Controlling electron transfer dynamics in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules by increasing unpaired spin density on the bridge

A t-butylphenylnitroxide (BPNO*) stable radical is attached to an electron donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) system having well-defined distances between the components: MeOAn-6ANI-Ph(BPNO*)-NI, where MeOAn=p-methoxyaniline, 6ANI=4-(N-piperidinyl)naphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide, Ph=phenyl, and NI=naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide). MeOAn-6ANI, BPNO*, and NI are attached to the 1, 3, and 5 positions of the Ph bridge, respectively. Time-resolved optical and EPR spectroscopy show that BPNO* influences the spin dynamics of the photogenerated triradical states 2,4(MeOAn+*-6ANI-Ph(BPNO*)-NI-*), resulting in slower charge recombination within the triradical, as compared to the corresponding biradical lacking BPNO*. The observed spin-spin exchange interaction between the photogenerated radicals MeOAn+* and NI-* is not altered by the presence of BPNO*. However, the increased spin density on the bridge greatly increases radical pair (RP) intersystem crossing from the photogenerated singlet RP to the triplet RP. Rapid formation of the triplet RP makes it possible to observe a biexponential decay of the total RP population with components of tau=740 ps (0.75) and 104 ns (0.25). Kinetic modeling shows that the faster decay rate is due to rapid establishment of an equilibrium between the triplet RP and the neutral triplet state resulting from charge recombination, whereas the slower rate monitors recombination of the singlet RP to ground state.     

Spin dynamics of photogenerated triradicals in fixed distance electron donor-chromophore-acceptor-TEMPO molecules

The stable free radical 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl (TEMPO, T*) was covalently attached to the electron acceptor in a donor-chromophore-acceptor (D-C-A) system, MeOAn-6ANI-Phn-A-T*, having well-defined distances between each component, where MeOAn = p-methoxyaniline, 6ANI = 4-(N-piperidinyl)naphthalene-l,8-dicarboximide, Ph = 2,5-dimethylphenyl (n = 0,1), and A = naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) or pyromellitimide (PI). Using both time-resolved optical and EPR spectroscopy, we show that T* influences the spin dynamics of the photogenerated triradical states 2,4(MeOAn+*-6ANI-Phn-A-*-T*), resulting in modulation of the charge recombination rate within the triradical compared with the corresponding biradical lacking T*. The observed spin-spin exchange interaction between the photogenerated radicals MeOAn+* and A-* is not altered by the presence of T*, which interacts most strongly with A-* and accelerates radical pair intersystem crossing. Charge recombination within the triradicals results in the formation of 2,4(MeOAn-6ANI-Phn-3*NI-T*) or 2,4(MeOAn-3*6ANI-Phn-PI-T*) in which T* is strongly spin polarized in emission. Normally, the spin dynamics of correlated radical pairs do not produce a net spin polarization; however, the rate at which the net spin polarization appears on T* closely follows the photogenerated radical ion pair decay rate. This effect is attributed to antiferromagnetic coupling between T* and the local triplet state 3NI, which is populated following charge recombination. These results are explained using a switch in the spin basis set between the triradical and the three-spin charge recombination product having both T* and 3*NI or 3*6ANI present.     

Modulation of radical ion pair lifetimes by the presence of a third spin in rodlike donor-acceptor triads

It is well known that the molecular structure of an electron donor-acceptor system can be changed to optimize the electronic coupling between photogenerated radical ion pairs (PRPs), resulting in favorable charge separation (CS) and charge recombination (CR) rates. It would be far more convenient to avoid extensive synthetic modifications to the structure to achieve the same ends by perturbing the electronic properties of the PRP. We present here results on PRPs within rodlike donor-acceptor molecules having a covalently attached stable 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl radical (T*). The distances and orientations between all three radicals are highly restricted by the intervening molecular structure, making it possible to directly measure both the CR dynamics and the spin-spin exchange interaction, 2JPRP, between the radicals within the PRPs. The molecular triads studied are MeOAn-6ANI-PI-T* and MeOAn-6ANI-NI-T*, where MeOAn = p-methoxyaniline, 6ANI = 4-(N-piperidinyl)naphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide, NI = naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide), and PI = pyromellitimide. These molecules have been characterized using femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy as well as measurements of 2JPRP using magnetic field effects on the triplet state yield resulting from CR. We find that T* enhances radical pair intersystem crossing (EISC), resulting in an increase or decrease in the PRP lifetime depending on the relative ordering of the energy levels of the PRP and the local neutral triplet states. This is especially pronounced when the PRP is nearly isoenergetic with the neutral triplet state, as is the case for MeOAn-6ANI-NI-T*. The dependence of the 3*NI and 3*6ANI yield on an applied external magnetic field shows a distinct resonance at 2JPRP, the magnitude of which is not perturbed by the presence of the third spin. The sensitivity of this system to changes in spin state may offer ways to externally control the radical ion pair dynamics using pulsed microwaves.     

