Biomolecular photodiode consisting of cytochrome c-adsorbed hetero-Langmuir–Blodgett films

Photoinduced electron transfer in biomolecular photodiode consisting of protein-adsorbed hetero-Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films was investigated. Four kinds of functional molecules, cytochrome c, viologen, flavin, and ferrocene, were used as a second electron acceptor, a first electron acceptor, an electron sensitizer, and an electron donor, respectively. The hetero-LB film was fabricated by subsequently depositing ferrocene, flavin, and viologen onto the pretreated ITO glass. Cytochrome c-adsorbed hetero-LB films were prepared by soaking the hetero-LB films into the phosphate buffer solution containing cytochrome c. To verify the optimal adsorption conditions of cytochrome c molecules onto the viologen LB layers, the UV-absorption spectrum and atomic force microscopy observations of LB films were performed. Finally, the metal/insulator/metal structured molecular device was constructed by depositing aluminum onto the surface of the cytochrome c-adsorbed hetero-LB films. For photoelectric response properties, the current–voltage characteristic and photoswitching effect of the proposed molecular photodiode were investigated. To verify the charge shift, transient photocurrent of the molecular photodiode was measured.     

蒽醌、甲基紫精、N,N-二乙基苯胺与金丝桃蒽酮素光致电子转移的研究

金丝桃蒽酮素(HYP)是有多个羟基的醌类衍生物。在极性溶剂乙腈中,电子给体N,N-二乙基苯胺和电子受体甲基紫精、蒽醌均能有效猝灭其荧光。说明它既具有酚羟基的给电子性能,又有醌类化合物的受电子性能。HYP与平面构型的蒽醌可能形成基态复合物,以不同的方式与其发生光致相互作用。     

Nanostructured silica thin films self-assembled with electron donors and acceptors to measure electron tunneling

Surfactant-templated, mesostructured thin films are synthesized such that photoelectron donors and electron acceptors are separated spatially in the different regions of the thin film. A photoelectron donor is placed within the silica framework by using a silylated derivative of the well-known tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) cation. Selective placement of the electron acceptor is achieved by using a surfactant derivative of methyl viologen. Luminescence decay traces and luminescence spectra are collected for the electron donor in the presence of varying amounts of the electron acceptor. Because of the spatial separation of the donor and acceptor noncontact electron transfer occurs and the electron-transfer rate decreases exponentially with the distance separating the donor and acceptor. Luminescence decay traces are calculated and fit to the experimental data in order to extract a value for the contact quenching rate, k0 (s(-1)), as well as the exponential decay constant beta (A(-1)) which governs how fast the electron-transfer rate decreases as a function of the donor-acceptor distance. The value beta = 2.5 +/- 0.4 A(-1) shows that the mesostructured material is an excellent insulator, better than frozen organic glasses or proteins and approaching that of vacuum. Combining deliberate placement methods, spectroscopy, and calculations has made possible the first measurement of beta for the silica region of mesoporous thin films.     

Photocurrent generation in multilayer organic-inorganic thin films with cascade energy architectures

Zirconium organobisphosphonate multilayer thin films of viologen derivatives were grown on copper dithiolate multilayers of 5,15-di(p-thiolphenyl)-10,20-di(p-tolyl)porphyrin (POR) and 5,15-di(p-thiolphenyl)-10,20-di(p-tolyl)porphyrinzinc (ZOR) on a variety of substrates (e.g. Au, SiO(2)), using solution depositions methods. The multilayer structures were studied by atomic force microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, and ellipsometry. In the case of copper dithiolate thin films, layer-by-layer lamellar growth with low surface roughness resulted, while higher surface roughness was observed in the growth of Zr viologen bisphosphonate films. Gold electrodes modified with zirconium bisphosphonate multilayers of viologen on top of copper dithiolate multilayers of porphyrin derivatives (ZOR or POR) were photoelectroactive and produced efficient and stable photocurrents using visible light. By arranging the zinc-porphyrin (ZOR) and the free base porphyrin (POR) donors in an energetically favorable fashion, according to their redox potentials and optical energy gaps, the photoinduced charge separation was improved, and higher photocurrent quantum yields ( approximately 4%) and fill factor ( approximately 50%) of the photoelectrode were achieved.     

