Luminescent dendrimers as ligands for metal ions

Suitably designed luminescent dendrimers can play a role of ligands for luminescent and non-luminescent metal ions. This combination leads to species capable of exhibiting interesting and unusual properties, including (i) shielding excited states from quenching processes, (ii) light harvesting, (iii) conversion of incident UV light into visible or infrared emission, and (iv) metal ions sensing with signal amplification.     

Toward a light-harvesting Hyperbranched Polyesteramine Host–guest Complex

A novel hyperbranched polyesteramine (PEA) architecture 1 was found to display light-harvesting properties by hosting anthracene-9-carboxylic acid guest 3. The light-harvesting ability has been studied by means of fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding behaviour has also been described by FT-IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopic methods. Hyperbranched host 1 also acts as the photon-harvesting chemosensor of the anthracenyl guest over the benzoic acid guest. Furthermore, the host loaded with the anthracenyl guest also exhibited ‘ON–OFF’ switching on protonation of amine sub-units with HCl, thereby making it of potential use as a pH-assisted photon-harvesting material.     

将铂(Ⅱ)-四(4-羧基苯基)卟啉组装到光捕获金属有机框架中增强可见光驱动的产氢效能

氢气析出反应的分子催化剂因能够将其整合到用于光催化水分解的光捕集复合物中而受到广泛关注.研究者期望通过构建吸光网络,提高分子催化剂的光催化产氢效能.本文报道了以[(TCPP)Pt^Ⅱ][TCPP=meso-四(4-羧基苯基)卟啉]络合物作为光催化产氢的分子催化剂.采用氯冉酸(CA)作为电子牺牲剂可以很好地稳定光催化剂,使CA被氧化为[CA-H·]自由基.当使用三乙醇胺作为电子牺牲剂时,[(TCPP)Pt^Ⅱ]分解形成Pt纳米颗粒.电化学循环伏安实验结果表明,光催化产氢的第一步是质子偶联电子转移,以获得[(TCPP)Pt+H]0.然而,第二个电子转移-1.02 V的氧化还原电位不随添加三氟乙酸而位移,表明该电子转移未与质子转移耦合,得到[(TCPP)Pt+H]-.此外,第二次电子转移的峰值处产生催化波,表明氢气是由[(TCPP)Pt+H]-的质子化生成,然后再生[(TCPP)Pt^Ⅱ]并释放氢气.密度泛函理论计算结果表明,[(TCPP)Pt^Ⅱ]分子催化剂光催化产氢的机理可能先经过质子耦合电子转移反应,形成[(TCPP)Pt^Ⅰ]-NH,然后依次经过电子注入和质子化形成[(TCPP)Pt^Ⅱ-H]-NH中间体,最终释放H2.由于整个催化循环过程涉及多个电子的注入,光捕获网络的引入有助于提供多个光电子.因此,本文通过将[(TCPP)Pt^Ⅱ]掺杂生长到主要由[(TCPP)Zn^Ⅱ]构筑的金属有机框架中,构筑了与分子催化剂连接的光捕获网络,从而将其活性提高了约830倍.纳秒瞬态吸收光谱和时间分辨的磷光光谱表明,向[(TCPP)Pt^Ⅱ]均相溶液中加入氯冉酸会因电荷转移而缩短3[(TCPP)Pt^Ⅱ]*寿命.同样现象在金属有机框架体系中也被观察到.然而,在磷光猝灭后,瞬态吸收光谱观察到均相溶液中[(TCPP)Pt+H]0及[CA-H·]自由基信号迅速衰减,在微秒时间尺度上衰减为0,表明大部分还原的[(TCPP)Pt+H]0迅速与氧化后的[CA-H·]复合,限制了光催化氢气析出的光量子效率.然而,在金属有机框架体系中,磷光猝灭后纳秒瞬态吸收光谱在较长时间尺度观察到残留吸收带,表明随后消耗CA,向反应体系中注入电子,推动了反应的完成.本文研究了能量转移对光催化H2析出的影响,并强调了光捕获网络在多电子注入中的重要性.     

紫细菌捕光天线LH2中的超快光物理研究

采用飞秒泵浦探测技术研究了紫细菌外周捕光天线LH2中的超快光动力学过程.从B800蓝侧的激发态动力学中观察到B800到B850的能量传递时间,实验结果与理论计算结果的差别说明激发B800时可能引起B850上激子带的直接激发,或存在由B800到B850上激子态的能量传递通道.在B800红侧激发的动力学过程中,漂白信号前端存在的一个快速光吸收信号主要来源于B850上激子带的直接激发.在天然RS601和突变体GM309的LH2中,800 nm激发时的动力学过程都表现为一个类似的光漂白过程,动力学曲线的衰减时间常量在天然LH2中明显快于突变体中,说明在GM309中B800到B850的激发能传递速率有所降低.而在845 nm激发下两个样品中的快过程类似,但慢过程在GM309中有所增快,激发态中的能量重新分布包括逆向的能量传递也受到类胡萝卜素微结构的影响.     