Electron spin dynamics as a probe of molecular dynamics: temperature-dependent magnetic field effects on charge recombination within a covalent radical ion pair

The electron spin-spin exchange interaction, 2J, in radical pairs (RPs) is exquisitely sensitive to the details of molecular structure and can thus serve as an important probe of structural dynamics in RPs of potential interest to photonic and electronic devices. Photoinitiated ultrafast two-step charge separation produces (1)(MeOAn(+)(*)-6ANI-NI(-)(*)), where MeOAn = p-methoxyaniline, 6ANI = 4-(N-piperidinyl)naphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide, and NI = naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide). Radical pair intersystem crossing subsequently produces (3)(MeOAn(+)(*)-6ANI-NI(-)(*)), and the total RP population decays with approximately 10 ns lifetime at 140 K, which increases to nearly 30 ns at 300 K in toluene. The activation energy observed for this process is negative and can be explained by a mechanism involving a conformational preequilibrium of the RP followed by charge recombination. Over the same temperature range, the magnetic field effect (MFE) on yield of the triplet recombination product, MeOAn-6ANI-(3)()NI, yields the magnitude of 2J, which directly monitors the superexchange electronic coupling for charge recombination. A single resonance in the MFE plot is observed at 300 K, which splits into two resonances at temperatures below 230 K, suggesting that there are two distinct groups of RP conformations at low temperature. The magnitude of 2J for the lower field resonance (10 mT) at 140 K is 5 times smaller than that of the high field resonance. At 300 K the equilibrium is shifted almost entirely to the set of conformers with the stronger electronic coupling. The motion that couples these two groups of conformations is the motion that most effectively gates the donor-acceptor electronic coupling.     

Direct observation of the preference of hole transfer over electron transfer for radical ion pair recombination in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules

Understanding how the electronic structures of electron donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) molecules influence the lifetimes of radical ion pairs (RPs) photogenerated within them (D+*-B-A-*) is critical to designing and developing molecular systems for solar energy conversion. A general question that often arises is whether the HOMOs or LUMOs of D, B, and A within D+*-B-A-* are primarily involved in charge recombination. We have developed a new series of D-B-A molecules consisting of a 3,5-dimethyl-4-(9-anthracenyl)julolidine (DMJ-An) electron donor linked to a naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) acceptor via a series of Phn oligomers, where n = 1-4, to give DMJ-An-Phn-NI. The photoexcited charge transfer state of DMJ-An acts as a high-potential photoreductant to rapidly and nearly quantitatively transfer an electron across the Phn bridge to produce a spin-coherent singlet RP 1(DMJ+*-An-Phn-NI-*). Subsequent radical pair intersystem crossing yields 3(DMJ+*-An-Phn-NI-*). Charge recombination within the triplet RP then gives the neutral triplet state. Time-resolved EPR spectroscopy shows directly that charge recombination of the RP initially produces a spin-polarized triplet state, DMJ-An-Phn-3*NI, that can only be produced by hole transfer involving the HOMOs of D, B, and A within the D-B-A system. After the initial formation of DMJ-An-Phn-3*NI, triplet-triplet energy transfer occurs to produce DMJ-3*An-Phn-NI with rate constants that show a distance dependence consistent with those determined for charge separation and recombination.     