Strong Ground‐ and Excited‐State Charge Transfer in C3‐Symmetric Truxene‐Derived Phenothiazine‐Tetracyanobutadine and Expanded Conjugates

The C₃‐symmetric star‐shaped phenothiazene‐substituted truxene 1 was reacted with the electron acceptors tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) and 7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). The cycloaddition–retroelectrocyclization reaction yields the conjugates 2 and 3 . A combination of spectral, electrochemical, and photophysical investigations of 2 and 3 reveals that the functionalization of the triple bond has a pronounced effect on their ground and excited‐state interactions. Specifically, the existence of strong ground‐state interactions between phenothiazine and the electron‐accepting groups results in charge‐transfer states, while subsequent ultrafast charge separation yields electron transfer products. This is unprecedented not only in phenothiazine chemistry but also in tetracyanobutadiene‐ and dicyanoquinodimethane‐derived donor–acceptor conjugates. Additionally, by manipulating spectroelectrochemical data, a spectrum of the charge‐separated species is construed for the first time, and shown to be highly useful in interpreting the rather complex transient spectra.     

Photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer and charge separation in zinc phthalocyanine-viologen linked system

Photoinduced electron transfer and charge separation processes in zinc phthalocya-nine-viologen linked system have been studied and the distance effect of donor/acceptor on electron transfer reaction is discussed. It is indicated that the fluorescence from the zinc phthalocyanine moiety is appreciably quenched and the life-time of singlet excited state is reduced by the pendant viologen. Time-resolved transient absorption spectra measurements show that intramolecular quenching of the triplet state of zinc phthalocyanine by the attached viologen results in charge separation giving reduced viologen radical alive for a rather long period with hundred microsecond duration. The effect of the carbon chain length on the electron transfer rate constant and charge separation efficiency suggests that upon excitation, the zinc phthalocyanine and viologen groups tend to take closer conformation with the increase of the carbon chain examined. The rate constant for the intramolecular electron transfer ket with n = 3     

Nanostructured thin films of C60-aniline dyad clusters: electrodeposition, charge separation, and photoelectrochemistry

Clusters of C60-aniline dyads are deposited as thin films on nanostructured SnO2 electrodes under the influence of an electric field. At low applied DC voltage (<5 V) the clusters in toluene/acetonitrile (1:3) mixed solvent grow in size (from 160 nm to approximately 200 nm in diameter) while at higher voltages (>50 V) they are deposited on the electrode surface as thin films. The C60- aniline dyad cluster films when cast on nanostructured SnO2 films are photoelectrochemically active and generate photocurrent under visible light excitation. These nanostructured fullerene films are capable of delivering relatively large photocurrents (up to approximately 0.2 mA cm(-2), photoconversion efficiency of 3-4%) when employed as photoanodes in photoelectrochemical cells. Both luminescence and transient absorption studies confirm the formation of charge transfer product (C60 anion) following UV/Vis excitation of these films. Photo-induced charge separation in these dyad clusters is followed by the electron injection from C60-anion moiety into the SnO2 nanocrystallites. The oxidized counterpart is reduced by the redox couple present in the electrolyte, thus regenerating the dyad clusters. The feasibility of casting high surface area thin fullerene films on electrode surfaces has opened up new avenues to utilize dyad molecules of sensitizer bridge donor type in light energy conversion devices, such as solar cells.     

Ultrafast Photoinduced Electron Transfer between an Incarcerated Donor and a Free Acceptor in Aqueous Solution

Supramolecular photoinduced electron transfer dynamics between coumarin 153 (C153) and 4,4'-dimethyl viologen dichloride (MV(2+)) across the molecular barrier of a host molecule, octa acid (OA), has been investigated with femtosecond time resolution. The ultrafast electron transfer from C153 to MV(2+) followed excitation with 150 fs laser pulses at a wavelength of 390 nm despite the fact that C153 was incarcerated within an OA(2) capsule. As a result, the photoexcited coumarin did not show any of the typical relaxation dynamics that is usually observed in free solution. Instead, the excited electron was transferred across the molecular wall of the capsuleplex within 20 ps. Likewise, the lifetime of the charge transfer state was short (724 ps), and electron back-transfer reestablished the ground state of the system within 1 ns, showing strong electronic coupling among the excited electron donor, host, and acceptor. When the donor was encapsulated into the host molecule, the electron transfer process showed significantly accelerated dynamics and essentially no solvent relaxation compared with that in free solution. The study was also extended to N-methylpyridinium iodide as the acceptor with similar results.     

P and n dopable semi-interpenetrating polymer networks

Electrochemical oxidation of thin films of 9-(2,3-epoxypropyl)carbazole (OEPC) oligomer deposited on an electrode leads to the formation of an in-situ cross-linked structure with biscarbazyl redox sites due to the anodic coupling of pendant carbazole units. Electrochemical, optical, and thermal characterizations confirm the formation of a conducting network containing electroactive biscarbazolyl units. When the electrochemical cross-linking takes place in a starting thin film containing a mixture of OEPC and a perylene bisimide polymer [poly(Pery-EO₃)], a semi-interpenetrating polymer network is formed which possesses both electron donor and electron acceptor properties. Indeed, the electrochemical behavior of the semi-interpenetrating polymers network (IPN) is characterized by two reversible oxidations and two reversible reduction waves corresponding to the biscarbazolyl and perylene redox moities, respectively. The energy levels of the highest occupied molecular orbital E _HOMO and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital E _LUMO of each donor and acceptor in the semi-IPN have been evaluated and indicate a possible electron transfer from biscarbazole to perylene, which could be taken advantage of in the field of solar cells application.     

