Coupling synthetic antenna and electron donor species: A tetranuclear mixed-metal Os(II)–Ru(II) dendrimer containing six phenothiazine donor subunits at the periphery

Photophysical Properties of Homo- and Hetero-Aggregate Assemblies Made of N-Annulated Perylene Derivatives

We report the absorption spectra and photophysical properties of homo and hetero-aggregate assemblies of a strongly emissive N-annulated perylene dye (P) and of a dyad made of P and a methyl viologen derivative (P-MV), in ethanol-water solutions. In homo-aggregate assemblies of P, the π-π* fluorescence of the isolated chromophore is replaced by excimer emission at lower energy, with a lifetime of 900 ps, due to excimer formation from the initially prepared excitons. In homo-aggregate assemblies of P-MV, photoinduced charge separation, with formation of P+ -MV- species, occurs in 3 ps with a charge recombination of 20 ps. In hetero-aggregate P/P-MV systems, the light energy absorbed by the P components delocalizes over various P subunits, and when a P-MV unit is reached, charge separation occurs; however, excimer emission is present for P/P-MV ratio larger than 3 : 1, indicating that delocalized excitons within the hetero-aggregate systems extend over a limited number of P chromophores.

Excitation Power Modulates Energy-Transfer Dynamics in a Supramolecular RuII -FeII -RuII Triad

Multichromophoric arrays are key to light harvesting in natural and artificial photosynthesis. A trinuclear, symmetric Ru^II -Fe^II -Ru^II triad may resemble a light-harvesting model system in which excitation energy from donor units (Ru-terpyridine fragments) is efficiently transferred to the acceptor (the Fe-terpyridine fragment). The photoinduced dynamics after simultaneous excitation of more than a single chromophoric unit (donor/acceptor) at varying excitation fluence is investigated in this contribution. Data suggests that energy transfer is decelerated if the acceptor states (on the Fe^II unit) are not depopulated fast enough. As a consequence, the lifetime of a high-lying excited state (centered on either of the Ru^II units) is prolonged. A kinetic model is suggested to account for this effect. Although the proposed model is specifically adopted to account for the experimental data reported here, it might be generalized to other situations in which multiple energy or electron donors are covalently linked to a single acceptor site, a situation of interest in contemporary artificial photosynthesis.

Luminescent osmium(ii) bi-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl complexes: photophysical characterisation and application in light-emitting electrochemical cells

The series of osmium(ii) complexes [Os(bpy)3-n(btz)n][PF6]2 (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridyl, btz = 1,1'-dibenzyl-4,4'-bi-1,2,3-triazolyl, n = 0, n = 1, n = 2, n = 3), have been prepared and characterised. The progressive replacement of bpy by btz leads to blue-shifted UV-visible electronic absorption spectra, indicative of btz perturbation of the successively destabilised bpy-centred LUMO. For , a dramatic blue-shift relative to the absorption profile for is observed, indicative of the much higher energy LUMO of the btz ligand over that of bpy, mirroring previously reported data on analogous ruthenium(ii) complexes. Unlike the previously reported ruthenium systems, heteroleptic complexes and display intense emission in the far-red/near-infrared (λmax = 724 and 713 nm respectively in aerated acetonitrile at RT) as a consequence of higher lying, and hence less thermally accessible, (3)MC states. This assertion is supported by ground state DFT calculations which show that the dσ* orbitals of to are destabilised by between 0.60 and 0.79 eV relative to their Ru(ii) analogues. The homoleptic complex appears to display extremely weak room temperature emission, but on cooling to 77 K the complex exhibits highly intense blue emission with λmax 444 nm. As complexes to display room temperature luminescent emission and readily reversible Os(ii)/(iii) redox couples, light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) devices were fabricated. All LECs display electroluminescent emission in the deep-red/near-IR (λmax = 695 to 730 nm). Whilst devices based on and show inferior current density and luminance than LECs based on , the device utilising shows the highest external quantum efficiency at 0.3%.

Energy transfer and formation of long-lived 3MLCT states in multimetallic complexes with extended highly conjugated bis-terpyridyl ligands

Multimetallic complexes with extended conjugated ligands show efficient energy transfer to the lowest excited states and prolonged Fe(ii) ³MLCT lifetimes.

RutheniumII complexes bearing fused polycyclic ligands: from fundamental aspects to potential applications

In this review, we first discuss the photophysics reported in the literature for mononuclear ruthenium complexes bearing ligands with extended aromaticity such as dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine (DPPZ), tetrapyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c:3'',2''-h:2''',3'''-j]-phenazine (TPPHZ),  tetrapyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c:3'',2''-h:2''',3'''-j]acridine (TPAC), 1,10-phenanthrolino[5,6-b]1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene (PHEHAT) 9,11,20,22-tetraaza- tetrapyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c:3'',2''-l:2''',3'''-n]pentacene (TATPP), etc. Photophysical properties of binuclear and polynuclear complexes based on these extended ligands are then reported. We finally develop the use of binuclear complexes with extended π-systems for applications such as photocatalysis.