Role of bridge energetics on the preference for hole or electron transfer leading to charge recombination in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules

The impact of donor-acceptor electronic coupling and bridge energetics on the preference for hole or electron transfer leading to charge recombination in a series of donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) molecules was examined. In these systems, the donor is 3,5-dimethyl-4-(9-anthracenyl)-julolidine (DMJ-An) and acceptor is naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI), while the bridges are either oligo(p-phenyleneethynylene) (PE(n)P, where n = 1-3) 1-3 or oligo(2,7-fluorenone) (FN(n), where n = 1-3) 4-6. Photoexcitation of 1-3 and 4-6 produces DMJ(+?)-An-PE(n)P-NI(-?) and DMJ(+?)-An-FN(n)-NI(-?), respectively, which undergo radical pair intersystem crossing followed by charge recombination to yield both (3*)An and (3*)NI, which are observed by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy. (3*)NI is produced by hole transfer from DMJ(+?) to NI(-?), while (3*)An is produced by electron transfer from NI(-?) to DMJ(+?), using the agency of the bridge HOMOs and LUMOs, respectively. By monitoring the initial population of (3*)NI and (3*)An in 1-6, the data show that charge recombination occurs preferentially by selective hole transfer when the bridge is PE(n)P, while it occurs by preferential electron transfer when the bridge is FN(n). Over time, the initial population of (3*)NI decreases, while that of (3*)An increases, indicating that triplet-triplet energy transfer (TEnT) occurs. The observed distance dependence of TEnT from (3*)NI to An is weakly exponential with a decay parameter β = 0.08 ?(-1) for the PE(n)P series and β = 0.03 ?(-1) for the FN(n) series. In the PE(n)P series, this weak distance dependence is attributed to a transition from the superexchange regime to hopping transport as the energy gap for triplet energy injection onto the bridge becomes significantly smaller as n increases, while in the FN(n) series the corresponding energy gap is small for all n resulting in triplet energy transport by the hopping mechanism.     

Mapping the influence of molecular structure on rates of electron transfer using direct measurements of the electron spin-spin exchange interaction

The spin-spin exchange interaction, 2J, in a radical ion pair produced by a photoinduced electron transfer reaction can provide a direct measure of the electronic coupling matrix element, V, for the subsequent charge recombination reaction. We have developed a series of dyad and triad donor-acceptor molecules in which 2J is measured directly as a function of incremental changes in their structures. In the dyads the chromophoric electron donors 4-(N-pyrrolidinyl)- and 4-(N-piperidinyl)naphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide, 5ANI and 6ANI, respectively, and a naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) acceptor are linked to the meta positions of a phenyl spacer to yield 5ANI-Ph-NI and 6ANI-Ph-NI. In the triads the same structure is used, except that the piperidine in 6ANI is replaced by a piperazine in which a para-X-phenyl, where X = H, F, Cl, MeO, and Me(2)N, is attached to the N' nitrogen to form a para-X-aniline (XAn) donor to give XAn-6ANI-Ph-NI. Photoexcitation yields the respective 5ANI(+)-Ph-NI(-), 6ANI(+)-Ph-NI(-), and XAn(+)-6ANI-Ph-NI(-) singlet radical ion pair states, which undergo subsequent radical pair intersystem crossing followed by charge recombination to yield (3)NI. The radical ion pair distances within the dyads are about 11-12 A, whereas those in the triads are about approximately 16-19 A. The degree of delocalization of charge (and spin) density onto the aniline, and therefore the average distance between the radical ion pairs, is modulated by the para substituent. The (3)NI yields monitored spectroscopically exhibit resonances as a function of magnetic field, which directly yield 2J for the radical ion pairs. A plot of ln 2J versus r(DA), the distance between the centroids of the spin distributions of the two radicals that comprise the pair, yields a slope of -0.5 +/- 0.1. Since both 2J and k(CR), the rate of radical ion pair recombination, are directly proportional to V(2), the observed distance dependence of 2J shows directly that the recombination rates in these molecules obey an exponential distance dependence with beta = 0.5 +/- 0.1 A(-)(1). This technique is very sensitive to small changes in the electronic interaction between the two radicals and can be used to probe subtle structural differences between radical ion pairs produced from photoinduced electron transfer reactions.     