Influence of the environment on photoinduced electron transfer: comparison between organized monolayers at the air-water interface and monolayer assemblies on glass

Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) has been investigated in organized monolayers at the air-water interface and in monolayer assemblies on glass in an effort to evaluate the influence of solvent reorganization and molecular dynamics on PET. The donor monolayer contained an amphiphilic thiacyanine dye, and the electron acceptors were methyl viologen and dioctadecyl viologen, respectively. The distance dependence is described here by a hard disk model, where an acceptor molecule within a disk with a radius rDA around the excited donor molecule quenches the donor fluorescence due to electron transfer. Acceptor molecules outside the disk are considered ineffective. The critical radius rDA is larger in monolayer assemblies on glass (rDA = 1.97 nm) than at the air-water interface (rDA = 1.15 nm) as evaluated from steady-state fluorescence quenching. This large difference indicates that the time between thermal collisions generating and destroying the energetic match required for electron tunneling from the excited donor molecule to the acceptor is quite different in the two systems that are compared.     

吩噻嗪给体受体衍生物激发态的电荷转移

A series of N-bonded donor-acceptor derivatives of phenothiazine containing phenyl （PHPZ）, anisyl （ANPZ）, pyridyl （PYPZ）, naphthyl （NAPZ）, acetylphenyl （APPZ）, and cyanophenyl （CPPZ） as an electron acceptor have been synthesized. Their photophysical properties were investigated in solvents of different polarities by absorption and emission techniques. These studies clearly revealed the existence of an intramolecular charge transfer （ICT） excited state in the latter four compounds. The solvent dependent Stokes shift values were analyzed by the modified Lippert-Mataga equation to obtain the excited state dipole moment values. The large excited state dipole moment suggests that the full （or nearly full） electron transfer take place in the A-D systems. In the system of A-D phenothiazine derivatives, the transition dipole moments Mflu were determined mainly by direct interactions between the solvent-equilibrated fluorescence ^1CT state and ground state because of their lack of significant change with increase of the solvent polarity. The electron structure and molecular conformation of phenothiazine derivatives will be significantly changed with the increase of the electron affinity of the N-10 substituent.     

SYNTHESIS OF AMPHIPATHIC PORPHYRINS AND THEIR PHOTOINDUCED ELECTRON TRANSFER REACTIONS AT THE LIPID BILAYER-WATER INTERFACE

A one flask synthesis of cis -substituted amphipathic porphyrins is reported. These porphyrins were used to study electrostatic effects on photoinduced electron transfer across the lipid bilayer-water interface. A neutral porphyrin undergoes only dynamic interfacial electron transfer reactions irrespective of charge of the acceptor, although ionic strength effects indicate a negative charge on the porphyrin donor species. A dianionic porphyrin forms an interfacial static complex with a dicationic electron acceptor, methyl viologen, at low ionic strength. The electron transfer rate within the complex is slow, 10⁵∼ 10⁶ s^-1, which is attributed to a near orthogonal orientation between the donor and the acceptor ∼ orbitals.     

Quenching of singlets and triplets by reversible ionization followed by charge recombination

The reversible electron transfer from donor to excited molecule (acceptor of electron) is shown to be the irreversible energy quenching, if it is completed by subsequent irreversible recombination radical-ions which are produced. The Stern-Volmer constant of fluorescence as well as the Markovian rate constant of triplet quenching are calculated analytically, assuming the electron transfer is contact. The multiple Rehm-Weller effect is shown to be peculiar to both constants.     

Dynamics of Photoinduced Electron‐Transfer Processes in Fullerene‐Based Dyads: Effects of Varying the Donor Strength

Two classes of fullerene‐based donor–bridge–acceptor (D–B–A) systems containing donors of varying oxidation potentials have been synthesized. These systems include fullerenes linked to heteroaromatic donor groups (phenothiazine/phenoxazine) as well as substituted anilines (p‐anisidine/p‐toluidine). In contrast to the model compound, an efficient intramolecular electron transfer is observed from the fullerene singlet excited state in polar solvents. An increase in the rate constant and quantum yield of charge separation (k_cs and Φ_cs) has been observed for both classes of dyads, with decrease in the oxidation potentials of the donor groups. This observation indicates that the rates of the forward electron transfer fall in the normal region of the Marcus curve. The long‐lived charge separation enabled the characterization of electron transfer products, namely, the radical cation of the donor and radical anion of the pyrrolidinofullerene, by using nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The small reorganization energy (λ) of C₆₀ coupled with large negative free energy changes (‐ΔG°) for the back electron transfer places the back electron process in the inverted region of Marcus curve, thereby stabilizing the electron transfer products.     

