Stepwise charge separation and charge recombination in ferrocene-meso,meso-linked porphyrin dimer-fullerene triad

A meso,meso-linked porphyrin dimer [(ZnP)(2)] as a light-harvesting chromophore has been incorporated into a photosynthetic multistep electron-transfer model for the first time, including ferrocene (Fc), as an electron donor and fullerene (C(60)) as an electron acceptor to construct the ferrocene-meso,meso-linked porphyrin dimer-fullerene system (Fc-(ZnP)(2)-C(60)). Photoirradiation of Fc-(ZnP)(2)-C(60) results in photoinduced electron transfer from the singlet excited state of the porphyrin dimer [(1)(ZnP)(2)] to the C(60) moiety to produce the porphyrin dimer radical cation-C(60) radical anion pair, Fc-(ZnP)(2)(*+)-C(60)(*-). In competition with the back electron transfer from C(60)(*-) to (ZnP)(2)(*+) to the ground state, an electron transfer from Fc to (ZnP)(2)(*+) occurs to give the final charge-separated (CS) state, that is, Fc(+)-(ZnP)(2)-C(60)(*-), which is detected as the transient absorption spectra by the laser flash photolysis. The quantum yield of formation of the final CS state is determined as 0.80 in benzonitrile. The final CS state decays obeying first-order kinetics with a lifetime of 19 micros in benzonitrile at 295 K. The activation energy for the charge recombination (CR) process is determined as 0.15 eV in benzonitrile, which is much larger than the value expected from the direct CR process to the ground state. This value is rather comparable to the energy difference between the initial CS state (Fc-(ZnP)(2)(*+)-C(60)(*-)) and the final CS state (Fc(+)-(ZnP)(2)-C(60)(*-)). This indicates that the back electron transfer to the ground state occurs via the reversed stepwise processes,that is, a rate-limiting electron transfer from (ZnP)(2) to Fc(+) to give the initial CS state (Fc-(ZnP)(2)(*+)-C(60)(*-)), followed by a fast electron transfer from C(60)(*-) to (ZnP)(2)(*+) to regenerate the ground state, Fc-(ZnP)(2)-C(60). This is in sharp contrast with the extremely slow direct CR process of bacteriochlorophyll dimer radical cation-quinone radical anion pair in bacterial reaction centers.     

Photoinduced energy and electron-transfer processes in porphyrin-perylene bisimide symmetric triads

The photophysics of two symmetric triads, (ZnP)2PBI and (H2P)2PBI, made of two zinc or free-base porphyrins covalently attached to a central perylene bisimide unit has been investigated in dichloromethane and in toluene. The solvent has been shown to affect not only quantitatively but also qualitatively the photophysical behavior. A variety of intercomponent processes (singlet energy transfer, triplet energy transfer, photoinduced charge separation, and recombination) have been time-resolved using a combination of emission spectroscopy and femtosecond and nanosecond time-resolved absorption techniques yielding a very detailed picture of the photophysics of these systems. The singlet excited state of the lowest energy chromophore (perylene bisimide in the case of (ZnP)2PBI, porphyrin in the case of (H2P)2PBI) is always quantitatively populated, besides by direct light absorption, by ultrafast singlet energy transfer (few picosecond time constant) from the higher energy chromophore. In dichloromethane, the lowest excited singlet state is efficiently quenched by electron transfer leading to a charge-separated state where the porphyrin is oxidized and the perylene bisimide is reduced. The systems then go back to the ground state by charge recombination. The four charge separation and recombination processes observed for (ZnP)2PBI and (H2P)2PBI in dichloromethane take place in the sub-nanosecond time scale. They obey standard free-energy correlations with charge separation lying in the normal regime and charge recombination in the Marcus inverted region. In less polar solvents, such as toluene, the energy of the charge-separated states is substantially lifted leading to sharp changes in photophysical mechanism. With (ZnP)2PBI, the electron-transfer quenching is still fast, but charge recombination takes place now in the nanosecond time scale and to triplet state products rather than to the ground state. Triplet-triplet energy transfer from the porphyrin to the perylene bisimide is also involved in the subsequent deactivation of the triplet manifold to the ground state. With (H2P)2PBI, on the other hand, the driving force for charge separation is too small for electron-transfer quenching, and the deactivation of the porphyrin excited singlet takes place via intersystem crossing to the triplet followed by triplet energy transfer to the perylene bisimide and final decay to the ground state.     

