Femtosecond transient absorption, Raman, and electrochemistry studies of tetrasulfonated copper phthalocyanine in water solutions

Ultrafast time-resolved electronic spectra of the primary events induced in the copper tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine Cu(tsPc)4-) in aqueous solution has been measured by femtosecond pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy. The primary events initiated by the absorption of a photon occurring within the femtosecond time scale are discussed on the basis of the electron transfer mechanism between the adjacent phthalocyanine rings proposed recently in our laboratory. The femtosecond transient absorption results are compared with the low temperature emission spectra obtained with Raman spectroscopy and the voltammetric curves.     

Charge resonance character in the charge transfer state of bianthryls: effect of symmetry breaking on time-resolved near-IR absorption spectra

We study the effects of symmetry breaking on the photogenerated intramolecular charge transfer (CT) state of 9,9'-bianthryl (BA) with femtosecond time-resolved near-IR spectroscopy. The time-resolved near-IR spectra are measured in acetonitrile for a symmetric substituted derivative of 10,10'-dicyano-9,9'-bianthryl (DCBA) and asymmetric substituted derivatives of 10-cyano-9,9'-bianthryl (CBA) and 9-(N-carbazolyl)anthracene (C9A), as well as nonsubstituted BA. The transient near-IR absorption spectrum of each compound at 0 ps has a locally excited (LE) absorption band, which agrees with the transient absorption band of the corresponding monomer unit. At 3 ps after the photoexcitation, the symmetric compounds show a broad charge transfer (CT) absorption band, whereas no absorption peak appears in the spectra of the asymmetric compounds. The broad CT absorption at 1250 nm only observed for the symmetric compounds can be attributed to the charge resonance transition associated with two equivalent charge separated states.     

Study of concerted and sequential photochemical Wolff Rearrangement by femtosecond UV-vis and IR spectroscopy

Photoinduced Wolff rearrangements were studied by femtosecond time-resolved UV-vis and IR transient absorption spectroscopy. For BpCN2COCH3 in acetonitrile the IR data indicate the presence of at least two mechanisms of ketene formation. The first process is fast proceeding in either 1BpCN2COCH3*, or in a hot carbene, or in both species, while the second is slow proceeding through the intermediacy of a relaxed carbene. The slow time constant of the ketene formation dynamics obtained by ultrafast IR (700 ps) spectroscopy agrees with the relaxed carbene decay of 800 +/- 100 ps obtained by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy.     

Femtosecond Spectroscopic Studies on the Red Light-Absorbing Form of Oat Phytochrome and 2,3-Dihydrobiliverdin

Abstract— The excited state behavior of the red light-absorbing form of phytochrome (Pr) was studied on the femtosecond time scale. After excitation of Pr with 75 fs laser pulses at 616 nm the kinetics of the transient absorption changes was recorded at selected wavelengths probing mainly the bleaching of the Pr ground-state absorption and the stimulated emission. The kinetic data obtained indicate the population of an excited state with a 3 ps lifetime immediately after excitation. This state precedes the formation of another excited state with a 32 ps lifetime. The decay of the latter state is followed by the appearance of a first product state that is assumed to represent lunii-R. In addition, 2,3-dihydrobiliverdin, which is considered to be an adequate model of the Pr chro-mophore, was included in the femtosecond studies. The absorption difference spectra recorded at various delay times show an immediate bleaching of the ground-state absorption. Simultaneously with bleaching a broad transient absorption appears between 410 and 525 nm. The data analysis yields similar kinetic components as they were observed in the decay of Pr. It is suggested from this finding that within the first tens of picoseconds after excitation the excited-state properties of Pr are mainly determined by the properties of the chromophore itself.     

Superabsorbing fullerenes: spectral and kinetic characterization of photoinduced interactions in perylenediimide-fullerene-C60 dyads

Two n-type molecular materials are covalently combined into a new photovoltaic component for polymer solar cells. Light harvesting by the perylenediimide results in very fast energy transfer to the fullerene unit, as shown with femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in toluene solution. Two energy transfer rates are observed of 2.5 x 10(12) s-1 (53%) and 2 x 10(11) s-1 (47%), attributed to two conformations. The final excited state that is populated is a perylenediimide-based triplet state that is formed on the nanosecond time scale with a high yield.     