Chemical Sensing and Molecular Recognition Based on Photoinduced Intramolecular Charge Transfer Dual Fluorescence

Represented by 4-dimethylaminobenzonitrile (DMABN), the electron donor/acceptor substituted benzenes show photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) dual fluorescence has been well-known.     

含不同链长的三个卟啉LB膜修饰电极的光电响应研究

利用LB (Langmuir-Blodgett)技术将含不同链长的卟啉化合物(C4Py, C6Py和C8Py)单层膜转移到ITO (indium-tin oxide)导电玻璃上, 发现其具有良好的光电转换性质. 卟啉化合物修饰后的紫外吸收光谱与光电流工作谱重叠, 表明卟啉化合物起到了敏化光电流产生的效果; 而且电子给体、电子受体和偏压对其敏化效果的实验结果表明: 光诱导电子转移是产生光电响应的主要原因. 而且, 这三个卟啉化合物的光电响应性质与碳链长度相关, 其中含有六个碳链的C6Py表现出最佳的光电转化效果.     

一种新型的可见光诱导电子转移生酸体系的研究

对 4种分子内共轭的电荷转移化合物和取代的双 (三氯甲基 ) 2 ,4,6 三嗪分子间的光诱导电子转移和光生酸反应进行了详细研究 .通过荧光猝灭和体系荧光随时间的变化可看到作为电子受体的三嗪分子和作为电子给体电荷转移化合物间的光诱导电荷转移作用 .在对体系酸度的测定中 ,可清楚地看到体系经光照后所发生的变化 .对所研究生酸体系引发酚醛树脂 六甲氧基甲基三聚氰胺交联反应的能力进行了初步研究 .对可能发生的反应机制进行了讨论     

Organic Photovoltaic Devices Based on a New Class of Oligothienylenevinylene Derivatives as Donor Materials

A new class of donor–acceptor‐containing oligothienylenevinylenes with a triphenylamine donor and a dicyanovinyl group as acceptor has been synthesized and characterized. By extending the oligothiophene backbone, both the optical bandgaps and the charge‐transport properties can be tuned. These oligothienylenevinylene derivatives show intense charge‐transfer absorption bands that cover the entire visible spectrum, with low optical bandgaps of approximately 1.64 eV. In addition, electrochemical studies reveal that these compounds possess relatively large ionization potentials of approximately 5.5 eV. On the basis of these newly developed dicyanovinyl‐substituted chromophores as donor materials and C₆₀ as acceptor material, bilayer organic photovoltaic devices have been fabricated, with the best device showing a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.0 %, with an open‐circuit voltage of 0.68 V and a fill factor of 0.60 after thermal annealing. The obvious morphology change with the formation of small domains in thin films and the reduction of series resistance are believed to be responsible for the dramatic performance improvement upon thermal annealing.     

强度调制光电流谱研究纳晶薄膜电极过程

用强度调制光电流谱研究半导体纳晶薄膜电极光生电荷的界面转移和输运动力学过程.从测量不同外加电压和不同硫化钠溶液浓度下CdSe纳晶薄膜电极的光电流响应得到了参数:归一化稳态光电流和表面态寿命,分析界面空穴的直接转移和通过表面态的间接转移过程.通过测量不同背景光强下TiO2纳晶薄膜电极的电子扩散系数研究电子输运过程.应用HCl化学处理方法明显增大了电子扩散系数,改善了电子在TiO2纳晶薄膜电极中的输运性能.     

Electron transfer kinetics in photosynthetic reaction centers embedded in polyvinyl alcohol films

The coupling between electron transfer and protein dynamics has been studied at room temperature in isolated reaction centers (RCs) from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides by incorporating the protein in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films of different water/RC ratios. The kinetic analysis of charge recombination shows that dehydration of RC-containing PVA films causes reversible, inhomogeneous inhibition of electron transfer from the reduced primary quinone acceptor (Q(A)(-)) to the secondary quinone Q(B). A more extensive dehydration of solid PVA matrices accelerates electron transfer from Q(A)(-) to the primary photooxidized electron donor P(+). These effects indicate that incorporation of RCs into dehydrated PVA films hinders the conformational dynamics gating Q(A)(-) to Q(B) electron transfer at room temperature and slows down protein relaxation which stabilizes the primary charge-separated state P(+)Q(A)(-). A comparison with analogous effects observed in trehalose-coated RCs suggests that protein motions are less severely reduced in PVA films than in trehalose matrices at comparable water/RC ratios.