Azobenzene-linked porphyrin-fullerene dyads

A new group of porphyrin-fullerene dyads with an azobenzene linker was synthesized, and the photochemical and photophysical properties of these materials were investigated using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic methods. The electrochemical properties of these compounds were also studied in detail. The synthesis involved oxidative heterocoupling of free base tris-aryl-p-aminophenyl porphyrins with a p-aminophenylacetal, followed by deprotection to give the aldehyde, and finally Prato 1,3-dipolar azomethineylide cycloaddition to C60. The corresponding Zn(II)-porphyrin (ZnP) dyads were made by treating the free base dyads with zinc acetate. The final dyads were characterized by their 1H NMR, mass, and UV-vis spectra. 3He NMR was used to determine if the products are a mixture of cis and trans stereoisomers, or a single isomer. The data are most consistent with the isolation of only a single configurational isomer, assigned to the trans (E) configuration. The ground-state UV-vis spectra are virtually a superimposition of the spectral features of the individual components, indicating there is no interaction of the fullerene (F) and porphyrin (H2P/ZnP) moieties in the ground state. This conclusion is supported by the electrochemical data. The steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectra indicate that the porphyrin fluorescence in the dyads is very strongly quenched at room temperature in the three solvents studied: toluene, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and benzonitrile (BzCN). The fluorescence lifetimes of the dyads in all solvents are sharply reduced compared to those of H2P and ZnP standards. In toluene, the lifetimes of the free base dyads are 600-790 ps compared to 10.1 ns for the standard, while in THF and BzCN the dyad lifetimes are less than 100 ps. For the ZnP dyads, the fluorescence lifetimes were 10-170 ps vs 2.1-2.2 ns for the ZnP references. The mechanism of the fluorescence quenching was established using time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. In toluene, the quenching process is singlet-singlet energy transfer (k approximately 10(11) s-1) to give C60 singlet excited states which decay with a lifetime of 1.2 ns to give very long-lived C60 triplet states. In THF and BzCN, quenching of porphyrin singlet states occurs at a similar rate, but now by electron transfer, to give charge-separated radical pair (CSRP) states, which show transient absorption spectra very similar to those reported for other H2P-C60 and ZnP-C60 dyad systems. The lifetimes of the CSRP states are in the range 145-435 ns in THF, much shorter than for related systems with amide, alkyne, silyl, and hydrogen-bonded linkers. Thus, both forward and back electron transfer is facilitated by the azobenzene linker. Nonetheless, the charge recombination is 3-4 orders of magnitude slower than charge separation, demonstrating that for these types of donor-acceptor systems back electron transfer is occurring in the Marcus inverted region.     

Synthesis and photoinduced electron transfer processes of rotaxanes bearing [60]fullerene and zinc porphyrin: effects of interlocked structure and length of axle with porphyrins

Three rotaxanes, with axles with two zinc porphyrins (ZnPs) at both ends penetrating into a necklace pending a C60 moiety, were synthesized with varying interlocked structures and axle lengths. The intra-rotaxane photoinduced electron transfer processes between the spatially positioned C60 and ZnP in rotaxanes were investigated. Charge-separated (CS) states (ZnP*+, C60*-)rotaxane are formed via the excited singlet state of ZnP (1ZnP*) to the C60 moiety in solvents such as benzonitrile, THF, and toluene. The rate constants and quantum yields of charge separation via 1ZnP decrease with axle length, but they are insensitive to solvent polarity. When the axle becomes long, charge separation takes place via the excited triplet state of ZnP (3ZnP*). The lifetime of the CS state increases with axle length from 180 to 650 ns at room temperature. The small activation energies of charge recombination were evaluated by temperature dependence of electron-transfer rate constants, probably reflecting through-space electron transfer in the rotaxane structures.     