Comprehensive data analysis of femtosecond transient absorption spectra: A review

Nowadays, time-resolved spectroscopy data can be routinely and accurately collected in UV-vis femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. However, the data analysis strategy and the postulation of a physically valid model for this kind of measurements may be tackled with many different approaches ranging from pure soft-modeling (model-free) to hard-modeling, where the elaboration of a parametric spectro-temporal model may be required. This paper reviews methods that are used in practice for the analysis of femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy data. Model-based methods, common in photochemistry, are revisited, and soft-modeling methods, which originate from the chemometrics field and that recently disseminated in the photo(bio)chemistry literature, are presented. These soft-modeling methods are designed to suit the intrinsic nature of the multivariate (or multi-way) measurement. Soft-modeling tools do not require a priori physical or mechanistic models to provide a decomposition of the data on the time and wavelength dimensions, the only requirement being that these two (or more) dimensions are separable. Additionally, Bayesian data analysis, which provides a probabilistic framework for data analysis, is considered in detail, since it allows uncertainty quantification and validation of the model selection step.     

Photoionization thresholds of melanins obtained from free electron laser-photoelectron emission microscopy, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements of oxygen photoconsumption

Free electron laser-photoelectron emission microscopy (FEL-PEEM), femtosecond absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements of oxygen photoconsumption were used to probe the threshold potential for ionization of eumelanosomes and pheomelanosomes isolated from human hair. FEL-PEEM data show that both pigments are characterized by an ionization threshold at 282 nm. However, pheomelanosomes exhibit a second ionization threshold at 326 nm, which is interpreted to be reflective of the benzothiazine structural motif present in pheomelanin and absent in eumelanin. The lower ionization threshold for pheomelanin is supported by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Unlike photolysis at 350 nm, following excitation of solubalized synthetic pheomelanin at 303 nm, the transient spectrum observed between 500 and 700 nm matches that for the solvated electron, indicating the photoionization threshold for the solubalized pigment is between 350 and 303 nm. For the same synthetic pheomelanin, EPR oximetry experiments reveal an increased rate of oxygen uptake between 338 nm and 323 nm, narrowing the threshold for photoionization to sit between these two wavelengths. These results on the solubalized synthetic pigment are consistent with the FEL-PEEM results on the human melanosomes. The lower ionization potential observed for pheomelanin could be an important part of the explanation for the greater incidence rate of UV-induced skin cancers in red-haired individuals.     

Application of maximum likelihood multivariate curve resolution to noisy data sets

In this work, two different maximum likelihood approaches for multivariate curve resolution based on maximum likelihood principal component analysis (MLPCA) and on weighted alternating least squares (WALS) are compared with the standard multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares (MCR‐ALS) method. To illustrate this comparison, three different experimental data sets are used: the first one is an environmental aerosol source apportionment; the second is a time‐course DNA microarray, and the third one is an ultrafast absorption spectroscopy. Error structures of the first two data sets were heteroscedastic and uncorrelated, and the difference between them was in the existence of missing values in the second case. In the third data set about ultrafast spectroscopy, error correlation between the values at different wavelengths is present. The obtained results confirmed that the resolved component profiles obtained by MLPCA‐MCR‐ALS are practically identical to those obtained by MCR‐WALS and that they can differ from those resolved by ordinary MCR‐ALS, especially in the case of high noise. It is shown that methods that incorporate uncertainty estimations (such as MLPCA‐ALS and MCR‐WALS) can provide more reliable results and better estimated parameters than unweighted approaches (such as MCR‐ALS) in the case of the presence of high amounts of noise. The possible advantage of using MLPCA‐MCR‐ALS over MCR‐WALS is then that the former does not require changing the traditional MCR‐ALS algorithm because MLPCA is only used as a preliminary data pretreatment before MCR analysis. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

快速傅立叶变换用于色谱噪声平滑及微弱信号的检测

应用快速傅立叶变换法（ＦＦＴ）对色谱噪声进行平滑处理及微弱信号检测,同时,也与其他数字滤波法进行了比较。结果表明,利用ＦＦＴ法可以很好地对噪声进行平滑处理,使信噪比提高１８倍,为更好地进行痕量组分的色谱微弱信号检测打下了基础。     

Hydrogen Bonding Effects on the Photophysical Properties of 2,3-dihydro-3-keto-1H-pyrido[3,2,1-kl]phenothiazine

Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy were used to investigate the photophysical properties of 2,3-dihydro-3-keto-1H-pyrido[3,2,1-kl]phenothiazine (PTZ4) and 3-keto-1H-pyrido[3,2,1-kl]phenothiazine (PTZ5). The calculated results obtained from TDDFT suggest that the red-shifts of the absorption spectra of these two fluorophores in methanol are due to the formation of hydrogen-bonded complexes at the ground state. Four conformers of PTZ4 were obtained by TDDFT. The two fluorescence peaks of PTZ4 in tetrahydrofuran (THF) came from the ICT states of the four conformers. The fluorescence of PTZ4 in THF showed a dependence on the excitation wavelength because of butterfly bending. The excited state dynamics of PTZ4 in THF and methanol were obtained by transient absorption spectroscopy. The lifetime of the excited PTZ4 in methanol was 53.8 ps, and its relaxation from the LE state to the ICT state was completed within several picoseconds. The short lifetime of excited PTZ4 in methanol was due to the formation of out-of-plane model hydrogen bonds between PTZ4 and methanol at the excited state.     

