Photophysical properties of photoactive molecules with conjugated push-pull structures

The photophysical properties of two newly synthesized photoactive compounds with asymmetrical D-pi-A structure and symmetrical D-pi-A-pi-D structure are investigated in different aprotic solvents by steady-state and femtosecond fluorescence depletion measurements. It is found that the asymmetrical DA compound has larger dipole moment change than that of the symmetrical DAD compound upon excitation, where the dipole moments of the two compounds have been estimated using the Lippert-Mataga equation. Furthermore, the steady-state spectral results show that increasing solvent polarity results in small solvatochromic shift in the absorption maxima but a large red shift in the fluorescence maxima for them, indicating that the dipole moment changes mainly reflect the changes of dipole moment in excited-state rather than in ground state. The red-shifted fluorescence band is attributed to an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state upon photoexcitation, which could result in a strong interaction with the surrounding solvents to cause the fast solvent reorganization. The resulting ICT states of symmetrical compounds are less polar than the asymmetrical compounds, indicating the different extents of stabilization of solute-solvent interaction in the excited state. Femtosecond fluorescence depletion measurements are further employed to investigate the fast solvation effects and dynamics of the ICT state of these two novel compounds. The femtosecond fluorescence depletion results show that the DA compound has faster solvation time than that of DAD compound, which corresponds to the formation of relaxed ICT state (i.e., a final ICT state with rearranged solvent molecules after solvation) in polar solvents. It is therefore reasonably understood that the ICT compounds with asymmetrical (D-pi-A) structure have better performance for those photovoltaic devices, which strongly rely on the nature of the electron push-pull ability, compared to those symmetrical compounds (D-pi-A-pi-D).     

Solute-solvent exciplexes as the source of anomalous fluorescence from 4-N,N-dimethylamino-ethylbenzoate in 1,4-dioxane and in polar solvents

The behaviour of 4-N,N-dimethylamino-ethylbenzoate in its lowest electronically excited singlet and triplet states in solutions in apolar and polar solvents has been investigated by measuring the lifetime and quantum yield of the fluorescence, quantum yield of the triplet state and transient dielectric loss induced by laser pulse excitation. The major conclusion is that the anomalous fluorescence of the compound in 1,4-dioxane and in polar solvents is emitted by solute-solvent exciplexes. The previously reported anomalous fluorescence of the compound in alkanes has not been observed.     

Solvent effect on absorption and fluorescence spectra of coumarin laser dyes: evaluation of ground and excited state dipole moments

The effect of solvents on absorption and fluorescence spectra and dipole moments of coumarin 307 (C307) and coumarin 522B (C522B) have been studied extensively in various solvents, viz., general solvents, alcohols and binary mixtures (acetonitrile-benzene) at 298K. The bathchromic shift observed in absorption and fluorescence spectra of C307 and C522B with increasing solvent polarity indicates that transition involved are pi-->pi*. Solvatochromic correlations were used to obtain the ground and excited state dipole moments. The excited state dipole moments are observed to be greater than their ground state counterparts in all the solvents studied. Further, the experimentally obtained Deltamu were compared with those using normalized polarity terms E(T)(N) from Reichardt equation.     

Determination of the excited state dipole moment of fluorenone using the method of solvatochromism

The absorption spectra and steady state fluorescence spectra of fluorenone have been obtained at room temperature for various concentrations in a series of non polar and polar solvents. The concentration effect shows two fluorescence bands, one at shorter wavelength due to monomer and another at longer wavelength due to excimer formation by triplet-triplet annihilation process. The excited state dipole moments of both monomer and dimer are calculated by the method of solvatochromism. A reasonable agreement has been observed between the values obtained by the method of solvatochromism and electrochromism.     

Influence of solvent and substituent on excited state characteristics of laser grade coumarin dyes

Absorption and fluorescence emission of 4 and 7 substituted coumarins viz. C 440, C 490, C 485 and C 311 have been studied in various polar and non-polar organic solvents. These coumarin dyes are substituted with alkyl, amine and fluorine groups at 4- and 7-positions. They give different absorption and emission spectra in different solvents. The study leads to a possible assignment of energy level scheme for such coumarins including the effect on ground state and excited state dipole moments due to substitutions. Excited state dipole moments of these dyes are calculated by solvetochromic data experimentally and theoretically these are calculated by PM 3 method. The dipole moments in excited state, for all molecules investigated here, are higher than the corresponding values in the ground state. The increase in dipole moment has been explained in terms of the nature of excited state and resonance structure.     

