Effects of conjugation length, electron donor and acceptor strengths on two-photon absorption cross sections of asymmetric zinc-porphyrin derivatives

Exceptionally large two-photon absorption cross sections at the infrared region have been revealed by time-dependent density functional theory calculations for asymmetric charge-transfer conjugated zinc-porphyrin derivatives. The largest two-photon cross section is found to be more than one order of magnitude larger than for the conventional two-photon active organic molecules. The calculations show that the formation of strong charge-transfer states depends on the length of the conjugation bridge between the zinc-porphyrin core and the electron donor/acceptor. The two-photon absorption cross section can be greatly enhanced by increasing the strengths of the electron donor/acceptor.     

One- and two-photon absorption of three-coordinate compounds with different centers (B,Al,N) and a 2,2'-dipyridylnitrogen functional group

A series of three-coordinate octupolar compounds with varied centers (boron, aluminum, and nitrogen), which exhibit very large effective two-photon absorption cross sections have been theoretically studied. The ground state geometries and electronic structures are obtained using the density functional theory with the B3LYP functional and 6-31G(d) basis set, and the results are comparable to the available experimental determinations. Based on the correct geometrical and electronic structures, the one- and two-photon absorptions are predicted by the ZINDO-SOS method. Among these compounds, the boron (B) and aluminum (Al) centers act as acceptors, while the nitrogen center acts as donor according to the net charge changes during the excitation. It is found that (i) the compounds with boron and aluminum centers show two large two-photon absorption peaks, while the molecule with nitrogen center show only one two-photon absorption peak; (ii) the cross sections of the molecules with B or Al as centers are larger than that of the molecule with nitrogen as center; furthermore, the two-photon absorption cross section of the molecule with Al center is larger than that of the molecule with B center, from this point of view, our theoretical prediction provides for the experiment a good new candidate with large two-photon absorption cross section for further research; (iii) lengthening the conjugation bridge by inserting a benzene ring on the organoborane compounds (forming the investigated molecule B-2) enhances the two-photon absorption cross section, and keeping good transparency at the same time.     

含1,3,5-三嗪和三苯胺的二苯乙烯类双光子材料

合成了以三苯胺为电子给体、1,3,5-三嗪为电子受体的新型二苯乙烯类化合物．用吸收光谱、荧光光谱、飞行质谱、核磁共振氢谱和碳谱进行了表征。这些化合物具有大的双光子吸收截面和强的频率上转换荧光,其中,由三个D-π-A结构的发色团形成的三枝状八偶极分子具有最大的双光子吸收截面和最强的双光子荧光。     

Synthesis of star-shaped monodisperse oligo(9,9-di-n-octylfluorene-2,7-vinylene)s functionalized truxenes with two-photon absorption properties

A series of new star-shaped monodisperse conjugated truxene derivatives bearing oligo(fluorene-vinylene) arms (Tr-OFVn, n = 1, 2, 3, 4) have been synthesized. It is found that the conjugation of the oligomers can be extended with prolonging the arms. Notably, the branched oligomers Tr-OFVn without strong donor and acceptor units exhibit two-photon absorption properties, and the two-photon absorption cross sections (δ(max)) increase with increasing the number of fluorene-vinylene units in the arms. The maximum value of δ(max) reaches 8073 GM for compound Tr-OFV4, which made it one of the most competitive compounds with enhanced TPA cross section. It provides a new platform for exploiting strong TPA compounds, in which the extended π-conjugated systems are involved in the absence of strong donor and acceptor units.     

Enhancement of a two-photon absorption cross section (TPACS)--design and synthesis of a novel class of photochromic molecules with large TPACS

Two novel photochromic compounds were designed and synthesized; the two-photon absorption (TPA) cross section of both were measured with a nanosecond laser pulse; their TPACS (delta) values are around 25 x 10(-46) cm4 s photon-1 molecule-1 in acetonitrile; the molecular structure of the target compounds have a 3-methyl-1-benzothiophen-2-yl moiety, which can greatly enhance the two-photon absorption cross section.     

Two-photon absorption properties of alkynyl-conjugated pyrene derivatives

A series of pyrene derivatives having 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)phenylethynyl groups as the substituent (1-5) have been synthesized and their two-photon absorption properties were investigated. Comparison of two-photon cross section (delta(max)) with related compounds reveals that pyrene is as efficient a pi-center as anthracene in two-photon materials. Moreover, the two-photon cross section (delta(max)) increased with the number of substituents reaching at the maximum value of 1150 GM for the tetra-substituted derivative (5). Furthermore, the two-photon action cross section (Phi delta(max)) of 5 is comparable to that the most efficient two-photon materials. This result provides a useful guideline to the design of efficient two-photon materials bearing pyrene as a pi-center.     

