Multichromophoric Perylenediimide–Silicon Phthalocyanine–C 60 System as an Artificial Photosynthetic Analogue

Panchromatic Light-Capturing Bis-styryl BODIPY-Perylenediimide Donor-Acceptor Constructs: Occurrence of Sequential Energy Transfer Followed by Electron Transfer

Two wide-band-capturing donor-acceptor conjugates featuring bis-styrylBODIPY and perylenediimide (PDI) have been newly synthesized, and the occurrence of ultrafast excitation transfer from the 1 PDI* to BODIPY, and a subsequent electron transfer from the 1 BODIPY* to PDI have been demonstrated. Optical absorption studies revealed panchromatic light capture but offered no evidence of ground-state interactions between the donor and acceptor entities. Steady-state fluorescence and excitation spectral recordings provided evidence of singlet-singlet energy transfer in these dyads, and quenched fluorescence of bis-styrylBODIPY emission in the dyads suggested additional photo-events. The facile oxidation of bis-styrylBODIPY and facile reduction of PDI, establishing their relative roles of electron donor and acceptor, were borne out by electrochemical studies. The electrostatic potential surfaces of the S1 and S2 states, derived from time-dependent DFT calculations, supported excited charge transfer in these dyads. Spectro-electrochemical studies on one-electron-oxidized and one-electron-reduced dyads and the monomeric precursor compounds were also performed in a thin-layer optical cell under corresponding applied potentials. From this study, both bis-styrylBODIPY⋅+ and PDI⋅- could be spectrally characterizes and were subsequently used in characterizing the electron-transfer products. Finally, pump-probe spectral studies were performed in dichlorobenzene under selective PDI and bis-styrylBODIPY excitation to secure energy and electron-transfer evidence. The measured rate constants for energy transfer, kENT , were in the range of 1011  s-1 , while the electron transfer rate constants, kET , were in the range of 1010  s-1 , thus highlighting their potential use in solar energy harvesting and optoelectronic applications.

Fullerene-Perylenediimide (C60-PDI) Based Systems: An Overview and Synthesis of a Versatile Platform for Their Anchor Engineering

An overview of the different covalent bonding synthetic strategies of two electron acceptors leading to fullerene-perylenediimide (C₆₀-PDI)-based systems, essentially dyads and triads, is presented, as well as their more important applications. To go further in the development of such electron and photoactive assemblies, an original aromatic platform 5-benzyloxy-3-formylbenzoic acid was synthesized to graft both the PDI dye and the fullerene C₆₀. This new C₆₀-PDI dyad exhibits a free anchoring phenolic function that could be used to attach a third electro- and photoactive unit to study cascade electron and/or energy transfer processes or to obtain unprecedented side-chain polymers in which the C₆₀-PDI dyads are attached as pendant moieties onto the main polymer chain. This C₆₀-PDI dyad was fully characterized, and cyclic voltammetry showed the concomitant reduction process onto both C₆₀ and PDI moieties at identical potential. A quasi-quantitative quenching of fluorescence was demonstrated in this C₆₀-PDI dyad, and an intramolecular energy transfer was suggested between these two units. After deprotection of the benzyloxy group, the free hydroxyl functional group of the platform was used as an anchor to reach a new side-chain methyl methacrylate-based polymer in which the PDI-C₆₀ dyad units are located as pendants of the main polymer chain. Such polymer which associates two complementary acceptors could find interesting applications in optoelectronics and in particular in organic solar cells.

Unveiling the Photoinduced Electron-Donating Character of MoS2 in Covalently Linked Hybrids Featuring Perylenediimide

The covalent functionalization of MoS₂ with a perylenediimide (PDI) is reported and the study is accompanied by detailed characterization of the newly prepared MoS₂ -PDI hybrid material. Covalently functionalized MoS₂ interfacing organic photoactive species has shown electron and/or energy accepting, energy reflecting or bi-directional electron accepting features. Herein, a rationally designed PDI, unsubstituted at the perylene core to act as electron acceptor, forces MoS₂ to fully demonstrate for the first time its electron donor capabilities. The photophysical response of MoS₂ -PDI is visualized in an energy-level diagram, while femtosecond transient absorption studies disclose the formation of MoS₂ ^.+ -PDI^.- charge separated state. The tunable electronic properties of MoS₂ , as a result of covalently linking photoactive organic species with precise characteristics, unlock their potentiality and enable their application in light-harvesting and optoelectronic devices.