Exponential distance dependence of photoinitiated stepwise electron transfer in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules: implications for wirelike behavior

Donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) systems in which a 3,5-dimethyl-4-(9-anthracenyl)julolidine (DMJ-An) chromophore and a naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) acceptor are linked by oligomeric 2,7-fluorenone (FN(n)) bridges (n = 1-3) have been synthesized. Selective photoexcitation of DMJ-An quantitatively produces DMJ(+?)-An(-?), and An(-?) acts as a high-potential electron donor. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in the visible and mid-IR regions showed that electron transfer occurs quantitatively in the sequence: DMJ(+?)-An(-?)-FN(n)-NI → DMJ(+?)-An-FN(n)(-?)-NI → DMJ(+?)-An-FN(n)-NI(-?). The charge-shift reaction from An(-?) to NI(-?) exhibits an exponential distance dependence in the nonpolar solvent toluene with an attenuation factor (β) of 0.34 ?(-1), which would normally be attributed to electron tunneling by the superexchange mechanism. However, the FN(n)(-?) radical anion was directly observed spectroscopically as an intermediate in the charge-separation mechanism, thereby demonstrating conclusively that the overall charge separation involves the incoherent hopping (stepwise) mechanism. Kinetic modeling of the data showed that the observed exponential distance dependence is largely due to electron injection onto the first FN unit followed by charge hopping between the FN units of the bridge biased by the distance-dependent electrostatic attraction of the two charges in D(+?)-B(-?)-A. This work shows that wirelike behavior does not necessarily result from building a stepwise, energetically downhill redox gradient into a D-B-A molecule.     

Using spin dynamics of covalently linked radical ion pairs to probe the impact of structural and energetic changes on charge recombination

We have synthesized a series of structurally related, covalently linked electron donor-acceptor triads having highly restricted conformations to study the effects of radical ion pair (RP) structure, energetics, and solvation on charge recombination. The chromophoric electron acceptor in these triads is a 4-aminonaphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide (6ANI), in which the 4-amine nitrogen atom is part of a piperazine ring. The second nitrogen atom of the piperazine ring is part of a para-substituted aniline donor, where the para substituents are X = H, OMe, and NMe(2). The imide group of 6ANI is linked to a naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) electron acceptor across a phenyl spacer in a meta relationship. The triads undergo two-step photoinduced electron transfer to yield their respective XAn(*)(+)-6ANI-Ph-NI(*)(-) RP states, which undergo radical pair intersystem crossing followed by charge recombination to yield (3)NI. Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance experiments on the spin-polarized RPs and triplet states carried out in toluene and in E-7, a mixture of nematic liquid crystals (LCs), show that for all three triads, the XAn(*)(+)-6ANI-Ph-NI(*)(-) RPs are correlated radical pairs and directly yield values of the spin-spin exchange interaction, J, and the dipolar interaction, D. The values of J are all about -1 mT and show that the LC environment most likely enforces the chair conformation at the piperazine ring, for which the RP distance is larger than that for the corresponding boat conformation. The values of D yield effective RP distances that agree well with those calculated earlier from the spin distributions of the radical ions. Within the LC, changing the temperature shows that the CR mechanism can be changed significantly as the energy levels of the RPs change relative to that of the recombination triplet.     

Intersystem crossing involving strongly spin exchange-coupled radical ion pairs in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules

Intersystem crossing involving photogenerated strongly spin exchange-coupled radical ion pairs in a series of donor-bridge-acceptor molecules was examined. These molecules have a 3,5-dimethyl-4-(9-anthracenyl)-julolidine (DMJ-An) donor either connected directly or connected by a phenyl bridge (Ph), to pyromellitimide (PI), 1 and 2, respectively, or naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) acceptors, 3 and 4, respectively. Femtosecond transient optical absorption spectroscopy shows that photodriven charge separation produces DMJ(+?)-PI(-?) or DMJ(+?)-NI(-?) quantitatively in 1-4 (τ(CS) ≤ 10 ps), and that charge recombination occurs with τ(CR) = 268 and 158 ps for 1 and 3, respectively, and with τ(CR) = 2.6 and 10 ns for 2 and 4, respectively. Magnetic field effects (MFEs) on the neutral triplet state yield produced by charge recombination were used to measure the exchange coupling (2J) between DMJ(+?) and PI(-?) or NI(-?), giving 2J > 600 mT for 1-3 and 2J = 170 mT for 4. Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy revealed that the formation of (3)*An upon charge recombination occurs by spin-orbit charge transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) and/or radical-pair intersystem crossing (RP-ISC) mechanisms with the magnitude of 2J determining which triplet formation mechanism dominates. SOCT-ISC is the exclusive triplet formation mechanism in 1-3, whereas both RP-ISC and SOCT-ISC are active for 4. The triplet sublevels populated by SOCT-ISC in 1-4 depend on the donor-acceptor geometry in the charge separated state. This is consistent with the fact that the SOCT-ISC mechanism requires the relevant donor and acceptor orbitals to be nearly perpendicular, so that electron transfer results in a large orbital angular momentum change that must be compensated by a fast spin flip to conserve overall system angular momentum.     