Two-photon absorption in solution by means of time-dependent density-functional theory and the polarizable continuum model

We present the first study of two-photon absorption (TPA) of solvated molecules based on direct evaluation of TPA cross sections from the quadratic response of time-dependent perturbations. A set of prototypical two-photon (TP) chromophores has been selected and analyzed: a pure pi system (t-stilbene) and its substituted homologs obtained employing a donor (D) and an acceptor (A) group to probe the solvent effects along the series pi, D-pi-D, A-pi-D, and A-pi-A. For the selected systems we have calculated the TPA cross sections in different environments by means of the polarizable continuum model. The data have been analyzed to evaluate how the structural and environmental parameters contribute to the final two-photon absorption cross section. These include molecular structure, geometry relaxation in solution, polarity, and refractive index of the solvent. The performances of the three common functionals SVWN, BLYP, and B3LYP have been compared. The results show a significant solvent dependence of the TPA cross section and an unusual trend when passing from cyclohexane to water. The data have also been rationalized in terms of the main orbital excitations leading to the transitions. Finally, trends along the series have been described and comparison with experiments and previous calculations has been drawn.     

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.     

D-π-A型三联吡啶衍生物的合成及光学性质

以4'-(4-甲苯基)-2,2'∶6',2″-三联吡啶为电子受体(A)基元, 通过Wittig反应引入电子给体(D)基元, 合成了2个新的D-π-A型三联吡啶衍生物; 研究了其单、 双光子吸收荧光特性, 并通过量子化学计算从结构角度进行了解释. 目标产物的荧光量子产率(Ф)最高达到0.45, 双光子吸收截面(δ₂)最大达406 GM.     

Two-photon induced responsive f-f emissive detection of Cyclin A with a europium-chelating peptide

Responsive linear and two-photon induced europium emissive probes have been synthesised with a tailor made peptide for the detection of Cyclin A, the hypersensitive Eu emission (Eu-2) gave the real time signalling and also enhanced the two-photon absorption cross section from 12 GM to 68 GM after Cyclin A binding.     

Modulating the photophysical properties of azamacrocyclic europium complexes with charge-transfer antenna chromophores

Two europium complexes with bis(bipyridine) azamacrocyclic ligands featuring pendant arms with or without π-conjugated donor groups are synthesized and fully characterized by theoretical calculations and NMR spectroscopy. Their photophysical properties, including two-photon absorption, are investigated in water and in various organic solvents. The nonfunctionalized ligand gives highly water-stable europium complexes featuring bright luminescence properties but poor two-photon absorption cross sections. On the other hand, the europium complex with an extended conjugated antenna ligand presents a two-photon absorption cross section of 45 GM at 720 nm but is poorly luminescent in water. A detailed solvent-dependent photophysical study indicates that this luminescence quenching is not due to the direct coordination of O-H vibrators to the metal center but to the increase of nonradiative processes in a protic solvent induced by an internal isomerization equilibrium.     

Non-quadratic-intensity dependence of two-photon absorption induced fluorescence of organic chromophores in solution

We have provided a model to interpret the non-quadratic-intensity dependence behavior commonly observed in the two-photon fluorescence (TPF) experiment excited with high laser intensity. The model also provides one with a different technique to measure the two-photon absorption cross section of an organic chromophore in solution. In contrast to the commonly used low intensity technique that depends on the quadratic-intensity law, the present technique is based on the non-quadratic-intensity dependence of two-photon fluorescence. Auxiliary data such as two-photon quantum efficiency and fluorescence collection efficiency, essential in the low intensity method, are not required in the present technique. TPF measurements of Rhodamine B in methanol are carried out to demonstrate the validity of the present method. The method is used to determine the two-photon absorption cross section of a new chromophore attached with tricyano-derivatized furan as the electron acceptor. The two-photon absorption cross section measured using this method is also compared with that using a conventional transmission technique.     

Theoretical study of two-photon absorption properties of a series of ferrocene-based chromophores

The electronic structures, one-photon absorption (OPA), and two-photon absorption (TPA) properties of a series of ferrocene-based chromophores with TCF-type acceptors (TCF = 2-dicyanomethylene-3-cyano-4-methyl-2,5-dihydrofuran) have been studied by using the ZINDO-SOS method. The results have revealed that OPA and TPA of ferrocenyl derivatives are affected by the strength of the acceptor, especially the pi-bridge conjugation length. The TPA cross section increases with increasing acceptor strength and pi-bridge conjugation length. The TCF-type acceptor with a phenyl group can lead to a larger TPA cross section. Quadrupole molecules have the largest TPA cross sections (2000-3000 GM), which are about 4 times that of the corresponding dipolar molecules, indicating larger interactions between the top and bottom branches. Finally, the origins of the two-photon excitations for ferrocenyl derivatives are analyzed. The calculations show that ferrocenyl derivatives with TCF-type acceptors (especially quadrupole molecules) are promising candidates for TPA materials.     

