Excitonic Coupling between B and Q Transitions in Porphyrin Aggregates

The properties of meso-tetraphenylporphine (TPP) aggregates formed in acidic aqueous-organic solutions are investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy. According to the absorption spectra, the Q band absorption of the aggregated TPP shows red shift and intensity enhancement, and a model that includes the participation of water molecules in a porphyrin aggregation complex is proposed, then a qualitative explanation based on Gouterman's excition coupling theory is presented. Calculations including eigenenergies, eigenstates and the transition dipole strength of the coupled states are carried out.