Photoinduced charge separation in three-layer supramolecular nanohybrids: fullerene-porphyrin-SWCNT

Photoinduced charge separation processes of three-layer supramolecular hybrids, fullerene-porphyrin-SWCNT, which are constructed from semiconducting (7,6)- and (6,5)-enriched SWCNTs and self-assembled via π-π interacting long alkyl chain substituted porphyrins (tetrakis(4-dodecyloxyphenyl)porphyrins; abbreviated as MP(alkyl)(4)) (M = Zn and H(2)), to which imidazole functionalized fullerene[60] (C(60)Im) is coordinated, have been investigated in organic solvents. The intermolecular alkyl-π and π-π interactions between the MP(alkyl)(4) and SWCNTs, in addition, coordination between C(60)Im and Zn ion in the porphyrin cavity are visualized using DFT calculations at the B3LYP/3-21G(*) level, predicting donor-acceptor interactions between them in the ground and excited states. The donor-acceptor nanohybrids thus formed are characterized by TEM imaging, steady-state absorption and fluorescence spectra. The time-resolved fluorescence studies of MP(alkyl)(4) in two-layered nanohybrids (MP(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT) revealed efficient quenching of the singlet excited states of MP(alkyl)(4) ((1)MP*(alkyl)(4)) with the rate constants of charge separation (k(CS)) in the range of (1-9) × 10(9) s(-1). A nanosecond transient absorption technique confirmed the electron transfer products, MP˙(+)(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT˙(-) and/or MP˙(-)(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT˙(+) for the two-layer nanohybrids. Upon further coordination of C(60)Im to ZnP, acceleration of charge separation via(1)ZnP* in C(60)Im→ZnP(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT is observed to form C(60)˙(-)Im→ZnP˙(+)(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT and C(60)˙(-)Im→ZnP(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT˙(+) charge separated states as supported by the transient absorption spectra. These characteristic absorptions decay with rate constants due to charge recombination (k(CR)) in the range of (6-10) × 10(6) s(-1), corresponding to the lifetimes of the radical ion-pairs of 100-170 ns. The electron transfer in the nanohybrids has further been utilized for light-to-electricity conversion by the construction of proof-of-concept photoelectrochemical solar cells.     

Energy and electron transfer in beta-alkynyl-linked porphyrin-[60]fullerene dyads

Three porphyrin-fullerene dyads, in which a diyne bridge links C(60) with a beta-position on a tetraarylporphyrin, have been synthesized. The free-base dyad was prepared, as well as the corresponding Zn(II) and Ni(II) materials. These represent the first examples of a new class of conjugatively linked electron donor-acceptor systems in which pi-conjugation extends from the porphyrin ring system directly to the fullerene surface. The processes that occur following photoexcitation of these dyads were examined using fluorescence and transient absorption techniques on the femtosecond, picosecond, and nanosecond time scales. In sharp contrast to the photodynamics associated with singlet excited-state decay of reference tetraphenylporphyrins (ZnTPP, NiTPP, and H(2)TPP), the diyne-linked dyads undergo ultrafast (<10 ps) singlet excited-state deactivation in toluene, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and benzonitrile (PhCN). Transient absorption techniques with the ZnP-C(60) dyad clearly show that in toluene intramolecular energy transfer (EnT) to ultimately generate C(60) triplet excited states is the dominant singlet decay mechanism, while intramolecular electron transfer (ET) dominates in THF and PhCN to give the ZnP(*+)/C(60)(*-) charge-separated radical ion pair (CSRP). Electrochemical studies indicate that there is no significant charge transfer in the ground states of these systems. The lifetime of ZnP(*+)/C(60)(*-) in PhCN was approximately 40 ps, determined by two different types of transient absorption measurement in two different laboratories. Thus, in this system, the ratio of the rates for charge separation (k(CS)) to rates for charge recombination (k(CR)), k(CS)/k(CR), is quite small, approximately 7. The fact that charge separation (CS) rates increase with increasing solvent polarity is consistent with this process occurring in the normal region of the Marcus curve, while the slower charge recombination (CR) rates in less polar solvents indicate that the CR process occurs in the Marcus inverted region. While photoinduced ET occurs on a similar time scale in a related dyad 15 in which a diethynyl bridge connects C(60) to the para position of a meso phenyl moiety of a tetrarylporphyrin, CR occurs much more slowly; i.e., k(CS)/k(CR) approximately equal to 7400. Thus, the position at which the conjugative linker is attached to the porphyrin moiety has a dramatic influence on k(CR) but not on k(CS). On the basis of electron density calculations, we tentatively conclude that unfavorable orbital symmetries inhibit charge recombination in 15 vis a vis the beta-linked dyads.     

