Photonic switching of photoinduced electron transfer in a dithienylethene-porphyrin-fullerene triad molecule

A dithienylethene (DTE)-porphyrin (P)-fullerene (C(60)) triad molecule in which intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer is controlled by the photochromic DTE moiety has been prepared. Irradiation of the molecule with visible light gives the open form of the dithienylethene (DTEo). Excitation of the porphyrin gives DTEo-(1)P-C(60), which undergoes photoinduced electron transfer with a time constant of 25 ps to generate DTEo-P(.+)-C(60)(.-). Irradiation with ultraviolet light produces the closed form of the dithienylethene (DTEc). Excitation of DTEc-P-C(60) yields DTEc-(1)P-C(60), whose porphyrin first excited singlet state is quenched in 2.3 ps by singlet-singlet energy transfer to DTEc, generating (1)DTEc-P-C(60) and precluding significant photoinduced electron transfer. Such highly reversible photonically controlled intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer may eventually be useful in the design of photonic or optoelectronic devices.     

Porphyrin-sensitized nanoparticulate TiO2 as the photoanode of a hybrid photoelectrochemical biofuel cell

Porphyrin-sensitized nanoparticulate TiO(2) on conducting glass has been investigated as a photoanode material for a new cell that converts light energy into electricity. The cell is a hybrid of a dye-sensitized nanoparticulate semiconductor photoelectrochemical solar cell, and a biofuel cell that oxidizes glucose. Porphyrin molecules excited by light inject electrons into the photoanode, from where they enter the external circuit. The resulting porphyrin radical cations are reduced by NADH in aqueous buffer, ultimately regenerating the photoanode and producing NAD(+). Glucose dehydrogenase oxidizes glucose, and in the process recycles NAD(+) back to NADH. The photoanode is coupled with a suitable cathode to make a functioning cell (Hg/Hg(2)SO(4) was employed for evaluation purposes). The cell produces 1.1 V at open circuit and has a fill factor of 0.61. These values are both significantly higher than those for a previously reported cell of a similar type based on an SnO(2) electrode.     

PROPERTIES OF ZINC AND MAGNESIUM METHYL BACTERIOPHEOPHORBIDE d AND THEIR AGGREGATES

Abstract— Light-harvesting bacteriochlorophylls are believed to he aggregated in oligomcric forms in chlorosomes of green photosynthetic bacteria. Zn and Mg methyl bacteriopheophorhides d (MBPd) were synthesized from chlorophyll a and studied as model compounds for bacteriochlorophyll d . Monomeric Zn and Mg MBPd in methanol have Q y absorption maxima at 650 nm and 657 nm and fluorescence decay lifetimes of 5.1 ns and 5.4 ns, respectively, comparcd to 5.6 ns for bactcriochlorophyll d . Zn and Mg MBPd both form oligomers in nonpolar solvents and exhibit Q, absorption maxima at 728 nm and 731 nm and fluorescence decay lifetimes of 14 ps and 19 ps, respectively, compared to 730 nm and 9 ps for similar bacteriochlorophyll d aggregates. One of the diastereomers at the 3^l position, R-Mg MBPd, forms intermediate-sized aggregated species that are equivalent to the dimer and a highly fluorescent species formed by bacteriochlorophylls c and d . The similarities of quantitative propcrtics between the model compounds, and the antenna pigments bacteriochlorophyll c and d indicate that Mg and Zn MBPd are good models for studying pigment interactions in chlorosomes and that the long hydrocarbon tail in the natural pigment is not required for oligomer formation. The dimer and the highly fluorescent species do not appear to be the building blocks of the oligomcr.     