Spectroscopy,photophysics and photochemistry of 1,3-diketoboronates: IV: Luminescence spectroscopic investigations of 2-naphthyl-substituted 1,3-diketoboronates

Aryl-substituted 1,3-diketoboronates exhibit high fluorescence quantum yields. In the case of 2-naphthyl-substituted 1,3-diketoboronates, excitation-wavelength-dependent luminescence spectra and luminescence-wavelength-dependent excitation spectra were recorded. In polar solvents the compounds exhibit large Stokes shifts and the fluorescence lifetimes depend on the excitation and fluorescence wavelengths. The multiple fluorescence behaviour is interpreted by assuming the existence of excited non-equilibrated rotamers with different photophysical properties and high dipole moments in the excited state. The relaxation of polar solvents around these high polar species contributes to the broadening of the fluorescence bands and to the fluorescence-wavelength dependence of the lifetimes caused by the fluorescence of incompletely solvent-relaxed species.     

Effects of solvent, pH and beta-cyclodextrin on the photophysical properties of 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde: intramolecular charge transfer associated with hydrogen bonding effect

The photophysical properties of 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde (HDMB) in various solvents, pH and in aqueous beta-cyclodextrin (CD) have been investigated. In non-polar solvents, HDMB gives only one emission maxima; whereas, in polar solvents it shows a dual luminescence. The increase in Stokes shift with increase in polarity is much more for longer wavelength (LW) than for a shorter wavelength (SW) band. This behaviour indicates the formation of an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state through relaxation from the normal excited state. Especially in water, the ICT emission is further red shifted to 430 nm with the normal emission band at 330 nm and the relative fluorescence intensities between 330 nm and 430 nm emission bands are affected by the excitation wavelength. However, this excitation wavelength dependence is not large in aqueous beta-CD solutions. These results suggest that the ICT state in polar solvents/water is stabilized through exciplex formation by the hydrogen-bonding interaction between the carbonyl group and polar solvents/water. The ground and excited state pK(a) values for the neutral-monoanion equilibrium have been measured and discussed. HDMB forms a 1:1 inclusion complex with beta-CD. A mechanism is proposed to explain the inclusion process.     

QM/MM study of the role of the solvent in the formation of the charge separated excited state in 9,9'-bianthryl

In this paper the role of the solvent in the formation of the charge-separated excited state of 9,9'-bianthryl (BA) is examined by means of mixed molecular mechanical/quantum mechanical (QM/MM) calculations. It is shown that in weakly polar solvents a relaxed excited state is formed with an interunit angle that is significantly smaller than 90 degrees . This relaxed excited state has a considerable dipole moment even in weakly polar solvents; for benzene and dioxane dipole moments of ca. 6 D were calculated, which is close to experimental data. These dipoles are induced by the solvent in the highly polarizable relaxed excited state of BA, and the dipole relaxation time is governed by solvent reorganizations. In polar solvent the charge separation is driven to completion by the stronger dipoles in the solvent and a fully charged separated excited state is formed with an interunit angle of 90 degrees.     

Photophysical Properties of Intramolecular Charge Transfer in a Tribranched Donor–π–Acceptor Chromophore

The photophysical properties of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) in a novel tribranched donor–π–acceptor chromophore, triphenoxazine‐2,4,6‐triphenyl‐1,3,5‐triazine (tri‐PXZ‐TRZ), with thermally activated delayed fluorescence character was investigated in different aprotic solvents by steady‐state spectroscopy and femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy measurements. Increasing the solvent polarity led to a significant increase in the Stokes shift. The large Stokes shift in highly polar solvents was attributed to ICT properties upon excitation; this resulted in a strong interaction between the tri‐PXZ‐TRZ molecule and the surrounding solvent, which led to a strong solvation process. Quantum‐chemical calculations and changes in the dipole moment showed that this compound has a large degree of ICT. Furthermore, an apolar environment helped to preserve the symmetry of tri‐PXZ‐TRZ and to enhance its emission efficiency. The femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy results indicated that the excited‐state dynamics of this push–pull molecule were strongly influenced by solvent polarity through the formation of a solvent‐stabilized ICT state. The excited‐state relaxation mechanism of tri‐PXZ‐TRZ was proposed by performing target model analysis on the femtosecond transient absorption spectra. In addition, the delayed fluorescence of tri‐PXZ‐TRZ was significantly modulated by a potential competition between solvation and intersystem crossing processes.     

Solvent effects on the absorption and fluorescence spectra of coumarins 6 and 7 molecules: determination of ground and excited state dipole moment

Absorption and fluorescence emission spectra of coumarins 6 and 7 were recorded in solvents with different solvent parameters, viz., dielectric constant epsilon and refractive index n. The fluorescence lifetime of these dyes were measured in butanol at higher values of viscosity over temperature. Experimental ground and excited state dipole moments are determined by means of solvatochromic shift method and also the excited state dipole moments are determined in combination with ground state dipole moments. It was determined that dipole moments of the excited state were higher than those of the ground state in both the molecules.     

