Pyrylogens: synthesis, structural, electrochemical, and photophysical characterization of a new class of electron transfer sensitizers

The synthesis and photophysical properties of a new series of dicationic electron transfer sensitizers have been reported. These new materials, pyrylogens, are hybrids of pyrylium cations and Viologen dications. Electron transfer reactions of neutral organic substrates using these new sensitizers generate radical-cation/radical-cation pairs whose repulsive (repellent) interaction is designed to compete with energy wasting return electron transfer (RET) by enhancing diffusive separation and formation of solvent separated ions.