Bichromophoric rhodamine-iridium(III) sensory system: modulation of the energy-transfer process through a selective sensing behavior

A newly designed bichromophoric rhodamine-iridium(III) system was found to show color/electronic absorption spectral changes and modulation of the energy-transfer process from rhodamine 6G to the iridium(III) luminophore upon selective Hg(II) ion binding.     

Structure-property relationships for three-photon absorption in stilbene-based dipolar and quadrupolar chromophores

Based on essential-state models for three-photon absorption (3PA), we have investigated the structure-property relationships for stilbene-based dipolar and quadrupolar chromophores. The emphasis lies on the evolution of the 3PA cross section with the degree of ground-state polarization. For dipolar systems, we find a dominant role played by Deltamu, which expresses the change in dipole moment between the ground state and the 3PA active excited state. Thus, the strategies usually applied to maximize the second-order polarizability beta are also applicable to optimize the 3PA cross section. For quadrupolar systems, the 3PA response is dominated by contributions from channels including various low-lying two-photon allowed states, which limits the applicability of essential-state models. Optimization strategies can be proposed but vary for different ranges of ground-state polarization.     

Synthesis and energy-transfer properties of poly(amidoamine) dendrons modified with naphthyl and dansyl groups

Poly(amidoamine) dendrons of 1-3 generations with naphthyl groups at the periphery and a dansyl group at the focal point were synthesized and carefully characterized. Intramolecular energy-transfer properties of these flexible aliphatic-scaffold light-harvesting dendrons were investigated by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Efficient energy transfer from the naphthyl groups to the dansyl group occurred for both the first and the second generation dendrons (the energy-transfer efficiency was 94.3% and 76.9%, respectively), whereas the third generation dendron exhibited a low energy-transfer efficiency of 17.8%. The average donor-acceptor distances between the naphthyl and dansyl groups were calculated for different generation dendrons. Different degrees of the backfolding of dendritic branches were used to interpret the different donor-acceptor distances.     

Vibrational energy transfer in O2(X 3sigma(g)-, upsilon=2,3) + O2 collisions at 330 K

Vibrational relaxation of O2(X 3sigma(g)-, upsilon=2,3) by O2 molecules is studied via a two-laser approach. Laser radiation at 266 nm photodissociates ozone in a mixture of molecular oxygen and ozone. The photolysis step produces vibrationally excited O2(a 1delta(g)) that is rapidly converted to O2(X 3sigma(g)-, upsilon=2,3) in a near-resonant adiabatic electronic energy-transfer process involving collisions with ground-state O2. The output of a tunable 193-nm ArF laser monitors the temporal evolution of the O2(X 3sigma(g)-, upsilon=2,3) population via laser-induced fluorescence detected near 360 nm. The rate coefficients for the vibrational relaxation of O2(X 3sigma(g)-, upsilon=2,3) in collision with O2 are 2.0(-0.4)(+0.6) x 10(-13) cm3 s(-1) and (2.6+/-0.4) x 10(-13) cm3 s(-1), respectively. These rate coefficients agree well with other experimental work but are significantly larger than those produced by various semiclassical theoretical calculations.     

Quenching of luminescence of terbium(III) by platinum(IV) complexes

The rate constants (k_q) of the bimolecular energy-transfer reactions in systems consisting of the terbium(III) aquo complex and platinum(IV) complexes have been determined. The influence of the electronic and nuclear factors on the values of the rate constant of the reactions has been considered. It has been shown that the platinum(IV) complexes make up an adiabatic family of quenchers, while the energy-transfer reactions between terbium(III) aquo complexes are characterized by a high degree of nonadiabaticity x -10^–12). Estimates of the energies of the pure electronic transitions to electronically excited states of platinum(IV) complexes which are not observed spectroscopically have been obtained on the basis of the dependence of k_q on the change in the free energy of the energy-transfer process.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 25, No. 5, pp. 618–623, September–October, 1989.     