Photoinduced intramolecular electron-transfer processes in [60]fullerene and N,N-Bis(biphenyl)aniline molecular systems in solutions

Photoinduced intramolecular charge-separation and charge-recombination processes in covalently connected C(60)-(spacer)-bis(biphenyl)aniline (C(60)-sp-BBA) and C(60)-((spacer)-bis(biphenyl)aniline)(2) (C(60)-(sp-BBA)(2)) have been studied by time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption methods. Since a flexible alkylthioacetoamide chain was employed as the spacer, the folded structures in which the BBA moiety approaches the C(60) moiety were obtained as optimized structures by molecular orbital calculations. The observed low fluorescence intensity and the short fluorescence lifetime of the C(60) moiety of these molecular systems indicated that charge separation takes place via the excited singlet state of the C(60) moiety in a quite fast rate and high efficiency even in the nonpolar solvent toluene, which was a quite new observation compared with reported dyads with different spacers. From the absorption bands at 880 and 1000 nm in the nanosecond transient absorption spectra, generations of C(60)(.-)-sp-BBA(.+) and C(60)(.-)-(sp-BBA(.+))(sp-BBA) were confirmed. The rates of charge separation and charge recombination for C(60)-(sp-BBA)(2) are faster than those for C(60)-sp-BBA, suggesting that one of the BBA moieties approaches the C(60) moiety by pushing another BBA moiety because of the flexible spacers.     

The influence of solvent polarity and metalation on energy and electron transfer in porphyrin-phthalocyanine heterotrimers

Heteroporphyrin and -phthalocyanine arrays represent an attractive class of light harvesters and charge-separation systems exhibiting an easy route of synthesis and high chemical stability. In the present work, we report the results of photophysical investigations of two novel non-sandwich-type porphyrin-phthalocyanine heterotriads, in which two meso-tetraphenylporphyrin rings (H2TPP or ZnTPP) are linked to the central silicon atom of a silicon(IV) phthalocyanine core. It was found that the photophysical properties of the triads (H2Tr and ZnTr) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and toluene are strongly affected by two different types of interaction between the porphyrin (P) and the phthalocyanine (Pc) parts, namely excitation energy transfer (EET) and photoinduced charge transfer. The first process results in appearance of the Pc fluorescence when the P-part is initially excited, and plays a dominant role in fast depopulation of the first excited singlet state of the P moiety. If the first excited singlet state of the Pc-part is populated (either directly or via EET), it undergoes fast depopulation by hole transfer (HT) to the charge-separated (CS) state. In polar DMF, the CS state is the lowest excited state, and the charge recombination occurs directly to the ground state. Using transient absorption spectroscopy, the lifetime of the CS state was estimated to be 30 and 20 ps for H2Tr and ZnTr, respectively. In nonpolar toluene, the energy gap between the first excited singlet state of the Pc-part and the CS state is very small, and back HT occurs in both triads, resulting in appearance of "delayed fluorescence" of the Pc-part with a decay time similar to the lifetime of the CS state (190 and 280 ps for H2Tr and ZnTr, respectively). Since the energy of the CS state of ZnTr in toluene is lower than that of H2Tr, the probability of back HT for ZnTr is lower. This was clearly proved by decay-associated fluorescence spectral measurements.     

Photoinduced energy and electron transfer in phenylethynyl-bridged zinc porphyrin-oligothienylenevinylene-C60 ensembles

Donor-bridge-acceptor triad (Por-2TV-C(60)) and tetrad molecules ((Por)(2)-2TV-C(60)), which incorporated C(60) and one or two porphyrin molecules that were covalently linked through a phenylethynyl-oligothienylenevinylene bridge, were synthesized. Their photodynamics were investigated by fluorescence measurements, and by femto- and nanosecond laser flash photolysis. First, photoinduced energy transfer from the porphyrin to the C(60) moiety occurred rather than electron transfer, followed by electron transfer from the oligothienylenevinylene to the singlet excited state of the C(60) moiety to produce the radical cation of oligothienylenevinylene and the radical anion of C(60). Then, back-electron transfer occurred to afford the triplet excited state of the oligothienylenevinylene moiety rather than the ground state. Thus, the porphyrin units in (Por)-2TV-C(60) and (Por)(2)-2TV-C(60) acted as efficient photosensitizers for the charge separation between oligothienylenevinylene and C(60).     

High-efficiency energy transfer from carotenoids to a phthalocyanine in an artificial photosynthetic antenna

Two carotenoid pigments have been linked as axial ligands to the central silicon atom of a phthalocyanine derivative, forming molecular triad 1. Laser flash studies on the femtosecond and picosecond time scales show that both the carotenoid S1 and S2 excited states act as donor states in 1, resulting in highly efficient singlet energy transfer from the carotenoids to the phthalocyanine. Triplet energy transfer in the opposite direction was also observed. In polar solvents efficient electron transfer from a carotenoid to the phthalocyanine excited singlet state yields a charge-separated state that recombines to the ground state of 1.     