Superfluorescent Squaraine with Efficient Two‐Photon Absorption and High Photostability

The synthesis, linear photophysical, two‐photon absorption (2PA), femtosecond transient absorption, and superfluorescence properties of a new symmetrical squaraine derivative ( 1 ) are reported. Steady‐state linear spectral and photochemical properties, fluorescence lifetimes, and excitation anisotropy of 1 were investigated in various organic solvents. High fluorescence quantum yields (≈0.7) and very high photostability (photodecomposition quantum yields ≈10^?6–10^?8) were observed. An open‐aperture Z‐scan method was used to obtain 2PA spectra of 1 over a broad spectral range (maximum 2PA cross section ≈1000 GM). Excited‐state absorption (ESA) and gain was observed by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, in which both reached a maximum at approximately 500 fs. Squaraine 1 exhibits efficient superfluorescence. The quantum chemical study of 1 revealed the simulated vibronic nature of the 1PA and 2PA spectra were in good agreement with experimental data; this may provide the ability to predict potential advanced photonic materials.     

Electronic and vibrational relaxation of porphycene in solution

The relaxation of electronically excited porphycene in acetonitrile solution has been studied by transient absorption spectroscopy supported by global analysis techniques. Three processes following the femtosecond pulse excitation to the S 2 state have been identified: the intramolecular vibrational redistribution on the time scale of tens of femtoseconds, the internal conversion S 2 right arrow-wavy S 1 (750 fs) and thermal equilibration of the molecule by energy exchange with the solvent (16 ps). The recorded transient absorption kinetics exhibit oscillations which have been assigned to the evolution of wavepackets in both S 1 and S 0 states.     

Dynamics of electron injection in DNA hairpins

The dynamics of electron injection has been investigated in DNA hairpins possessing a stilbenediether electron donor linker by means of femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Ultrafast electron injection and charge recombination are observed with neighboring cytosine or thymine bases; however, guanine-guanine base pairs are not reduced, permitting the investigation of the distance dependence of charge injection.     

Transient excited-state absorption and gain spectroscopy of a two-photon absorbing probe with efficient superfluorescent properties

The synthesis, linear photophysical properties, two-photon absorption (2PA), excited-state transient absorption, and gain spectroscopy of a new fluorene derivative tert-butyl 4,4'-(4,4' (1E,1'E)-2,2'-(9,9-bis(2- (2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyl)-9H-fluorene-2,7-diyl)bis(ethene-2,1-diyl)bis(4,1 phenylene)]dipiperazine-1-carboxylate (1) are reported. The steady-state linear absorption and fluorescence spectra, along with excitation anisotropy, fluorescence lifetimes, and photochemical stability of 1 were investigated in a number of organic solvents at room temperature. The 2PA spectra of 1 with a maximum cross-section of ~ 300 GM were obtained with a 1 kHz femtosecond laser system using open-aperture Z-scan and two-photon-induced fluorescence methods. The transient excited-state absorption (ESA) and gain kinetics of 1 were investigated by a femtosecond pump-probe methodology. Fast relaxation processes (~1-2 ps) in the gain and ESA spectra of 1 were revealed in ACN solution, attributable to symmetry-breaking effects in the first excited state. Efficient superfluorescence properties of 1 were observed in a nonpolar solvent under femtosecond excitation. One- and two-photon fluorescence microscopy imaging of HCT 116 cells incubated with probe 1 was accomplished, suggesting the potential of this new probe in two-photon fluorescence microscopy bioimaging.     

