Effect of dual fullerenes on lifetimes of charge-separated States of subphthalocyanine-triphenylamine-fullerene molecular systems

Photoinduced intramolecular electron-transfer events of the newly synthesized subphthalocyanine-triphenylamine-fullerene triad (SubPc-TPA-C60) and subphthalocyanine-triphenylamine-bisfullerene tetrad (SubPc-TPA-(C(60))(2)) were studied. The geometric and electronic structures of the triad were probed by ab initio B3LYP/3-21G method, which predicts SubPc-TPA(*+)-C(60)(*-) as a stable charge-separated state. The photoinduced events via the excited singlet state of SubPc were monitored by time-resolved emission measurements as well as transient absorption techniques. Efficient charge-separations via the excited states of SubPc were observed with the rates of approximately 10(10) s(-)1. Compared with the SubPc-TPA dyad, a long-lived charge-separated state was observed for the SubPc-TPA-C(60) triad with the lifetime of the radical ion pairs (tau(RIP)) of 670 ns in benzonitrile. Interestingly, further charge stabilization was achieved in the charge-separated state of SubPc-TPA-(C(60))(2), in which the tau(RIP) was found to be 1050 ns in benzonitrile.