Panchromatic Light Harvesting and Stabilizing Charge-Separated States in Corrole-Phthalocyanine Conjugates through Coordinating a Subphthalocyanine

Owing to the electron-donating and -accepting nature of corroles (Corr) and phthalocyanines (Pc), respectively, we designed and developed two novel covalently linked Corr-Pc conjugates. The synthetic route allows the preparation of the target conjugates in satisfying yields. Comprehensive steady-state absorption, fluorescence, and electrochemical assays enabled insights into energy and electron-transfer processes upon photoexcitation. Coordinating a pyridine-appended subphthalocyanine (SubPc) to the Pc of the conjugate sets up the ways and means to realize the first example of an array composed by three different porphyrinoids, which drives a cascade of energy and charge-transfer processes. Importantly, the SubPc assists in stabilizing the charge-separated state, that is, one-electron oxidized Corr and the one electron-reduced Pc, upon photoexcitation by means of a reductive charge transfer to the SubPc. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of an intramolecular oxidation of a Corr within electron-donor-acceptor conjugates by means of just photoexcitation. Moreover, the combination of Corr, Pc, and SubPc guarantees panchromatic absorption across the visible range of the solar spectrum, with the SubPc covering the "green gap" that usually affects porphyrinoids.

Distance-Dependent Electron Transfer Kinetics in Axially Connected Silicon Phthalocyanine-Fullerene Conjugates

The effect of donor-acceptor distance in controlling the rate of electron transfer in axially linked silicon phthalocyanine-C₆₀ dyads has been investigated. For this, two C₆₀-SiPc-C₆₀ dyads, 1 and 2, varying in their donor-acceptor distance, have been newly synthesized and characterized. In the case of C₆₀-SiPc-C₆₀ 1 where the SiPc and C₆₀ are separated by a phenyl spacer, faster electron transfer was observed with k_cs equal to 2.7×10⁹ s^-1 in benzonitrile. However, in the case of C₆₀-SiPc-C₆₀ 2, where SiPc and C₆₀ are separated by a biphenyl spacer, a slower electron transfer rate constant, k_cs=9.1×10⁸ s^-1, was recorded. The addition of an extra phenyl spacer in 2 increased the donor-acceptor distance by ∼4.3 Å, and consequently, slowed down the electron transfer rate constant by a factor of ∼3.7. The charge separated state lasted over 3 ns, monitoring time window of our femtosecond transient spectrometer. Complimentary nanosecond transient absorption studies revealed formation of ³SiPc* as the end product and suggested the final lifetime of the charge separated state to be in the 3-20 ns range. Energy level diagrams established to comprehend these mechanistic details indicated that the comparatively high-energy SiPc^.+-C₆₀ ^.- charge separated states (1.57 eV) populated the low-lying ³SiPc* (1.26 eV) prior returning to the ground state.

Electrochemical Sensors Modified with Combinations of Sulfur Containing Phthalocyanines and Capped Gold Nanoparticles: A Study of the Influence of the Nature of the Interaction between Sensing Materials

