-supported films of the same dye enabled analysing the role of the matrix in the aggregation of pseudoisocyanine iodide ([PIC]I). It was proved that cellulose acetate is a suitable support for [PIC]I J-aggregates, which form during spinning, as shown by a very sharp J-band in the absorption spectra. This indicates a perfect coherence between stacked monomers in the supported J-aggregates. It was possible to individualize the emission spectrum of [PIC]I J-aggregates in cellulose acetate, by decomposition of the steady-state fluorescence spectra of the films. The dependence on the excitation wavelength of the relative emission intensities of monomers and J-aggregates, for lambda(em) = 587 nm, lead to confirm that the latter species have an absorption maximum at approximately 500 nm in cellulose acetate. Finally, polarised absorption spectra of films obtained by the vertical spin coating technique showed that cellulose acetate allows a partial orientation of J-aggregates.     

Quantum-chemical investigation of the electroabsorption spectra of directly meso-meso-linked porphyrin arrays: essential role of charge-transfer excited states accidentally overlapping with soret bands

The electroabsorption (EA) spectra of directly meso-meso-linked porphyrin arrays (Zn, n = 1-3) have been investigated by means of the sum-over-states (SOS) approach at the INDO/S-SCI level theory. The experimental EA spectra of Zn (n > or = 2) exhibit an unusual second-derivative line shape at the exciton split low-energy B(x) band in contrast to the first-derivative spectrum of Z1, which is readily ascribed to a quadratic Stark shift of the B (Soret) band. Although the second-derivative line shape is usually attributed to a difference in the permanent dipole moment (Deltamu) between the ground and excited states, it should be vanishing for Zn due to their essentially D(2)(d) or D(2)(h) symmetry. As pointed out in our previous studies, the interporphyrinic charge-transfer (CT) excited states are accidentally overlapping with the excitonic B bands and the present calculations reveal that the B(x) state is strongly coupled via a transition dipole moment with two such CT states. These situations give rise to a quadratic Stark effect on the B(x) band that is intermediate between Stark shift (first derivative) and Stark broadening (second derivative), and play a central role in establishing the anomalous second derivative nature of the EA spectrum. Moreover, based on the comparison between the theoretical and experimental spectra, there must be an additional factor that further enhances the second derivative nature of the EA spectrum of porphyrin arrays. Discussions on this issue including the preliminary investigations on the role of solvent (PMMA)-induced asymmetry are also presented.     

Electric quadrupole contribution to the nonresonant background of sum frequency generation at air/liquid interfaces

We study an electric quadrupole contribution to sum frequency generation (SFG) at air∕liquid interfaces in an electronically and vibrationally nonresonant condition. Heterodyne-detected electronic sum frequency generation spectroscopy of air∕liquid interfaces reveals that nonresonant χ((2)) (second-order nonlinear susceptibility) has a negative sign and nearly the same value for all eight liquids studied. This result is rationalized on the basis of the theoretical expressions of χ((2)) with an electric quadrupole contribution taken into account. It is concluded that the nonresonant background of SFG is predominantly due to interfacial nonlinear polarization having a quadrupole contribution. Although this nonlinear polarization is localized at the interface, it depends on quadrupolar χ((2)) in the bulk as well as that at the interface. It means that the sign of nonresonant χ((2)) bears no relation to the "up" versus "down" alignment of interfacial molecules, because nonresonant χ((2)) has a quadrupolar origin.     

Very large infrared two-photon absorption cross section of asymmetric zinc porphyrin aggregates: Role of intermolecular interaction and donor-acceptor strengths

Very large two-photon absorption (TPA) cross sections at the infrared region have been revealed for J-aggregates of asymmetric zinc porphyrin using quantum-chemical calculation. The TPA properties are evaluated for monomer and aggregates of a series of push-pull porphyrins, whose syntheses are known in the literature. The two-photon absorption cross section can be greatly enhanced by increasing the strengths of the electron donor/acceptor. We also present a quantum-chemical analysis on porphyrin aggregates to understand the role of intermolecular interactions and the relationship between structural and collective nonlinear optical properties. It has been observed that the TPA properties change tremendously as monomers undergo J-aggregation and the magnitudes of TPA cross sections are highly dependent on the nature of aggregates. The importance of our results with respect to the design of photonic and photodynamic therapy materials has been discussed.     

Langmuir-Blodgett单分子膜功能体系的研究(Ⅲ).有序单分子膜内的J-聚体

本文讨论了单分子膜内J-聚体的性质、稳定性以及影响J-聚体形成的因素。实验中发现,制备有序单分子膜时,机械振动是影响J-聚体形成的重要因素;利用分子的电性质,靠外加电场的作用,可以增加J-聚体的成份。载于玻璃载片上单分子膜中的J-聚体在室温下就可以破坏,在低温下能够得以保存。根据J-聚体的能级性质及其在能量转移中的作用,作者认为,J-聚体可以形成激子态,J-聚体内的能量转移是激子转移。