DNA excited-state dynamics: ultrafast internal conversion and vibrational cooling in a series of nucleosides

To better understand DNA photodamage, several nucleosides were studied by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. A 263-nm, 150-fs ultraviolet pump pulse excited each nucleoside in aqueous solution, and the subsequent dynamics were followed by transient absorption of a femtosecond continuum pulse at wavelengths between 270 and 700 nm. A transient absorption band with maximum amplitude near 600 nm was detected in protonated guanosine at pH 2. This band decayed in 191 +/- 4 ps in excellent agreement with the known fluorescence lifetime, indicating that it arises from absorption by the lowest excited singlet state. Excited state absorption for guanosine and the other nucleosides at pH 7 was observed in the same spectral region, but decayed on a subpicosecond time scale by internal conversion to the electronic ground state. The cross section for excited state absorption is very weak for all nucleosides studied, making some amount of two-photon ionization of the solvent unavoidable. The excited state lifetimes of Ado, Guo, Cyd, and Thd were determined to be 290, 460, 720, and 540 fs, respectively (uncertainties are +/-40 fs). The decay times are shorter for the purines than for the pyrimidine bases, consistent with their lower propensity for photochemical damage. Following internal conversion, vibrationally highly excited ground state molecules were detected in experiments on Ado and Cyd by hot ground state absorption at ultraviolet wavelengths. The decays are assigned to intermolecular vibrational energy transfer to the solvent. The longest time constant observed for Ado is approximately 2 ps, and we propose that solute-solvent H-bonds are responsible for this fast rate of vibrational cooling. The results show for the first time that excited singlet state dynamics of the DNA bases can be directly studied at room temperature. Like sunscreens that function by light absorption, the bases rapidly convert dangerous electronic energy into heat, and this property is likely to have played a critical role in life's early evolution on earth.     

The molecular mechanism of dual emission in terpyridine transition metal complexes--ultrafast investigations of photoinduced dynamics

Temperature dependent luminescence experiments are combined with femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy to decipher the photoinduced excited-state relaxation pathway in mononuclear Fe, Ru and Os terpyridine complexes bearing a conjugated chromophore within the ligand framework. The herein presented complexes constitute a class of coordination compounds, which overcome the poor emission properties commonly observed for most terpyridine transition metal complexes. As reported earlier, the complexes reveal dual emission at room temperature stemming from ligand centered and metal-to-ligand charge-transfer states. The molecular mechanism of the room temperature dual luminescence is addressed experimentally in this contribution. The experimental results indicate an ultrafast branching reaction within the excited-state manifold upon photoexcitation of the ligand-centered S(1) state. This branching occurs from a "hot" excited state geometry close to the Franck-Condon point of absorption and within ～100 fs, i.e. the temporal resolution of our experimental setup. The combination of ultrafast differential absorption experiments and temperature-dependent luminescence data allows not only to draw conclusions about the molecular mechanism underlying the observed dual emission but also to construct quantitative Jablonski diagrams and, thereby, to detail the excited-state topology determining the remarkable luminescence properties of the systems at hand.     

How long does it take to melt a gold nanorod?: A femtosecond pump–probe absorption spectroscopic study

Using pump–probe femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, we determined the rate of the bleach of absorption around 700–800 nm due to the longitudinal surface plasmon band of gold nanorods. Using TEM of the spotted, completely irradiated solutions suggest that the dominant products of the photothermal conformation of the rods are spheres of comparable volume. This lead to the conclusion that the melting of the rods is at least 30–35 ps, independent of the power used (5–20 μJ) or the nanorod aspect ratio (1.9–3.7).     

Investigation of the primary photodynamics of the aqueous formate anion

We have investigated the primary photodynamics of the aqueous formate anion using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The formate anions are excited at 200 nm, and the resulting products are probed in the region 200-650 nm. The ultraviolet part of the transient spectrum compares favorably with that of O-(aq). However, its counter radical, HCO(aq), is not observed. In the visible region hydrated electrons are observed. The electrons are produced from photodetachment of the formate anions and from two-photon ionization of water.     

Large dynamic Stokes shift of DNA intercalation dye Thiazole Orange has contribution from a high-frequency mode

Fluorescence of the cyanine dye Thiazole Orange (TO) is quenched by intramolecular twisting in the excited state. In polypeptide nucleic acids, a vibrational progression in a 1400 cm(-1) mode depends on base pairing, from which follows that the high-frequency displacement is coupled to the twist coordinate. The coupling is intrinsic to TO. This is shown by femtosecond fluorescence upconversion and transient absorption spectroscopy with the dye in methanol solution. Narrow emission from the Franck-Condon state shifts to the red and broadens within 100 fs. The radiative rate does not decrease during this process. Vibrational structure builds up on a 200 fs time scale; it is assigned to asymmetric stretching activity in the methine bridge. Further Stokes shift and decay are observed over 2 ps. Emission from the global S(1) minimum is discovered in an extremely wide band around 12 000 cm(-1). As the structure twists away from the Franck-Condon region, the mode becomes more displaced and overlap with increasingly higher vibrational wave functions of the electronic ground state is achieved. Twisting motion is thus leveraged into a fast-shrinking effective energy gap between the two electronic states, and internal conversion ensues.