The two-photon excitation cross section of 6MAP, a fluorescent adenine analogue

6MAP is a fluorescent analogue of adenine that undergoes Watson-Crick base pairing and base stacking in double-stranded DNA. The one-photon absorption spectrum of 6MAP is characterized by a maximum around 330 nm with moderate quantum yield fluorescence centered at about 420 nm. To take advantage of this probe for confocal and single-molecule microscopy, it would be advantageous to be able to excite the analogue via two photons. We report the first determination of the two-photon excitation cross section and spectrum for 6MAP from 614 to 700 nm. The power dependence of the fluorescence indicates that emission results from the absorption of two photons. The one-photon and two-photon emission line shapes are identical within experimental error. A study of the concentration dependence of the fluorescence yield for one-photon excitation shows no measurable quenching up to about 5 microM. The maximum in the two-photon excitation spectrum gives a two-photon cross section, delta(TPE), of 3.4 +/- 0.1 Goeppert-Mayer (G.M.) at 659 nm, which correlates well with the one-photon absorption maximum. This compares quite favorably with cross sections of various naturally fluorescent biological molecules such as flavins and nicotiamide. In addition, we have also obtained the two-photon-induced fluorescence emission spectrum of quinine sulfate. It is approximately the same as that for one-photon excitation, suggesting that two-photon excitation of quinine sulfate may be used for calibration purposes.     

Solvent effects on the two-photon absorption of distyrylbenzene chromophores

A series of organic- and water-soluble distyrylbenzene-based two-photon absorption (TPA) fluorophores containing dialkylamino donor groups at the termini was designed, synthesized, and characterized. The central core was systematically substituted to modulate intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). These molecules allow an examination of solvent effects on the TPA cross section (delta) and on the TPA action cross section. In toluene, the delta values follow the order of ICT strength. The effect of solvent on delta is nonmonotonic: maximum delta was measured in an intermediate polarity solvent (THF) and was lowest in water. We failed to find a correlation between the observed solvent effect and previous theoretical predictions. Hydrogen bonding to the donor groups and aggregation of the optical units in water, which are not included in calculational analysis, may be responsible for the discrepancies between experimental results and theory.     

Zinc(II)- and copper(I)-mediated large two-photon absorption cross sections in a bis-cinnamaldiminato Schiff base

A Schiff base ligand has been synthesized by condensing 1,2-diaminobenzene with 4-(dimethylamino)cinnamaldehyde to give a donor-pi-acceptor-pi-donor system which does not show any two-photon absorption cross section but which does, upon complexation with Zn(II) or Cu(I), exhibit very high two-photon absorption cross sections.     

Theoretical study of two-photon absorption in donor-acceptor chromophores tetraalkylammonium halide/carbon tetrabromide

Two-photon absorption properties of a series of donor-acceptor chromophores of tetraalkylammonium halide/carbon tetrabromide ([NR4h.CBr4], h = Cl, Br, I; R = Me, Et, Pr) complexes are investigated in terms of the calculated results by the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) technique combined with the sum-over-states (SOS) method. The modeling two-photon absorption spectra show that these charge-transfer complexes have large two-photon absorption (TPA) cross sections and the [NEt4I.CBr4] has the largest TPA cross section delta with the value of 5.0 x 10(-45) cm4 s photon(-1). The maximum values of delta increase with increasing separations between the donor/acceptor in the order Cl...Br < Br...Br < I...Br for [NEt4h.CBr4] complexes; however, the TPA cross sections delta vary slightly as the size of the alkyl group increases from methyl to propyl for the bromide as a donor, and the maximum wavelength of the TPA peak lambdamax indicates a bathochromic shift. The charge transfers from the halide anion to the carbon tetrabromide make a significant contribution to the excited states, and the donor-acceptor charge transfer plays an important role in the TPA activity, whereas changes in size of alkyl group do not make a substantial contribution to TPA.     

A new series of two-photon polymerization initiators: Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties

Four photopolymerization initiators with D-π-D (D, donor; π, conjugation system) structure have been synthesized by solvent-free reaction and characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, IR and elemental analysis. The one-photon and two-photon excited fluorescence have been investigated in different solvents. Experimental results of the one-photon and two-photon absorption cross sections show different trends in OPA and TPA ability with different substitution groups in donor units.     

Suggestion for a new two-photon cross section

We suggest a new two-photon (TP) absorption cross section which is independent of the wavelength of the two laser beams. The different wavelengths may cause changes in the regular cross section by orders of magnitude in the same absorbing molecule. This effect is not due to the resonance term, but to the number of modes.     

Enhancement of Two-Photon Absorption in Boron-Dipyrromethene (BODIPY) Derivatives

The linear and nonlinear optical properties of two BODIPY derivatives, 1,7-Diphenyl-3,5-bis(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)-boron-diuoride-azadipyrromethene (ZL-61) and 1,7-Diphenyl-3,5-bis(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)-boron-diuoride-azadipyrromethene (ZL-22), were comprehensively investigated based on experimental and theoretical studies. It was found that both compounds show a strong two-photon absorption response in the near-infrared regime, and the two-photon-absorption cross-section values of ZL-61 and ZL-22 were determined to be 8321 GM and 1864 GM at 800 nm, respectively. The improvement of the two-photon absorption cross section in ZL-61 was attributed to the enhancement of the donor group, which was confirmed by transient absorption measurements and DFT calculation. Our results indicate that these BODIPY derivatives are a promising candidate for optical limiting and two-photon imaging applications.