Photoexcited state properties of H2-porphyrin/C60-based rotaxanes as studied by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

Light-driven intramolecular electron transfer (ET) and energy transfer (EnT) processes in two rotaxanes, the first containing two free base porphyrins and C(60) fullerene moieties incorporated around a Cu(I)bisphenanthroline core ((H(2)P)(2)-Cu(I)(phen)(2)-C(60)) and a second lacking the fullerene moiety ((H(2)P)(2)-Cu(I)(phen)(2)), were studied by X-band (9.5 GHz) time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy. The experiments were performed in frozen toluene and ethanol and different phases of the nematic liquid crystal (E-7). It is demonstrated that the ET and EnT processes in the (H(2)P)(2)-Cu(I)(phen)(2)-C(60) rotaxane in different media result in the formation of the same charge-separated state, namely (H(2)P)(2)(?+)-Cu(I)(phen)(2)(?-)-C(60), while photoexcitation of the (H(2)P)(2)-Cu(I)(phen)(2) rotaxane does not induce noticeable transfer processes in these matrices. The results are discussed in terms of the high conformational mobility of the rotaxanes, which enables changes in the molecular topography and resultant modification of the rates and routes of photoinduced processes occurring in these systems. The parameters of the transfer processes are compared with those obtained in our previous study of (ZnP)(2)-Cu(I)(phen)(2)-C(60) and (ZnP)(2)-Cu(I)(phen)(2) rotaxanes under the same experimental conditions.     

Metal ion-dependent fluorescent dynamics of photoexcited zinc-porphyrin and zinc-myoglobin modified with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

The reconstituted zinc-myoglobin (ZnMb) dyads, ZnMb-[M(II)(edta)], have been prepared by incorporating a zinc-porphyrin (ZnP) cofactor modified with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (H(4)edta) into apo-Mb. In case of the monomeric ZnP(edta) cofactor coordinated by one pyridine molecule, ZnP(py)(edta), a spontaneous 1:1 complex with a transient metal ion was formed in an aqueous solvent, and the photoexcited singlet state of ZnP, (1)(ZnP)*, was quenched by the [Cu(II)(edta)] moiety through intramolecular photoinduced electron-transfer (ET) reaction. The rate constant for the intramolecular quenching ET (k(q)) at 25 degrees C was successfully obtained as k(q) = 5.1 x 10(9) s(-1). In the case of Co(2+), Ni(2+), and Mn(2+), intersystem crossing by paramagnetic effect was mainly considered between (1)(ZnP)* and the [M(II)(edta)] complex. For the ZnMb-[M(II)(edta)] systems, the intramolecular ET reaction between the excited singlet state of (1)(ZnMb)* and the [Cu(II)(edta)] moieties provided the slower quenching rate constant, k(q) = 2.1 x 10(8) s(-1), compared with that of the ZnP(py)(edta) one. Kinetic studies also presented the efficient fluorescence quenching of the (1)(ZnMb)*-[Co(II)(edta)] dyad. Our study clearly demonstrates that wrapping of the ZnP cofactor by the apoprotein matrix and synthetic manipulation at the Mb surface ensure metal ion-sensitive fluorescent dynamics of ZnMb and provides valuable information to elucidate the complicated mechanism of the biological photoinduced ET reactions of hemoproteins.     

Long-lived charge-separated state generated in a ferrocene-meso,meso-linked porphyrin trimer-fullerene pentad with a high quantum yield

