Enhanced Photogeneration of Triplet Excitons in an Oligothiophene–Fullerene Blend

Outsourcing Intersystem Crossing without Heavy Atoms: Energy Transfer Dynamics in PyridoneBODIPY-C60 Complexes

The excited state dynamics in two fully characterized pyridoneBODIPY-fullerene complexes were investigated using time-resolved spectroscopy. Photoexcitation was initially localized on the pyridoneBODIPY chromophore. The energy was rapidly transferred to the fullerene, which subsequently underwent ISC to form a triplet state and returned the energy to the pyridoneBODIPY via triplet-triplet energy transfer. This ping-pong energy transfer mechanism resulted in efficient (>85%) overall conversion of the excited state pyridoneBODIPY constituent despite a complete lack of ISC in the pyridoneBODIPY in the absence of the fullerene partner. The small difference in attachment chemistry for the fullerene did not impact the initial singlet energy transfer. However, the N-methylpyrrolidine bridge did slow both the triplet-triplet energy transfer and the ultimate relaxation rate of the final triplet state when compared to an isoxazole-based bridge. The rates of each step were quantified, and computational predictions were used to complement the proposed mechanism and energetics. The result demonstrated efficient triplet sensitization of a strong chromophore that lacks significant spin-orbit coupling.

Enhanced singlet oxygen production over a photocatalytic stable metal organic framework composed of porphyrin and Ag

Porphyrin is an important photosensitizer for singlet oxygen (¹O₂) formation. However, porphyrin derivatives still display low efficiency and difficult recovery. In this work, an Ag-based MOFs (AgTPyP; TPyP, 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl) porphyrin) is synthesized. Compared with ligand TPyP, AgTPyP shows nearly 100% conversion and selectivity in the photocatalytic selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides and obvious photodynamic therapeutic effect under visible light. Combined characterizations suggest that ¹O₂ is the only active oxygen species, which is due to the large exciton binding energy and narrow energy gap between the lowest excited singlet state (S₁) and the lowest triplet state (T₁) induced by the presence of Ag⁺ ion. The selectivity and conversion efficiency of five-cycle experiments do not decrease, indicating the excellent stability of AgTPyP. This work provides an alternative approach to simultaneously enhance the exciton effect of porphyrin and stabilize Ag-based photocatalysts.

Theoretical estimation of the rate of photoinduced charge transfer reactions in triphenylamine C60 donor-acceptor conjugate

Fullerene-based molecular heterojunctions such as the [6,6]-pyrrolidine-C60 donor-acceptor conjugate containing triphenylamine (TPA) are potential materials for high-efficient dye-sensitized solar cells. In this work, we estimate the rate constants for the photoinduced charge separation and charge recombination processes in TPA-C60 using the unrestricted and time-dependent DFT methods. Different schemes are applied to evaluate excited state properties and electron transfer parameters (reorganization energies, electronic couplings, and Gibbs energies). The use of open-shell singlet or triplet states, several density functionals, and continuum solvation models is discussed. Strengths and limitations of the computational approaches are highlighted. The present benchmark study provides an overview of the expected performance of DFT-based methodologies in the description of photoinduced charge transfer reactions in fullerene heterojunctions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Room temperature triplet state spectroscopy of organic semiconductors

Organic light-emitting devices and solar cells are devices that create, manipulate, and convert excited states in organic semiconductors. It is crucial to characterize these excited states, or excitons, to optimize device performance in applications like displays and solar energy harvesting. This is complicated if the excited state is a triplet because the electronic transition is 'dark' with a vanishing oscillator strength. As a consequence, triplet state spectroscopy must usually be performed at cryogenic temperatures to reduce competition from non-radiative rates. Here, we control non-radiative rates by engineering a solid-state host matrix containing the target molecule, allowing the observation of phosphorescence at room temperature and alleviating constraints of cryogenic experiments. We test these techniques on a wide range of materials with functionalities spanning multi-exciton generation (singlet exciton fission), organic light emitting device host materials, and thermally activated delayed fluorescence type emitters. Control of non-radiative modes in the matrix surrounding a target molecule may also have broader applications in light-emitting and photovoltaic devices.

Photovoltaic charge generation in organic semiconductors based on long-range energy transfer

For efficient charge generation in organic solar cells, photogenerated excitons must migrate to a donor/acceptor interface where they can be dissociated. This migration is traditionally presumed to be based on diffusion through the absorber material. Herein we study an alternative migration route--two-step exciton dissociation--whereby the exciton jumps from the donor to acceptor before charge creation takes place. We study this process in a series of multilayer donor/barrier/acceptor samples, where either poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) or copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) is the donor, fullerene (C60) is the acceptor, and N,N-diphenyl-N,N-bis(3-methylphenyl)-[1,1-bisphenyl]-4,4-diamine (TPD) acts as a barrier to energy transfer. By varying the thickness of the barrier layer, we find that energy transfer from P3HT to C60 proceeds over large distances (∼50% probability of transfer across a 11 nm barrier), and that this process is consistent with long-range Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Finally, we demonstrate a fundamentally different architecture concept that utilizes the two-step mechanism to enhance performance in a series of P3HT/CuPc/C60 devices.