应用于染料敏化太阳能电池的基于染料R6的含有不同吸电子基团的有机染料的理论研究

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are the most promising alternatives to traditional fossil energy because of their advantages of low production cost, facile structure, relatively low environmental impact, relatively high photoelectronic absorption efficiency, and overall high efficiency. In addition, several studies on sensitizers as vital components have been conducted over the last three decades. Compared to metal dyes, metal-free organic dyes have been considered as promising candidates because of their simple fabrication, multiple structures, high molar absorption coefficients, easily tunable properties, and environmental friendliness. In this study, we systematically investigated the optoelectronic properties of six metal-free organic donor-acceptor dyes (RD1–6) derived from the known dye R6 by using the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT methods. Cell performance parameters were discussed, including the geometrical and electronic structures, absorption spectrum, adsorption energy, light harvesting efficiency (LHE) curve, predictive short circuit current density (J_sc^Pred.), predictive open circuit voltage (V_oc^Pred.), and theoretical power conversion efficiency (PCE). Results revealed that all the designed dyes exhibited high theoretical PCE. In particular, dyes RD1, 2, and 4–6 showed greater conjugations, and dyes RD1–3 had smaller energy gaps than those of the reference dye. In addition, dyes RD1–3, 5, and 6 exhibited better light harvesting capacities that covered the entire visible region and extended to the near-infrared region with obviously red-shift maximum absorption wavelengths (λ_max), wider LHE curves, and higher J_sc^Pred. as compared to the reference dye. It was critical that dyes RD1 and 2 not only have greater conjugations and narrow band gaps but also good light harvesting capacities with more than 56-nm red-shift maximum absorption wavelengths and broadened LHE curves than those of the reference dye. Notably, mainly because of an average increment of 12.0% of J_sc^Pred., a remarkable increment of the theoretical power conversion efficiency was observed from 12.6% for dye R6 to 14.1% for dyes RD1 and 2. Thus, dyes RD1 and 2 exhibited superior cell performances and could be promising sensitizer candidates for highly efficient DSSCs. These results could be used to guide effective synthetic efforts in the discovery of efficient metal-free organic dye sensitizers in DSSCs.     

Artificial,molecular-based light-harvesting antenna systems made of metal dendrimers and multibodipy species

Artificial photosynthesis is expected to include the development of light-harvesting antenna systems, similarly to what Natural Photosynthesis does. Here some basic requirements for designing synthetic light-harvesting antennae are presented, together with the results obtained by our team in the last few decades on light-harvesting antennae based on metal dendrimers or made of multibodipy species.     

Synthesis of lipophilic bisanthracene fluorophores: versatile building blocks toward the synthesis of new light-harvesting dendrimers

Lipophilic bisanthracene-based fluorophore and its derivatives were synthesized by the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of 9-anthrylboronic acid with a substituted dibromobenzene. In addition to desirable fluorescent properties, these molecular systems were demonstrated to serve as versatile building blocks toward the synthesis of two types of new light-harvesting dendrimers due to their chemical stability.     

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.     

含中氮茚有机太阳能电池染料敏化剂的分子设计

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)和含时密度泛函理论(TD-DFT)方法研究了9个新的中氮茚[3, 4, 5-ab]异吲哚(INI)为给体的染料敏化剂性质.对影响电池效率的光捕获效率、电子注入、染料再生和电荷复合等重要因素与D5和D9染料进行了对比.计算表明,设计的INI系列敏化剂在440-500 nm内有最大吸收峰,表现出明显的电荷分离特征, INI2具有比D9染料更高的最大理论短路电流. Fukui反应指数计算指出INI2的亲核加成最易实现.染料分子在二氧化钛(101)面吸附计算表明,染料INI2以间接注入途径实现电子注入.综合计算结果,中氮茚INI染料有希望作为性能优良的染料敏化剂而得到应用.     

捕光复合物LHCⅡ的荧光动力学特性

采用时间分辨荧光光谱技术,在273 K下用波长为507 nm的光激发对菠菜光系统Ⅱ捕光天线LHCⅡ的光谱特性和时间特性作了研究.将获得的荧光光谱进行高斯解析,得到6个光谱组分,反映了光谱特性：Chl a６６２６６０／６６１、Chl a/b６７２６７０／６７１、Chl a６８３.5６８０／６８１和Chl a６９９.9６９５.0,而中心波长为738.6nm、761.0 nm的光谱组分则可能对应着主发射峰的振动副带.通过对荧光衰减曲线进行三指数时间拟合,得到激发能在LHCⅡ中传递的时间常数：8.8 ps、500 ps、1.6 ns,并分析得出了时间常数与光谱组分的对应关系.