A meso,meso-linked porphyrin trimer, (ZnP)3, as a light-harvesting chromophore, has been incorporated for the first time into a photosynthetic multistep electron-transfer model including ferrocene (Fc) as an electron donor and fullerene (C60) as an electron acceptor, to construct the ferrocene-meso,meso-linked porphyrin trimer-fullerene system Fc-(ZnP)3-C60. Photoirradiation of Fc-(ZnP)3-C60 results in photoinduced electron transfer from both the singlet and triplet excited states of the porphyrin trimer, 1(ZnP)3* and 3(ZnP)3*, to the C60 moiety to produce the porphyrin trimer radical cation-C60 radical anion pair, Fc-(ZnP)3*+-C60*-. Subsequent formation of the final charge-separated state Fc+-(ZnP)3-C60*- was confirmed by the transient absorption spectra observed by pico- and nanosecond time-resolved laser flash photolysis. The final charge-separated state decays, obeying first-order kinetics, with a long lifetime (0.53 s in DMF at 163 K) that is comparable with that of the natural bacterial photosynthetic reaction center. More importantly, the quantum yield of formation of the final charge-separated state (0.83 in benzonitrile) remains high, despite the large separation distance between the Fc+ and C60*- moieties. Such a high quantum yield results from efficient charge separation through the porphyrin trimer, whereas a slow charge recombination is associated with the localized porphyrin radical cation in the porphyrin trimer. The light-harvesting efficiency in the visible region has also been much improved in Fc-(ZnP)3-C60 because of exciton coupling in the porphyrin trimer as well as an increase in the number of porphyrins.     

Distorted fused porphyrin-phthalocyanine conjugates: synthesis and photophysics of supramolecular assembled systems with a pyridylfullerene

In the current work, we report on the synthesis and photophysical features of supramolecular hybrid systems that are based on newly fused porphyrin-phthalocyanine (P-Pc) conjugates and a pyridylfullerene. The ZnP-ZnPc conjugate was synthesized in three steps starting with a Diels-Alder reaction between β-vinylporphyrin and fumaronitrile. The resulting mixture of isomeric adducts was then dehydrogenated to yield the corresponding benzo[b]porphyrin-2(1),2(2)-dicarbonitrile. In the final step, cyclotetramerization with 4-tert-butylphthalonitrile, in the presence of zinc acetate, afforded the bis-metalated conjugate. Selective demetallation of ZnP led to the H(2)P-ZnPc conjugate. For both conjugates steric hindrance is the inception to a bent configuration, which does, however, not preclude enlargement of the π-conjugated system, that is, the porphyrins and the phthalocyanines. The two conjugates coordinate N-(4-pyridyl)fullero[c]pyrrolidine giving rise to the corresponding supramolecular porphyrin-phthalocyanine-fullerene systems. Photophysical measurements corroborate a sequential deactivation in the excited state, namely an initial intramolecular energy transfer from ZnP or H(2)P to ZnPc followed by an intramolecular charge transfer to yield ZnP-(ZnPc)˙(+)-(C(60))˙(-) and H(2)P-(ZnPc)˙(+)-(C(60))˙(-), respectively.     

Promising fast energy transfer system via an easy synthesis: Bodipy-porphyrin dyads connected via a cyanuric chloride bridge, their synthesis, and electrochemical and photophysical investigations

The boron dipyrrin (Bodipy) chromophore was combined with either a free-base or a Zn porphyrin moiety (H(2)P and ZnP respectively), via an easy synthesis involving a cyanuric chloride bridging unit, yielding dyads Bodipy-H(2)P (4) and Bodipy-ZnP (5). The photophysical properties of Bodipy-H(2)P (4) and Bodipy-ZnP (5) were investigated by UV-Vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The comparison of the absorption spectra and cyclic voltammograms of dyads Bodipy-H(2)P (4) and Bodipy-ZnP (5) with those of their model compounds Bodipy, H(2)P, and ZnP shows that the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of the constituent chromophores are essentially retained in the dyads indicating negligible interaction between them in the ground state. In addition, luminescence and transient absorption experiments show that excitation of the Bodipy unit in Bodipy-H(2)P (4) and Bodipy-ZnP (5) into its first singlet excited state results in rapid Bodipy to porphyrin energy transfer-k(4) = 2.9 × 10(10) s(-1) and k(5) = 2.2 × 10(10) s(-1) for Bodipy-H(2)P (4) and Bodipy-ZnP (5), respectively-generating the first porphyrin-based singlet excited state. The porphyrin-based singlet excited states give rise to fluorescence or undergo intersystem crossing to the corresponding triplet excited states. The title complexes could also be used as precursors for further substitution on the third chlorine atom on the cyanuric acid moiety.     