Voltametric sensors formed by the combination of a sulfur-substituted zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc^RS) and gold nanoparticles capped with tetraoctylammonium bromide (AuNP^tOcBr) have been developed. The influence of the nature of the interaction between both components in the response towards catechol has been evaluated. Electrodes modified with a mixture of nanoparticles and phthalocyanine (AuNP^tOcBr/ZnPc^RS) show an increase in the intensity of the peak associated with the reduction of catechol. Electrodes modified with a covalent adduct-both component are linked through a thioether bond-(AuNP^tOcBr-S-ZnPc^R), show an increase in the intensity of the oxidation peak. Voltammograms registered at increasing scan rates show that charge transfer coefficients are different in both types of electrodes confirming that the kinetics of the electrochemical reaction is influenced by the nature of the interaction between both electrocatalytic materials. The limits of detection attained are 0.9 × 10⁻⁶ mol∙L⁻¹ for the electrode modified with the mixture AuNP^tOcBr/ZnPc^RS and 1.3 × 10⁻⁷ mol∙L⁻¹ for the electrode modified with the covalent adduct AuNP^tOcBr-S-ZnPc^R. These results indicate that the establishment of covalent bonds between nanoparticles and phthalocyanines can be a good strategy to obtain sensors with enhanced performance, improving the charge transfer rate and the detection limits of voltammetric sensors.

Directly Linked Zinc Phthalocyanine-Perylenediimide Dyads and a Triad for Ultrafast Charge Separation

Directly linked to promote strong intramolecular interactions, donor-acceptor dyads and a donor-acceptor-donor triad featuring zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) as electron donor and perylenediimide (PDI) as electron acceptor have been synthesized and characterized. Owing to complementary absorption features of the entities, improved light absorption was witnessed in these conjugates. The optimized geometry and electronic structures showed the majority of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) on the ZnPc entity, whereas the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) was on the PDI entity, suggesting that the charge-separated states would be ZnPc⁺ -PDI^{. -} . The electrochemical and free-energy calculations suggested exothermic energy and/or electron transfer processes via the singlet states of PDI or ZnPc entities depending on the excitation wavelength of the laser used. The measured rates using femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy coupled with global analysis of transient data revealed ultrafast energy transfer from ¹ PDI* to ZnPc followed by charge separation. However, when ZnPc was selectively excited, only electron transfer was witnessed wherein the time constants for forward and reverse electron transfer processes followed Marcus predictions. The absorption in a wide section of the solar spectrum and the ultrafast charge separation suggest the usefulness of these systems as good photosynthetic models.

Synthesis and Electrochemical and Photophysical Properties of Azaterrylene Derivatives

A series of terrylene derivatives, such as monoazaterrylene (MATerry), 1,6-diazaterrylene (DiATerry) and pristine terrylene (Terry), were synthesized by changing the number of nitrogen atoms at the bay region (1 and 6 positions of the Terry core). The electrochemical measurements suggested that the first one-electron reduction and oxidation potentials became positively shifted with increasing numbers of nitrogen atoms. This agreed with the energies of the corresponding highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) states estimated by DFT methods. In contrast, the HOMO-LUMO gaps approximately remained constant. This trend is quite similar to the spectroscopic behaviors observed by absorption and fluorescence spectra. The solvent polarity-dependent spectroscopic trends of DiATerry suggested the intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) characters. The evaluation of the excited-state dynamics in various solvents indicated the electronic configurational changes of the excited states relative to the ground state via the ICT. This was supported by the Lippert-Mataga plots. Finally, the reversible protonation and deprotonation processes were also observed.

Excited-State Charge Transfer in Covalently Functionalized MoS2 with a Zinc Phthalocyanine Donor-Acceptor Hybrid

The functionalization of MoS₂ is of paramount importance for tailoring its properties towards optoelectronic applications and unlocking its full potential. Zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) carrying an 1,2-dithiolane oxide linker was used to functionalize MoS₂ at defect sites located at the edges. The structure of ZnPc-MoS₂ was fully assessed by complementary spectroscopic, thermal, and microscopy imaging techniques. An energy-level diagram visualizing different photochemical events in ZnPc-MoS₂ was established and revealed a bidirectional electron transfer leading to a charge separated state ZnPc^.+ -MoS₂ ^.- . Markedly, evidence of the charge transfer in the hybrid material was demonstrated using fluorescence spectroelectrochemistry. Systematic studies performed by femtosecond transient absorption revealed the involvement of excitons generated in MoS₂ in promoting the charge transfer, while the transfer was also possible when ZnPc was excited, signifying their potential in light-energy-harvesting devices.