Time-resolved EPR studies of photogenerated radical ion pairs separated by p-phenylene oligomers and of triplet states resulting from charge recombination

Photoexcitation of a series of donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) systems, where D = phenothiazine (PTZ), B = p-phenylene (Phn), n = 1-5, and A= perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (PDI) results in rapid electron transfer to produce 1(PTZ+*-Phn-PDI-*). Time-resolved EPR (TREPR) studies of the photogenerated radical pairs (RPs) show that above 150 K, when n = 2-5, the radical pair-intersystem crossing mechanism (RP-ISC) produces spin-correlated radical ion pairs having electron spin polarization patterns indicating that the spin-spin exchange interaction in the radical ion pair is positive, 2J > 0, and is temperature dependent. This temperature dependence is most likely due to structural changes of the p-phenylene bridge. Charge recombination in the RPs generates PTZ-Phn-3*PDI, which exhibits a spin-polarized signal similar to that observed in photosynthetic reaction-center proteins and some biomimetic systems. At temperatures below 150 K and/or at shorter donor-acceptor distances, e.g., when n = 1, PTZ-Phn-3*PDI is also formed from a competitive spin-orbit-intersystem crossing (SO-ISC) mechanism that is a result of direct charge recombination: 1(PTZ+*-Phn-PDI-*) --> PTZ-Phn-3*PDI. This SO-ISC mechanism requires the initial RP intermediate and depends strongly on the orientation of the molecular orbitals involved in the charge recombination as well as the magnitude of 2J.     

Magnetic field-induced switching of the radical-pair intersystem crossing mechanism in a donor-bridge-acceptor molecule for artificial photosynthesis

A covalent, fixed-distance donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) molecule was synthesized that upon photoexcitation undergoes ultrafast charge separation to yield a radical ion pair (RP) in which the spin-spin exchange interaction (2J) between the two radicals is sufficiently large to result in preferential RP intersystem crossing to the highest-energy RP eigenstate (T(+1)) at the 350 mT magnetic field characteristic of X-band (9.5 GHz) EPR spectroscopy. This behavior is unprecedented in covalent D-B-A molecules, and is evidenced by the time-resolved EPR (TREPR) spectrum at X-band of (3*)D-B-A derived from RP recombination, which shows all six canonical EPR transitions polarized in emission (e,e,e,e,e,e). In contrast, when the RP is photogenerated in a 3400 mT magnetic field, the TREPR triplet spectrum at W-band (94 GHz) of (3*)D-B-A displays the (a,e,e,a,a,e) polarization pattern characteristic of a weakly coupled RP precursor, similar to that observed in photosynthetic reaction center proteins, and indicates a switch to selective population of the lower-energy T(0) eigenstate.     