Investigation of local order in unreacted DGEBA epoxy resin monomers by light scattering

The existence of local order in two epoxy resins of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) type has been investigated using Rayleigh scattering and Brillouin spectroscopy. The resins differ in their molecular weight distributions and their relative concentrations of epoxide and hydroxyl groups. The complementary use of both techniques in elucidating the thermal behavior of local order is illustrated, and the use of the latter technique to study thermal acoustic phonons and hypersonic relaxation is discussed. Both techniques independently show that molecular aggregates exist in each resin system. The scattering-envelope dissymmetry shows that the resin with the high epoxide/hydroxyl group ratio contains aggregates up to 20 nm in size, and the low-ratio resin exhibits sizes up to 70 nm. These aggregates are thermally unstable in the temperature range studied (293–443 K). Dissolution in chloroform shows that these aggregates are reduced in size and that further structural changes occur which are dependent on solvent concentration. Aggregate volume fractions were determined for a range of aggregate size. Brillouin spectroscopy indicated that both resins exhibit hypersonic relaxation in the temperature range studied. The complex longitudinal moduli of the resins were superimposable under a WLF temperature transformation comparable to the difference in their static glass transition temperatures. Molecular aggregate size, number, and stability are related to the epoxide/hydroxyl ratio of the resins and the degree of intermolecular hydrogen bonding.     

Electrical detection of amine ligation to a metalloporphyrin via a hybrid SOI-MOSFET

A close-packed monolayer of zinc 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(3-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin has been prepared and deposited on the thin native oxide covering the surface of an SOI-MOSFET (silicon-on-insulator metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor) using Langmuir-Blodgett techniques. When the device is exposed to amine vapors in a nitrogen atmosphere, the amine coordinates to the zinc atom. The resulting change in electron distribution within the porphyrin leads to a large change in the drain current of the transistor, biased via a back gate. This change is sensitive to both the amount of amine present and the base strength of the amine. Only very small changes in drain current were observed with a monolayer of free base porphyrin or palmitic acid. After exposure to high pyridine concentrations, the device response saturates, but partially recovers after overnight exposure to flowing nitrogen gas. Interestingly, the device response is instantaneously reset by exposure to visible light, suggesting that photode-ligation occurs. An electrical model for the hybrid device that describes its response to ligand binding in terms of a change in the work function of the porphyrin monolayer has been developed. A transistor response to a few hundred attomoles of bound pyridine can be readily detected. This extreme sensitivity, coupled with the ability to reset the device using light, suggests that such systems might be useful as sensors.     

Ultrafast energy transfer dynamics of a bioinspired dyad molecule

A caroteno-purpurin dyad molecule was studied by steady-state and pump-probe spectroscopies to resolve the excited-state deactivation dynamics of the different energy levels as well as the connecting energy flow pathways and corresponding rate constants. The data were analyzed with a two-step multi-parameter global fitting procedure that makes use of an evolutionary algorithm. We found that following ultrafast excitation of the donor (carotenoid) chromophore to its S2 state, the energy flows via two channels: energy transfer (70%) and internal conversion (30%) with time constants of 54 and 110 fs, respectively. Additionally, some of the initial excitation is found to populate the hot ground state, revealing another limitation to the functional efficiency. At later times, a back transfer occurs from the purpurin to the carotenoid triplet state in nanosecond timescales. Details of the energy flow within the dyad as well as species associated spectra are disentangled for all excited-state and ground-state species for the first time. We also observe oscillations with the most pronounced peak on the Fourier transform spectrum having a frequency of 530 cm(-1). The dyad mimics the dynamics of the natural light-harvesting complex LH2 from Rhodopseudomonas acidophila and is hence a good model system to be used in studies aimed to further explain previous work in which the branching ratio between the competing pathways of energy loss and energy transfer could be manipulated by adaptive femtosecond pulse shaping.     