Characterization of photoinduced isomerization and intersystem crossing of the cyanine dye Cy3

Several important photophysical properties of the cyanine dye Cy3 have been determined by laser flash photolysis. The triplet-state absorption and photoisomerization of Cy3 are distinguished by using the heavy-atom effects and oxygen-induced triplet --> triplet energy transfer. Furthermore, the triplet-state extinction coefficient and quantum yield of Cy3 are also measured via triplet-triplet energy-transfer method and comparative actinometry, respectively. It is found that the triplet --> triplet (T1-->Tn) absorptions of trans-Cy3 largely overlap the ground-state absorption of cis-Cy3. Unlike what occurred in Cy5, we have not observed the triplet-state T1-->Tn absorption of cis-Cy3 and the phosphorescence from triplet state of cis-Cy3 following a singlet excitation (S0-S1) of trans-Cy3, indicating the absence of a lowest cis-triplet state as an isomerization intermediate upon excitation in Cy3. The detailed spectra of Cy3 reported in this paper could help us interpret the complicated photophysics of cyanine dyes.     

Absence of a signature of aqueous I(2P(1/2)) after 200-nm photodetachment of I-(aq)

Ultrafast pump-broadband probe spectroscopy was used to study the transient photoproducts following 200-nm photodetachment of I(-)(aq). Resonant detachment at 200 nm in the second charge-transfer-to-solvent (CTTS) band of I(-)(aq) is expected to produce an electron and iodine in its spin-orbit excited state, I*((2)P(1/2)). The transients in solution following photodetachment were probed from 200 to 620 nm. Along with strong absorption in the visible region due to solvated electrons and a strong bleach of the I(-)(aq) ground-state absorption, a weaker transient absorption near 260 nm was observed that is consistent with a previously assigned ground-state I((2)P(3/2)) charge-transfer band. However, no evidence was found for an equivalent I*(aq) charge-transfer absorption, and I((2)P(3/2)) was produced within the instrument response. This suggests either that I* is electronically relaxed in less than 300 fs or that excitation in the second CTTS band does not in fact lead to I*. The consequences for previous experimental work where I*(aq) production has been postulated, as well as for halogen electron ejection mechanisms, are discussed. In addition, the broad spectral coverage of this study reveals in the bleach recovery the rapid cooling of the solvent surrounding the re-formed iodide after geminate recombination of the iodine with the solvated electron.     

Heteroleptic copper(I) complexes coupled with methano[60]fullerene: synthesis, electrochemistry, and photophysics

Heteroleptic copper(I) complexes CuPOP-F and CuFc-F have been prepared from a fullerene-substituted phenanthroline ligand and bis[2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl] ether (POP) and 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (dppFc), respectively. Electrochemical studies indicate that some ground-state electronic interaction between the fullerene subunit and the metal-complexed moiety are present in both CuPOP-F and CuFc-F. Their photophysical properties have been investigated by steady state and time-resolved UV-vis-NIR luminescence spectroscopy and nanosecond laser flash photolysis in a CH2Cl2 solution and compared to those of the corresponding model copper(I) complexes CuPOP and CuFc and of the fullerene model compound F. Selective excitation of the methanofullerene moiety in CuPOP-F results in regular deactivation of the lowest singlet and triplet states, indicating no intercomponent interactions. Conversely, excitation of the copper(I)-complexed unit (405 nm, 40% selectivity) shows that the strongly luminescent triplet metal-to-ligand charge-transfer ((3)MLCT) excited state located at 2.40 eV is quenched by the carbon sphere with a rate constant of 1.6 x 10(8) s(-1). Details on the mechanism of photodynamic processes in CuPOP-F via transient absorption are hampered by the rather unfavorable partition of light excitation between the two chromophores. By determination of the yield of formation of the lowest fullerene triplet level through sensitized singlet oxygen luminescence in the NIR region, it is shown that the final sink of photoinduced processes is always the fullerene triplet. This can be populated via a two-step charge-separation charge-recombination process and a less favored (3)MLCT --> (3)C60 triplet-triplet energy-transfer pathway. In CuFc-F, both of the photoexcited copper(I)-complexed and fullerene moieties are quenched by the presence of the ferrocene unit, most likely via ultrafast energy transfer.     