Temperature dependence of spin-selective charge transfer pathways in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules with oligomeric fluorenone and p-phenylethynylene bridges

The temperature dependence of spin-selective intramolecular charge recombination (CR) in a series of 2,7-fluorenone (FN(1-2)) and p-phenylethynylene (PE(1-2)P) linked donor-bridge-acceptor molecules with a 3,5-dimethyl-4-(9-anthracenyl) julolidine (DMJ-An) electron donor and a naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) acceptor was studied using nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in the presence of a static magnetic field. Photoexcitation of DMJ-An into its charge transfer band and subsequent electron transfer to NI results in a nearly quantitative yield of (1)(DMJ(+?)-An-FN(n)-NI(-?)) and (1)(DMJ(+?)-An-PE(n)P-NI(-?)), which undergo rapid radical pair intersystem crossing (RP-ISC) to produce the triplet RPs, (3)(DMJ(+?)-An-FN(n)-NI(-?)) and (3)(DMJ(+?)-An-PE(n)P-NI(-?)), respectively. The CR rate constants, k(CR), in toluene were measured over a temperature range from 270 to 350 K, and a kinetic analysis of k(CR) in the presence of an applied static magnetic field was used to extract the singlet and triplet charge recombination rate constants, k(CRS) and k(CRT), respectively, as well as the intersystem crossing rate constant, k(ST). Plots of ln (kT(1/2)) versus 1/T for PE(1)P show a distinct crossover at 300 K from a temperature-independent singlet CR pathway to a triplet CR pathway that is positively activated with a barrier of 1047 ± 170 cm(-1). The singlet CR pathway via the FN(1) bridge displays a negative activation energy that results from donor-bridge and bridge-acceptor torsional motions about the single bonds joining them. In contrast, the triplet CR pathway via the FN(1-2) and PE(1-2)P bridges exhibits positive activation energies. The activation barriers to these torsional motions range from 1100 to 4500 cm(-1) and can be modeled by semiclassical electron transfer theory.     

Controlling electron transfer in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules using cross-conjugated bridges

Photoinitiated charge separation (CS) and recombination (CR) in a series of donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) molecules with cross-conjugated, linearly conjugated, and saturated bridges have been compared and contrasted using time-resolved spectroscopy. The photoexcited charge transfer state of 3,5-dimethyl-4-(9-anthracenyl)julolidine (DMJ-An) is the donor, and naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) is the acceptor in all cases, along with 1,1-diphenylethene, trans-stilbene, diphenylmethane, and xanthone bridges. Photoinitiated CS through the cross-conjugated 1,1-diphenylethene bridge is about 30 times slower than through its linearly conjugated trans-stilbene counterpart and is comparable to that observed through the diphenylmethane bridge. This result implies that cross-conjugation strongly decreases the π orbital contribution to the donor-acceptor electronic coupling so that electron transfer most likely uses the bridge σ system as its primary CS pathway. In contrast, the CS rate through the cross-conjugated xanthone bridge is comparable to that observed through the linearly conjugated trans-stilbene bridge. Molecular conductance calculations on these bridges show that cross-conjugation results in quantum interference effects that greatly alter the through-bridge donor-acceptor electronic coupling as a function of charge injection energy. These calculations display trends that agree well with the observed trends in the electron transfer rates.     

Photoinduced electron transfer processes in 1,8-naphthalimide-linker-phenothiazine dyads

Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) processes of 1,8-naphthalimide-linker-phenothiazine (NI-L-PTZ) dyads have been investigated using the nanosecond- and picosecond-transient absorption measurements. Two kinds of linker were introduced, i.e., polymethylene-linked dyad (NI-C8-PTZ and NI-C11-PTZ) and a poly(ethyl ether)-linked one (NI-O-PTZ). The 355 nm pulsed laser excitation of NI-C8-PTZ, NI-C11-PTZ, and NI-O-PTZ in acetonitrile produced NI radical anion (NI*-) and PTZ radical cation (PTZ*+) with the absorption bands around 420 and 520 nm, respectively, through charge transfer from PTZ to NI in the singlet excited state (NI(S1)) as well as in the triplet excited states (NI(T1)) in acetonitrile. On the other hand, the charge transfer process occurred only from NI(S1) in nonpolar solvents. The rates of charge transfer and charge recombination processes largely depended on the solvent polarity and they are affected by the length of linkers and electronic coupling through polyether linker. The PET mechanism is discussed in terms of the free energy change for the charge transfer.     