Dye-doped silica nanoparticles as luminescent organized systems for nanomedicine

This review summarizes developments and applications of luminescent dye doped silica nanoparticles as versatile organized systems for nanomedicine.

Luminescent bis-tridentate ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) complexes based on terpyridyl-imidazole ligand: synthesis, structural characterization, photophysical, electrochemical, and solvent dependence studies

Homo- and heteroleptic bis-tridentate ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) complexes of compositions [(tpy-PhCH(3))Ru(tpy-HImzPh(3))](ClO(4))(2) (1), [(H(2)pbbzim)Ru(tpy-HImzPh(3))] (ClO(4))(2) (2) and [M(tpy-HImzPh(3))(2)](ClO(4))(2) [M = Ru(II) (3) and Os(II) (4)], where tpy-PhCH(3) = p-methylphenyl terpyridine, H(2)pbbzim = 2,6-bis(benzimidazole-2-yl)pyridine and tpy-HImzPh(3) = 4'-[4-(4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-phenyl]-[2,2':6',2'']terpyridine, have been synthesized and characterized by using standard analytical and spectroscopic techniques. These compounds were designed to increase the room temperature excited-state lifetimes of bisterpyridine-type ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) complexes. The X-ray crystal structures of two homoleptic complexes 3 and 4 have been determined and show that both the compounds crystallized in orthorhombic form with space group Fddd. The photophysical and redox properties of the complexes have been thoroughly investigated. All the complexes display moderately strong luminescence at room temperature with lifetimes in the range of 6-35 ns. The complexes are found to undergo one reversible oxidation in the positive potential window (0 to +1.6 V) and one irreversible and two successive quasi-reversible reductions in the negative potential window (0 to -2.0 V). The influence of solvents on the photophysical properties of the complexes has also been investigated in detail.

Photoactive and Electroactive Dendrimers: Future Trends and Applications

The initial interest in dendrimer chemistry was the synthesis of such aesthetically pleasant macromolecules. Nowadays, the field is moving to applications in various multidisciplinary areas, such as medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering, i.e. at the interface of many disciplines. This short review describes some promising applications of photoactive and electroactive dendrimers as artificial enzymes, molecular batteries, sensors with signal amplification, photoswitchable hosts, systems for energy up-conversion, and light-harvesting antennas. The reported examples clearly show that these applications take advantage of the unique aspects of dendrimer structure: (i) three-dimensional array; (ii) generation-dependent size; (iii) presence of selected functional units in predetermined sites; and (iv) endo- and exo-receptor capabilities.

Time resolved spectroscopy of inorganic complexes

Time resolved spectroscopy has revolutionised our understanding of photochemical and photophysical reactions of inorganic complexes. In this review, we briefly describe the most common time resolved optical spectroscopic methods applied to inorganic complexes and outline some examples and highlights from the recent literature. The review is not intended to be exhaustive, but highlights key recent papers from coordination chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, carbonyl chemistry and bioinorganic chemistry, as well as, recent insights from ultrafast spectroscopy into the photophysics of important prototypes such as [Ru(bpy)3]2+ and [Cu(dmp)2]+. A brief perspective is then presented which discusses areas where time resolved spectroscopy of inorganic complexes could play a particularly important role in the next few years.

Photochemical conversion of solar energy

Energy is the most important issue of the 21st century. About 85% of our energy comes from fossil fuels, a finite resource unevenly distributed beneath the Earth's surface. Reserves of fossil fuels are progressively decreasing, and their continued use produces harmful effects such as pollution that threatens human health and greenhouse gases associated with global warming. Prompt global action to solve the energy crisis is therefore needed. To pursue such an action, we are urged to save energy and to use energy in more efficient ways, but we are also forced to find alternative energy sources, the most convenient of which is solar energy for several reasons. The sun continuously provides the Earth with a huge amount of energy, fairly distributed all over the world. Its enormous potential as a clean, abundant, and economical energy source, however, cannot be exploited unless it is converted into useful forms of energy. This Review starts with a brief description of the mechanism at the basis of the natural photosynthesis and, then, reports the results obtained so far in the field of photochemical conversion of solar energy. The "grand challenge" for chemists is to find a convenient means for artificial conversion of solar energy into fuels. If chemists succeed to create an artificial photosynthetic process, "... life and civilization will continue as long as the sun shines!", as the Italian scientist Giacomo Ciamician forecast almost one hundred years ago.