Cyclometalated platinum(II) complex with strong and broadband nonlinear optical response

A cyclometalated platinum(II) 4,6-diphenyl-2,2'-bipyridyl pentynyl complex (1) has been synthesized and structurally characterized. Its photophysical and third-order nonlinear optical properties have been systematically investigated. This complex exhibits a metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (1MLCT) absorption band between 400 and 500 nm and a 3MLCT emission band at approximately 591 nm at room temperature with a lifetime of approximately 100 ns. At 77 K, the emission band blue shifts. Both UV-vis absorption and emission spectra show solvent dependence. Low-polarity solvents cause a bathochromic shift of the absorption and emission bands. This complex also exhibits a broad and strong transient absorption from the near-UV to the near-IR spectral region, with a triplet absorption coefficient of 4933 L mol(-1) cm(-1) at 585 nm and a quantum yield of 0.51 for the formation of the triplet excited state. Nonlinear transmission and Z-scan techniques were employed to characterize the third-order nonlinearities of this complex. A strong and broadband reverse saturable absorption was observed for nanosecond and picosecond laser pulses due to the reduced ground-state absorption in the visible spectral range. It also exhibits a self-defocusing effect at 532 nm for nanosecond laser pulses. The excited-state absorption cross section deduced from the open-aperture Z-scan increases at longer wavelengths, with an exceptionally large ratio of excited-state absorption to ground-state absorption of 160 at 570 nm for picosecond laser pulses.     

MX2(AsH3)2(M=Pd,Pt;X=Cl,Br,I)的含时密度泛函理论研究

采用密度泛函方法(B3LYP)优化了MX2(AsH3)2[M=Pd；X=Cl(1)，Br(2)，I(3)和M=Pt；X=Cl(4)，Br(5)，I(6)]的基态结构，得到的几何参数与实验结果符合．以基态几何为基础，将TD-DFT方法用于计算标题配合物的电子吸收光谱．研究结果表明，金属的dx2-y2与配体所组成的反键轨道为LUMO轨道，从而该类配合物具有d-d跃迁属性的吸收带；在多数跃迁过程中，配体也有较大的贡献．     

Jahn-Teller distortion in the phosphorescent excited state of three-coordinate Au(I) phosphine complexes

DFT calculations were used to optimize the phosphorescent excited state of three-coordinate [Au(PR3)3]+ complexes. The results indicate that the complexes rearrange from their singlet ground-state trigonal planar geometry to a T-shape in the lowest triplet luminescent excited state. The optimized structure of the exciton contradicts the structure predicted based on the AuP bonding properties of the ground-state HOMO and LUMO. The rearrangement to T-shape is a Jahn-Teller distortion because an electron is taken from the degenerate e' (5dxy, 5dx2-y2) orbital upon photoexcitation of the ground-state D3h complex. The calculated UV absorption and visible emission energies are consistent with the experimental data and explain the large Stokes' shifts while such correlations are not possible in optimized models that constrained the exciton to the ground-state trigonal geometry.     

Polyethylene glycol phospholipids encapsulated silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine dihydroxide nanoparticles (SiNcOH-DSPEPEG(NH2) NPs) for single NIR laser induced cancer combination therapy

Currently, the combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a powerful technique for cancer treatment. However, most examples of combined PTT and PDT reported use multi-component nanocomposites under excitation of separate wavelength, resulting in complex treatment process. In this work, a novel theranostic nanoplatform (SiNcOH-DSPE-PEG(NH₂) NPs) has been successfully developed by coating silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine dihydroxide (SiNcOH) with DSPE-PEG and DSPE-PEG-NH₂ for photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided PTT and PDT tumor ablation for the first time. The as-prepared single-agent SiNcOH-DSPE-PEG(NH₂) NPs not only have good water solubility and biocompatibility, but also exhibit high photothermal conversion efficiency and singlet oxygen generation capability upon 808 nm NIR laser irradiation. In addition, owing to their high absorption at NIR region, the SiNcOH-DSPE-PEG(NH₂) NPs can also be employed as an effective diagnostic nanoagent for photoacoustic (PA) imaging. In vitro and in vivo experimental results clearly indicated that the simultaneously combined PTT and PDT under the guidance of PA imaging with single NIR laser excitation can effectively kill cancer cells or eradicate tumor tissues. Taking facile synthesis and high efficiency in cancer treatment by SiNcOH-DSPE-PEG(NH₂) NPs into consideration, our study provides a promising strategy to realize molecular imaging-guided combination therapy.     