Taking advantage of the radical character of tris(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl to synthesize new paramagnetic glassy molecular materials

This paper describes the synthesis of the novel bis[4-(N-carbazolyl)-2,6-dichlorophenyl](2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl radical (2*) and tris[4-(N-carbazolyl)-2,6-dichlorophenyl]methyl radical (3*). A Friedel-Crafts reaction on [4-(N-carbazolyl)-2,6-dichlorophenyl)bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl]methyl radical (1*), 2*, and 3* leads to the introduction of acyl chains in the 3- and 6-positions of the carbazolyl moiety without impairment of the radical character of the molecule to give radicals 5*, 6*, and 7*. All of these novel radical adducts are thermally stable, 5* and 6* being amorphous solids by differential scanning calorimetry. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of them show a multiplet at low temperature due to the electron-coupling with six aromatic hydrogens. They show electrochemical amphotericity being reduced and oxidized to their corresponding stable anionic and cationic species, respectively. These radical adducts have luminescent properties covering the red spectral band of the emission with high intensities.     

Solvent control of spin-dependent charge recombination mechanisms within donor-conjugated bridge-acceptor molecules

We have shown recently that the oligomeric p-phenylene bridge within the PTZ-(Ph)n-PDI (PTZ = phenothiazine, Ph = phenyl, and PDI = perylenediimide) donor-bridge-acceptor system acts as a molecular wire in toluene, as shown by a change in the rate of radical ion pair (RP) recombination within PTZ+*-(Ph)n-PDI-* from an exponential distance dependence to a linear distance dependence as the bridge becomes longer. The population of the RP and its spin-selective recombination products are sensitive to the application of an external magnetic field, which can be used to directly measure the singlet-triplet splitting, 2J, within the RP. The value of 2J is a weighted sum of electronic coupling matrix elements that are to a good approximation directly proportional to VDA2, the effective coupling between the orbitals on the donor and acceptor sites. The dependence of RP population on magnetic field reveals the relative contributions of the singlet and triplet charge recombination (CR) pathways to overall RP decay. We have now observed an "inversion" of the MFE on the RP population within PTZ+*-(Ph)4-PDI-* and PTZ+*-(Ph)5-PDI-* upon a switch in solvent from toluene to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF). We interpret the inversion of the MFE as a switch in the relative importance of the singlet and triplet charge recombination (CRS, CRT) pathways due to a stabilization of the RP state by more polar MTHF, making CRS more energetically favorable. This change in mechanism illustrates the sensitivity of molecular wire behavior to the surrounding environment.     

Isomerization of triphenylmethoxyl and 1,1-diphenylethoxyl radicals. Revised assignment of the electron-spin resonance spectra of purported intermediates formed during the ceric ammonium nitrate mediated photooxidation of aryl carbinols

Grossi and Strazzari have reported (J. Org. Chem. 2000, 65, 2748-2754) that the ceric ammonium nitrate modulated photooxidation of triphenylmethanol and 1,1-diphenylethanol yielded ESR spectra of the putative spiro-cyclohexadienyl intermediates in the O-neophyl rearrangements of the corresponding alkoxyl radicals, Ph2(R)CO* (R = Ph, CH3), to the phenoxymethyl radicals, Ph(R)C*OPh. Both ESR spectra are reassigned to the phenoxyl radical, C6H5O*, and the probable mechanism by which phenoxyl is formed in these systems is presented.     

Manipulating photogenerated radical ion pair lifetimes in wirelike molecules using microwave pulses: molecular spintronic gates

We have studied spin-dependent charge transfer dynamics in wirelike donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) molecules comprising a phenothiazine (PTZ) donor, an oligo(2,7-fluorene) (FL(n)) bridge, and a perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (PDI) acceptor, PTZ-FL(3)-PDI (1) and PTZ-FL(4)-PDI (2), dissolved in the magnetic field-aligned nematic phase of 4-cyano-4'-n-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) at 295 K. Time-resolved EPR spectroscopy using both continuous wave and pulsed microwaves shows that the photogenerated radical pairs (RPs), PTZ(+?)-FL(3)-PDI(-?) and PTZ(+?)-FL(4)-PDI(-?), recombine much faster from the singlet RP manifold than the triplet RP manifold. When a strong resonant microwave π pulse is applied following RP photogeneration in 1 and 2, the RP lifetimes increase about 50-fold as indicated by electron spin-echo detection. This result shows that the RP lifetime can be greatly extended by rapidly switching off fast triplet RP recombination.