不同位置取代的三氰基乙烯基蒽的光谱行为的研究

本文设计合成了两个典型的共轭的电子给体与电子受体(D-A)化合物:2-三氰基乙烯基蒽(2-TCVA)与9-三氰基乙烯基蒽(9-TCVA),通过极性效应,温度效应对它们基态与激发态的光谱行为进行了表征。研究表明:这两个化合物均表现出显著的电荷转移(CT)吸收峰,分子受光激发后,9-TCVA只能在非极性溶剂中产生分子内电荷转移(ICT)态荧光,而2-TCVA在极性与非极性溶剂中都能从ICT态发光。另外,温度效应显示冻结态下,2-TCVA只发射ICT态荧光,而9-TCVA既发射类蒽(anthracene-like)荧光又发射ICT态荧光,造成这一现象的主要原因可能是2-TCVA与9-TCVA分子平面性上的差异而引起分子内电荷转移相互作用不同所致。文中还利用了Bilot-Kawski公式估算了化合物2-TCVA在激发态与基态时偶极矩的差值为18.8D。     

Hydrogen-bond formation between isoindolo[2,1-a]indol-6-one and aliphatic alcohols in n-hexane

The spectroscopic, kinetic, and equilibrium properties of isoindolo[2,1-a]indol-6-one (I) were studied in n-hexane in the presence and absence of alcohols (X). Hydrogen-bonded-complex formation was found to occur between the alcohol and the ground state as well as the excited state of the I molecule. The spectra of I and its singly complexed derivative (IX) are similar; however, that of IX is red shifted. The extent of red shift increases with the hydrogen-bonding ability of the alcohol. Equilibrium constant measurements were made to determine the hydrogen-bond basicity (beta(2)(H)) for I and the singlet excited (1)I. The beta(2)(H) value for (1)I is found to be about twice that of the ground-state I. Time-resolved fluorescence decay measurements indicate that the reaction of singlet excited I with fluorinated alcohols is diffusion controlled, while the rate of complexation with nonfluorinated (weaker hydrogen bonding) aliphatic alcohols depends on the Gibbs energy change in the complexation reaction. The quantitative correlation between the rate coefficient of complexation of (1)I with alcohols and the Gibbs energy change in the complexation process allowed us to estimate the rate coefficient for the complexation of the ground-state I with alcohols. The formation of the singlet excited hydrogen-bonded complex is irreversible; (1)IX disappears in a first order and an alcohol induced second order reaction. The first order decay is predominantly due to internal conversion to the ground state, the rate of which depends on the ionization energy of the complexing alcohol.     

FLASH PHOTOLYSIS OF TRYPTOPHAN AND N-ACETYL-L-TRYPTOPHANAMIDE; THE EFFECT OF BROMIDE ON TRANSIENT YIELDS

Abstract— Electronic spectra of indoles are very sensitive to solvents. These solvent effects are particularly pronounced in the case of the fluorescence spectra of indoles. In order to elucidate the solvent band shifts during the relaxation of the excited states, particularly in polar solvents, the dipole moments of the excited singlet states have been estimated from the data of solvent-dependent Stokes shifts. In addition to indole, indole-5-carboxylic acid, indole-3-carboxylic acid, indole-2-carboxylic acid, 5-cyano- and 5-bromo-indoles have been investigated. All indoles showed a substantial increase in dipole moment upon excitation to the emitting state. These results are generally consistent with the Pariser-Parr-Pople SCF MO calculations.     

Ultrafast photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer in push-pull distyryl furan and benzofuran: solvent and molecular structure effect

The excited state deactivation pathways of push-pull distyryl furan and benzofuran derivatives in several organic solvents were investigated in detail by using time-resolved transient absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, with nano- and femto-second time resolution. Solvent polarity was found to play a key role in determining the efficiencies of fluorescence, intersystem crossing and internal conversion. The triplet yield gradually decreased, while the internal conversion increased upon increasing the solvent dielectric constant. However the fluorescence showed a different solvent polarity effect in the low and high solvent polarity region, with a reversal of the trend of fluorescence properties (quantum yield and lifetime). This fact points to an emitting state of a different nature (smaller and larger dipole moments) in the two cases, as also suggested by the huge fluorosolvatochromism. In fact the ultrafast spectroscopic investigation evidenced the presence of two transients characterized by peculiar spectral shapes assigned to a locally excited (LE) and a charge transfer (CT) state. In the more polar solvents the CT state was the longer lived, fluorescent one and an intramolecular charge transfer process was found to be operative and to become faster (up to ～200-250 fs) in the higher polarity media. On the contrary, distyrylfuran, which exhibits the same molecular skeleton without the push-pull character showed a similar excited state dynamics in solvents of different polarities.     