Mechanisms of sensitization of lanthanide(III)-based luminescence in transition metal/lanthanide and anthracene/lanthanide dyads

Four sets of dyads are discussed, in all of which near-infrared emitting lanthanide(III) ions such as Nd(III), Er(III) or Yb(III) are energy-acceptors which provide sensitized luminescence following energy-transfer from an antenna group. In three sets of dyads the antenna (energy-donor) group is a luminescent transition metal fragment; in the fourth the antenna is an anthracene group. A combination of photophysical studies and calculations has been used to understand the mechanisms by which energy-transfer to the lanthanide(III) ion occurs. Although definitive answers are not possible in every case due to the presence of several possible energy-transfer pathways, the relative contributions of Förster-type, Dexter-type and redox-mediated energy-transfer pathways have been analysed. Interesting results include (i) the demonstration of pure Dexter energy-transfer over 20 Å in a Ru(II)/Nd(III) dyad, and (ii) the demonstration of a redox-based mechanism for energy-transfer in anthracene/Ln(III) dyads in which the first step is photoinduced electron-transfer from the excited anthracene chromophore to a diimine ligand on the lanthanide(III) to generate a charge-separated state.     

Full six-dimensional nonadiabatic quantum dynamics calculation for the energy pooling reaction O(2)(a (1)Delta)+O(2)(a (1)Delta)-->O(2)(b (1)Sigma)+O(2)(X (3)Sigma)

Six new potential energy surfaces of four singlet states and two triplet states for the title oxygen molecule reaction along with the spin-orbit coupling among them have been constructed from the complete active space second-order perturbation theory with a 6-311+G(d) basis. Accurate integral cross sections are calculated with a full six-dimensional nonadiabatic time-dependent quantum wave packet method. The thermal rate constant based on the integral cross sections agrees well with the result of the experimental measurements, and the intersystem crossing effects are also discussed in this electronic energy-transfer process.     

Highly efficient blue up-conversion of Tm in Nd–Yb–Tm co-doped ZrF4-based fluoride glass

Up-conversion luminescence and energy-transfer processes in Nd³⁺, Yb³⁺ and Tm³⁺ co-doped ZrF₄-based fluoride glasses have been studied under 800 nm light excitation. Blue up-converted emission around 478 nm which can be assigned to the Tm³⁺:¹G₄→³H₆ transition, was strongly observed. Up-conversion luminescence intensity exhibited an YbF₃-concentration dependence. Among the Nd³⁺, Yb³⁺ and Tm³⁺, Nd³⁺ and Tm³⁺ have ground state absorption bands due to the (²H_9/2,⁴F_5/2)←⁴I_9/2 and ³F₄←³H₆ transitions, respectively, which can be directly pumped by 800 nm radiation. However, no emissions were observed in Tm³⁺ singly-doped and Tm³⁺–Yb³⁺ doubly-doped glasses under 800 nm excitation. Therefore, a possible up-conversion mechanism may be proposed as follows: energy-transfer firstly occurs from Nd³⁺ to Yb³⁺ when Nd³⁺ is excited by 800 nm light, then the energy is transferred from Yb³⁺ to Tm³⁺ which is in the excited state and, finally, blue up-conversion emission of Tm³⁺ is observed through the Tm³⁺:¹G₄→³H₆ transition.     

Design, synthesis, characterization, luminescence and non-linear optical (NLO) properties of multinuclear platinum(II) alkynyl complexes

A series of luminescent multinuclear platinum(II) alkynyl complexes containing triethynylbenzene or 1,4-bis(3,5-diethynylphenyl)buta-1,3-diyne as cores has been successfully synthesized and characterized. The electronic absorption, emission, nanosecond transient absorption and electrochemical properties of these complexes have been reported. These complexes show long-lived emissions in degassed benzene solution and in alcoholic glass at 77 K. Moreover, they are found to exhibit two-photon absorption (2PA) and two-photon induced luminescence (TPIL) properties, and their two-photon absorption cross-sections have been determined to be 6-191 GM upon excitation at 720 nm. Through a systematic comparison, it has been found that tetra- and hexanuclear platinum(II) complexes show better 2PA and TPIL properties than their di- and trinuclear counterparts.     

Phenylacetylene adsorption on Rh(1 0 0): a photoemission and photoabsorption investigation

A joint X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) investigation of the adsorption of phenylacetylene (PA, C₆H₅CCH) on the surface of Rh(1 0 0) single crystal was carried out by evaporating PA on the clean metal surface in the monolayer and multilayer regimes.