Control of photoinduced energy- and electron-transfer steps in zinc porphyrin-oligothiophene-fullerene linked triads with solvent polarity

The dramatic changes of the lifetimes of the charge-separated (CS) states were confirmed in zinc porphyrin (ZnP)-oligothiophene (nT)-fullerene (C(60)) linked triads (ZnP-nT-C(60)) with the solvent polarity. After the selective excitation of the ZnP moiety of ZnP-nT-C(60), an energy transfer took place from the (1)ZnP moiety to the C(60) moiety, generating ZnP-nT-(1)C(60). In polar solvents, the CS process also took place directly via the (1)ZnP moiety, generating ZnP(*+)-nT-C(60)(*-), as well as the energy transfer to the C(60) moiety. After this energy transfer, an indirect CS process took place from the (1)C(60) moiety. In the less polar solvent anisole, the radical cation (hole) of ZnP(*+)-nT-C(60)(*-) shifted to the nT moiety; thus, the nT moiety behaves as a cation trapper, and the rates of the hole shift were evaluated to be in the order of 10(8) s(-1); then, the final CS states ZnP-nT(*+)-C(60)(*-) were lasting for 6-7 mus. In the medium polar solvent o-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB), ZnP-nT(*+)-C(60)(*-) and ZnP(*+)-nT-C(60)(*-) were present as an equilibrium, because both states have almost the same thermodynamic stability. This equilibrium resulted in quite long lifetimes of the CS states (450-910 mus) in o-DCB. In the more polar benzonitrile, the generation of ZnP-nT(*+)-C(60)(*-) was confirmed with apparent short lifetimes (0.6-0.8 mus), which can be explained by the fast hole shift to more stable ZnP(*+)-nT-C(60)(*-) followed by the faster charge recombination. It was revealed that the relation between the energy levels of two CS states, which strongly depend on the solvent polarity, causes dramatic changes of the lifetimes of the CS states in ZnP-nT-C(60); that is, the most appropriate solvents for the long-lived CS state are intermediately polar solvents such as o-DCB. Compared with our previous data for H(2)P-nT-C(60), in which H(2)P is free-base porphyrin, the lifetimes of the CS states of ZnP-nT-C(60) are approximately 30 times longer than those in o-DCB.     

Synthesis and photophysical properties of silicon phthalocyanines with axial siloxy ligands bearing alkylamine termini

Eleven silicon phthalocyanines which can be grouped into two homologous series [SiPc[OSi(CH3)2(CH2)(n)N(CH3)2]2, n = 1-6 (series 1), and SiPc[OSi(CH3)2(CH2)3N((CH2)(n)H)2]2, n = 1-6 (series 2)] as well as an analogous phthalocyanine, SiPc[OSi(CH3)2(CH2)3NH2]2, were synthesized. The ground state absorption spectra, the triplet state dynamics, and singlet oxygen quantum yields of 10 of these phthalocyanines were measured. All compounds displayed similar ground state absorption spectral properties in dimethylformamide solution with single Q band maxima at 668 +/- 2 nm and B band maxima at 352 +/- 1 nm. Photoexcitation of all compounds in the B bands generated the optical absorptions of the triplet states which decayed with lifetimes in the hundreds of microseconds region. Oxygen quenching bimolecular rate constants near 2 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) were measured, indicating that energy transfer to oxygen was exergonic. Singlet oxygen quantum yields, phi(delta), were measured, and those phthalocyanines in which the axial ligands are terminated by dimethylamine residues at the end of alkyl chains having four or more methylene links exhibited yields near > or = 0.35. Others gave singlet oxygen quantum yields near 0.2, and still others showed singlet oxygen yields of <0.1. The reduced singlet oxygen yields are probably caused by a charge transfer quenching of the 1pi,pi* state of the phthalocyanine by interaction with the lone pair electrons on the nitrogen atoms of the amine termini. In some cases, these can approach and interact with the electronically excited pi-framework, owing to diffusive motions of the flexible oligo-methylene tether.     

Porphyrin–Phthalocyanine/Pyridylfullerene Supramolecular Assemblies

The synthesis and photophysical properties of several porphyrin (P)–phthalocyanine (Pc) conjugates (P–Pc; 1 – 3 ) are described, in which the phthalocyanines are directly linked to the β‐pyrrolic position of a meso‐tetraphenylporphyrin. Photoinduced energy‐ and electron‐transfer processes were studied through the preparation of H₂P–ZnPc, ZnP–ZnPc, and PdP–ZnPc conjugates, and their assembly through metal coordination with two different pyridylfulleropyrrolidines ( 4 and 5 ). The resulting electron‐donor–acceptor hybrids, which were formed by axial coordination of compounds 4 and 5 with the corresponding phthalocyanines, mimicked the fundamental processes of photosynthesis; that is, light harvesting, the transduction of excited‐state energy, and unidirectional electron transfer. In particular, photophysical studies confirmed that intramolecular energy‐transfer resulted from the S₂ excited state as well as from the S₁ excited state of the porphyrins to the energetically lower‐lying phthalocyanines, followed by an intramolecular charge‐transfer to yield P–Pc^.+ ? C₆₀^.?. This unique sequence of processes opens the way for solar‐energy‐conversion processes.     