A zinc phthalocyanine–benzoperylenetriimide conjugate for solvent dependent ultrafast energy vs. electron transfer

Ultrafast energy and electron transfer as a function of solvent polarity has been demonstrated using a femtosecond transient absorption technique in a zinc phthalocyanine–benzoperylenetriimide conjugate.

Direct amination and N-heteroarylation of perylenediimides

A mild, fluoride-mediated reaction for the direct introduction of amines and N-heterocycles.

Synergy of light harvesting and energy transfer as well as short-range charge shift reactions in multicomponent conjugates

We report herein on the design, the synthesis, and the characterization of a panchromatic, charge stabilizing electron donor-acceptor conjugate: (BBPA)₃-ZnPor-ZnPc-SubPc 1. Each component, that is, bis(biphenyl)phenylamine (BBPA), Zn(ii) porphyrin (ZnPor), Zn(ii) phthalocyanine ZnPc, and subphthalocyanine (SubPc), has been carefully chosen and modified to enable a cascade of energy and charge transfer processes. On one hand, ZnPor, has been functionalized with three electron-donating BBPA as primary and secondary electron donors and to stabilize the final charge-separated state, and, on the other hand, a perfluorinated SubPc has been selected as ultimate electron acceptor. In addition, the ZnPc unit contains several trifluoromethylphenyl moieties to match its energy levels to those of the other components. In fact, irradiation of the heteroarray 1 triggers a cascade of light harvesting across the entire visible range, unidirectional energy transfer, exergonic charge separating, and short-range charge shifting to afford in 14% quantum yield a (BBPA)₃˙⁺-ZnPor-ZnPc-SubPc˙^- charge-separated state. The lifetime of the latter reaches well into the range of tens of nanoseconds.

Chiral Phthalocyanines through Axial Coordination

A novel approach to axially induce chirality on silicon phthalocyanines via a microwave-assisted route is reported. CD analysis provides spectroscopic evidence that chirality is transferred onto both Soret and Q-bands of the phthalocyanine core. A chiral naphthalenediimide ligand was found to induce the largest Cotton effect on the macrocycle absorptions.

Assemblies of Boron Dipyrromethene/Porphyrin, Phthalocyanine, and C60 Moieties as Artificial Models of Photosynthesis: Synthesis, Supramolecular Interactions, and Photophysical Studies

A series of light-harvesting conjugates based on a zinc(II) phthalocyanine core with either two or four boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) or porphyrin units have been synthesized and characterized. The conjugation of BODIPY/porphyrin units can extend the absorptions of the phthalocyanine core to cover most of the visible region. Upon addition of an imidazole-substituted C₆₀ (C₆₀ Im), it can axially bind to the zinc(II) center of the phthalocyanine core through metal-ligand interactions. The resulting complexes form photosynthetic antenna-reaction center mimics in which the BODIPY/porphyrin units serve as the antennas to capture the light and transfer the energy to the phthalocyanine core by efficient excitation energy transfer. The excited phthalocyanine is then quenched by the axially bound C₆₀ Im moiety by electron transfer, which has been supported by computational studies. The photoinduced processes of the assemblies have been studied in detail by various steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic methods. By femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopic studies, the lifetimes of the charge-separated state of the bis(BODIPY) and bis(porphyrin) systems have been determined to be 3.2 and 4.0 ns, respectively.

Concentration-dependent photophysical switching in mixed self-assembled monolayers of pentacene and perylenediimide on gold nanoclusters

The precise control and switching of photophysical processes such as singlet fission, electron transfer and excimer were performed using mixed SAMs of pentacene and perylenediimide units on Au nanoclusters.

Synthesis of bay-triaminosubstituted perylenediimides

A mild fluoride-mediated reaction for the synthesis of 1,6,7-triaminoperylenediimides.