The experimental results indicate that the interaction of the PA molecule with the Rh(1 0 0) surface involves mainly the two carbon atoms of the alkyne moiety; the binding of the alkyne group to the metal surface produces the opening of the triple bond. A comparison with the results obtained for PA adsorption on the surface of Pt (1 1 1) and Cu (1 0 0) is also discussed.     

A new algorithm for predicting triplet-triplet energy-transfer activated complex coordinate in terms of accurate potential-energy surfaces

The new algorithm presented here allows, for the first time, the determination of the optimal geometrical distortions that an acceptor molecule in the triplet-triplet energy-transfer process undergoes, as well as the dependence of the activation energy of the process on the triplet energy difference of donor and acceptor molecules. This algorithm makes use of the complete potential-energy surfaces (singlet and triplet states), and contrasts with the first-order approximation already published [L. M. Frutos, O. Castano, J. L. Andres, M. Merchan, and A. U. Acuna, J. Chem. Phys. 120, 1208 (2004)] in which an expansion of the potential-energy surfaces was used. This algorithm is gradient based and finds the best trajectory for the acceptor molecule, starting from S(0) ground-state equilibrium geometry, to achieve the maximum variation of the singlet-triplet energy gap with the minimum energy of activation on S(0). Therefore, the algorithm allows the determination of a "reaction path" for the triplet-triplet energy-transfer processes. Also, the algorithm could also serve eventually to find minimum-energy crossing (singlet-triplet) points on the potential-energy surface, which can play an important role in the intersystem crossing process for the acceptor molecules to recover their initial capacity as acceptors. Also addressed is the misleading use of minimum-energy paths in T(1) to describe the energy-transfer process by comparing these results with those obtained using the new algorithm. The implementation of the algorithm is illustrated with different potential-energy surface models and it is discussed in the frame of nonvertical behavior.     

Photophysical behavior of open-shell first-row transition-metal octabutoxynaphthalocyanines: CoNc(OBu)8 and CuNc(OBu)8 as case studies

Ultrafast photodynamics and density functional theory/time-dependent density functional theory (DFT/TDDFT) results for complexes of Co and Cu with 5,9,14,18,23,27,32,36-octabutoxynaphthalocyanine [CoNc(OBu)8 and CuNc(OBu)8] are reported. As a basis for this work, details concerning the syntheses of these complexes and the corresponding Zn complex (used as a reference) are given. Transient absorption spectrometry with femtosecond time resolution combined with a detailed DFT/TDDFT analysis has been employed to construct a complete picture of the excited-state dynamics after Q-band excitation of the Co and Cu complexes and to gain an understanding of the relationship between the nature of the metal center and the excited-state lifetime. The Co complex was shown to return to its ground state via two competing channels: a (2)T1(pi, pi*) state that decayed with a lifetime of 1 ps and a low-lying (2)(d, d) state that repopulated the ground-state surface with a lifetime of 15 ps. CuNc(OBu)8 showed ground-state repopulation from the (2)T1(pi, pi*) state via a lower-lying ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT) state that was completed within a few nanoseconds. The photophysical behavior of the cobalt and copper complexes was compared to that previously reported for the nickel analog in an effort to highlight the effect of the central metal on the nature and rates of the deactivation pathways. The results described in this work provide basic knowledge that is relevant to the use of these compounds as photothermal sensitizers in cancer therapy.     

Triplet MLCT photosensitization of the ring-closing reaction of diarylethenes by design and synthesis of a photochromic rhenium(I) complex of a diarylethene-containing 1,10-phenanthroline ligand

Synthesis of the diarylethene-containing ligand L1 based on Suzuki cross-coupling reaction between thienyl boronic acid and the dibromophenanthroline ligand is reported. On coordination to the rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complex system, the photochromism of L1 could be photosensitized and consequently extended from intraligand excitation at lambda< or =340 nm in the free ligand to metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excitation at lambda< or =480 nm in the complex. The photochromic reactions were studied by (1)H NMR, UV/Vis, and steady-state emission spectroscopy. Photosensitization was further probed by ultrafast transient absorption and time-resolved emission spectroscopy. The results provided direct evidence that the formation of the closed form by the MLCT-sensitized photochromic process was derived from the (3)MLCT excited state. This supports the photosensitization mechanism, which involves an intramolecular energy-transfer process from the (3)MLCT to the (3)IL(L1) state that initiated the ring-closure reaction. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the complex were also investigated.