Ultrafast excitation transfer and charge stabilization in a newly assembled photosynthetic antenna-reaction center mimic composed of boron dipyrrin, zinc porphyrin and fullerene

A self-assembled supramolecular triad as a model to mimic the light-induced events of the photosynthetic antenna-reaction center, that is, ultrafast excitation transfer followed by electron transfer ultimately generating a long-lived charge-separated state, has been accomplished. Boron dipyrrin (BDP), zinc porphyrin (ZnP) and fullerene (C(60)), respectively, constitute the energy donor, electron donor and electron acceptor segments of the antenna-reaction center imitation. Unlike in the previous models, the BDP entity was placed between the electron donor, ZnP and electron acceptor, C(60) entities. For the construction, benzo-18-crown-6 functionalized BDP was synthesized and subsequently reacted with 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl functionalized ZnP through the central boron atom to form the crown-BDP-ZnP dyad. Next, an alkyl ammonium functionalized fullerene was used to self-assemble the crown ether entity of the dyad via ion-dipole interactions. The newly formed supramolecular triad was fully characterized by spectroscopic, computational and electrochemical methods. Steady-state fluorescence and excitation studies revealed the occurrence of energy transfer upon selective excitation of the BDP in the dyad. Further studies involving the pump-probe technique revealed excitation transfer from the (1)BDP* to ZnP to occur in about 7 ps, much faster than that reported for other systems in this series of triads, as a consequence of shorter distance between the entities. Upon forming the supramolecular triad by self-assembling fullerene, the (1)ZnP(*) produced by direct excitation or by energy transfer mechanism resulted in an initial electron transfer to the BDP entity. The charge recombination resulted in the population of the triplet excited state of C(60), from where additional electron transfer occurred to produce C(60)(?-):crown-BDP-ZnP(?+) ion pair as the final charge-separated species. Nanosecond transient absorption studies revealed the lifetime of the charge-separated state to be ~100 μs, the longest ever reported for this type of antenna-reaction center mimics, indicating better charge stabilization as a result of the different disposition of the entities of the supramolecular triad.     

Formation of μ(2)-hydroxo-bonded (MgPc)2OH- assemblies and (C60(-))2 dimers in ionic fullerene {(MgPc)2OH-}2·(C60(-))2·(cation+)4 complexes

Ionic complexes containing μ(2)-hydroxo-bonded (MgPc)(2)OH(-) phthalocyanine assemblies and C(60)(-) anions: {(MgPc)(2)OH(-)}(2)·(C(60)(-))(2)·(PMDAE(+))(4)·(C(6)H(5)CN)(4) (1); {(MgPc)(2)OH(-)}(2)·(C(60)(-))(2)·(TMP(+))(4)·(C(6)H(5)CN)(3)·(C(6)H(4)Cl(2))(2.5) (2) (where PMDAE(+) is the cation of N,N,N',N',N'-pentamethyldiaminoethane and TMP(+) is the N,N'N'-trimethylpiperazinium cation) have been obtained as single crystals. The ionic ground state of the complexes is justified by the EPR spectra and the spectra in the IR and NIR ranges. The C(60)˙(-) radical anions are dimerized both in 1 and 2 in the 240-220 K range. Dimerization is accompanied by the reversible transition of the complexes from paramagnetic to diamagnetic state. MgPc forms unusual (MgPc)(2)OH(-) assemblies, in which the hydroxo-anion coordinates to two MgPc molecules by a μ(2)-fashion. The length of the Mg-O bonds is 1.936-1.955(2) ?, the Mg-O-Mg angle is 133.37-135.27(4)° and the displacement of the Mg atoms out of the mean 24-atom phthalocyanine plane is 0.77-0.86 ?. The packing of spherical fullerene and planar phthalocyanine molecules is attained in a crystal by the insertion of fullerenes between phenylene groups of phthalocyanines. It has been shown that metal phthalocyanines in ionic complexes with C(60) form M(II)Pc·(L(-)) assemblies, whereas metalloporphyrins form M(II)porphyrin·(C(+)) assemblies.