Homogeneous, core-shell, and hollow-shell ZnS colloid-based photonic crystals

Ordered ZnS-based colloidal crystals from homogeneous, core-shell, and hollow building blocks were prepared via electrosteric colloid stabilization combined with a convective assembly technique. The polyelectrolyte stabilized colloids assembled into face-centered cubic arrays with the (111) face perpendicular to the substrate. Structure-property correlations were made using scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and UV/visible/near-IR spectroscopy. Multilayer film growth, with film thickness of several micrometers, was achieved. Optical spectra showed (111) stopgaps along with pronounced higher order peaks. The spectral position of the photonic stopgap can be predicted using a volume average refractive index and the Maxwell-Garnett formula for the homogeneous and core-shell particles, respectively. This work holds the promise of harnessing ZnS for optical property engineering and enhanced photonic band gap materials.     

Chemical bath deposition synthesis of sub-micron ZnS-coated polystyrene

The synthesis of ZnS-coated polystyrene composite colloids by the decomposition of thioacetamide in the presence of polystyrene seed particles and metal salt is presented. The chemical bath deposition technique incorporates poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) to inhibit particle aggregation during the synthesis so that core-shell particles with sizes in the low sub-micron range were achieved. The shell thickness was well controlled through the reaction time and core size. ZnS shells were composed of primary crystallites, approximately 5 nm in diameter, which had the zinc blend crystal structure. The porosity of the shells was between 12 and 19%. Accordingly, the effective refractive index of the particles varied between 1.73 and 1.98 at wavelengths above the optical absorption edge of ZnS. Ordered colloidal crystals were produced by convective assembly of the poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) stabilized core-shell particles. Assemblies of ZnS shell-polystyrene core particles are photonic crystal materials which may have applications in optical computing and communications environments.     

Photonic switching of photoinduced electron transfer in a dihydropyrene-porphyrin-fullerene molecular triad

Photonic control of photoinduced electron transfer has been demonstrated in a dimethyldihydropyrene (DHP) porphyrin (P) fullerene (C(60)) molecular triad. In the DHP-P-C(60) form of the triad, excitation of the porphyrin moiety is followed by photoinduced electron transfer to give a DHP-P(*)(+)-C(60)(*)(-) charge-separated state, which evolves by a charge shift reaction to DHP(*)(+)-P-C(60)(*)(-). This final state has a lifetime of 2 micros and is formed in an overall yield of 94%. Visible (>or=300 nm) irradiation of the triad leads to photoisomerization of the DHP moiety to the cyclophanediene (CPD). Excitation of the porphyrin moiety of CPD-P-C(60) produces a short-lived (<10 ns) CPD-P(*)(+)-C(60)(*)(-) state, but charge shift to the CPD moiety does not occur, due to the relatively high oxidation potential of the CPD group. Long-lived charge separation is not observed. Irradiation of CPD-P-C(60) with UV (254 nm) light converts the triad back to the DHP form. Thermal interconversion of the DHP and CPD forms is very slow, photochemical cycling is facile, and in the absence of oxygen, many cycles may be performed without substantial degradation. Thus, light is used to switch long-lived photoinduced charge separation on or off. The principles demonstrated by the triad may be useful for the design of molecule-based optoelectronic systems.     

Numerical modeling of titanium carbide synthesis in thermal plasma reactors

Titanium carbide powders synthesized in thermal plasma reactors are virtually always contaminated by soot. Equilibrium modeling predicts a viable process window without soot formation; however, this has not been achieved in practice. A numerical model incorporating chemical kinetics, nucleation and growth, and soot formation mechanisms has been developed to investigate this process. The chemical kinetic scheme teas based on ethylene pyrolysis and methane combustion with additional reactions to account for titanium-based molecules and the free carbon species found at plasma temperatures. Nucleation and .soot formation were based on simple kinetic models. The governing equations were integrated through time using typical temperature-time histories found by computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling of a radio frequency plasma torch. The results indicate that the synthesis is governed by interactions between several parallel processes and that there is a delicate balance between reactant stoichiometry, system pressure, cooling rate, product formation, and soot formation. This balance may be a limiting feature of ceramic carbide production in thermal plasma reactors.