Using meta conjugation to enhance charge separation versus charge recombination in phenylacetylene donor-bridge-acceptor complexes

A pair of donor-bridge-acceptor electron-transfer complexes, with a carbazole donor and a naphthalimide acceptor connected by either a para- or meta-conjugated phenylacetylene bridge, are synthesized and studied using time-resolved and steady-state spectroscopy. These experiments show that the charge separation times, which depend on the coupling of the donor and acceptor through the excited bridge moiety, are similar for the two molecules (Meta and Para). The charge recombination time, however, is a factor of 10 slower for Meta than for Para. These results are related to changes in the electronic coupling of the bridge depending on its electronic state, and show that meta-conjugated bridges provide a possible motif for the design of asymmetric molecular wires.