Photophysics of benzazole derived push–pull butadienes: A highly sensitive fluorescence probes

Two new homologues of 1,4-diphenylbutadiene, namely, 1-(2-benzazolyl)-4-(p-dimethylaminophenyl)buta-1,3-diene have been synthesized and their absorption and fluorescence properties have been investigated in different organic solvents. The absorption spectra are less sensitive to the solvent polarity than the corresponding fluorescence spectra, which show dual emission and high solvatochromic effect in polar solvents. Using an efficient solvatochromic method, a large excited state dipole moment parallel to the smaller ground state dipole moment was calculated. Other properties of the lowest excited state such as the planar ICT B_u nature, fluorescence quantum yield and the basicity of the two nitrogen atoms (of the benzoxazole or benzothiazole ring as well as the amino group) were studied by spectroscopic techniques and semiempirical AM1 quantum chemical calculations. The findings have been presented and discussed along with the promising fluorescence probing and pH-sensing properties of these two dienes. The main spectroscopic properties of the two derivatives have been also compared.     

An intramolecular charge transfer state of carbonyl carotenoids: implications for excited state dynamics of apo-carotenals and retinal

Excited state dynamics of two apo-carotenals, retinal and 12'-apo-β-carotenal, were studied by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. We make use of previous knowledge gathered from studies of various carbonyl carotenoids and suggest that to consistently explain the excited-state dynamics of retinal in polar solvents, it is necessary to include an intermolecular charge transfer (ICT) state in the excited state manifold. Coupling of the ICT state to the A(g)(-) state, which occurs in polar solvents, shortens lifetime of the lowest excited state of 12'-apo-β-carotenal from 180 ps in n-hexane to 7.1 ps in methanol. Comparison with a reference molecule lacking the conjugated carbonyl group, 12'-apo-β-carotene, demonstrates the importance of the carbonyl group; no polarity-induced lifetime change is observed and 12'-apo-β-carotene decays to the ground state in 220 ps regardless of solvent polarity. For retinal, we have confirmed the well-known three-state relaxation scheme in n-hexane. Population of the B(u)(+) state decays in <100 fs to the A(g)(-) state, which is quenched in 440 fs by a low-lying nπ* state that decays with a 33 ps time constant to form the retinal triplet state. In methanol, however, the A(g)(-) state is coupled to the ICT state. This coupling prevents population of the nπ* state, which explains the absence of retinal triplet formation in polar solvents. Instead, the coupled A(g)(-)/ICT state decays in 1.6 ps to the ground state. The A(g)(-)/ICT coupling is also evidenced by stimulated emission, which is a characteristic marker of the ICT state in carbonyl carotenoids.     

Interaction of 2-hydroxy-substituted Nile red fluorescent probe with organic nitrogen compounds

The fluorescent properties of 2-hydroxy Nile red dye (HONR) proved to be highly sensitive to the basicity of hydrogen bond acceptors. Fluorescence quantum yields and fluorescence decay profiles were measured as the function of the concentration of organic nitrogen compounds in solvents of various polarities. The detailed mechanism and the kinetics of the fluorescence quenching were revealed with the combined analysis of the steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic data. The relative contribution of the competing reaction steps was found to be very sensitive to the basicity of the additive and to solvent polarity. The most profound change appeared in the unimolecular deactivation pathways of the excited hydrogen-bonded HONR, whereas the formation rate of this species varied to a lesser extent. The dissociation into excited HONR and ground-state base was able to compete with the energy dissipation only when 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine was used as hydrogen bond acceptor in toluene. The bimolecular quenching of the excited hydrogen-bonded complex played significant role in apolar solvents. Proton displacement along the hydrogen bond in the excited complex led to excited ion pairs in polar media.     

Effect of anisotropic and isotropic solvent on the dipole moment of coumarin dyes

The ground state (μ(g)) and the excited state (μ(e)) dipole moments of two coumarin laser dyes, coumarin 440 and 460, were studied at room temperature in various solvents, viz., general solvents, alcohols and liquid crystals at 298 K. In this work, we report dipole moment of laser dyes in different anisotropic (liquid crystal) and isotropic environments for understanding the effects of environments on the molecular dipole moment and comparing them. Ground and excited state dipole moments of coumarin dyes were evaluated by means of solvatochromic shift method. It was observed that dipole moment values of excited states (μ(e)) were higher than the corresponding ground state values (μ(g)) in all media.