Time-evolution study of photoinduced charge-transfer in tertiary amine-fluorophore systems

3-Input AND Molecular Logic Gate with Enhanced Fluorescence Output: The Key Atom for the Accurate Prediction of the Spectra

The development of artificial receptors for sensing and recognition of species, as well as for advanced logic functions, is a significant challenge in the field of molecular information technology. Here, we study theoretically, via DFT/TD-DFT calculations, the photophysical properties of a 3-input AND molecular logic gate which presents an enhanced fluorescence spectrum. It was found that the geometry conformation at an N atom of the piperazine group is the key factor for the correct calculation of the absorption spectra of the calculated structures. Its geometry is between tetrahedral and planar, while changes in the corresponding CNCC dihedral angle of about 10 degrees can cause significant shifts of the main peak of the absorption spectra up to 100 nm. Moreover, the unusually enhanced fluorescence of a molecular logic gate (MLG) is explained. Finally, we conclude that molecular systems having N atoms, whose geometry is between planar and tetrahedral, can be ideal molecules as sensors and molecular logic gates. Our calculated absorption and emission spectra are in excellent agreement with available experimental data.

Physical Insights into Molecular Sensors, Molecular Logic Gates, and Photosensitizers in Photodynamic Therapy

In this article, the importance of charge/electron transfer in two rapidly growing areas of science is highlighted. In the field of molecular sensors, it plays a considerable role on the detection of molecular systems to serve as fluorescence sensors, switches, and molecular logic gates (MLG) replacing the semiconductor electronics, while in the field of photodynamic therapy, it acts competitive. On these scientific fields, a lot of research has been conducted in the last decades to find out potential candidates. In the field of fluorescent sensors, switches, and molecular logic gates, the fluorescent photo-induced electron transfer switching principle is responsible for the quenching of fluorescence. The manipulation of the quenching can lead to the design of an ideal candidate for complicated molecular logic operation. In the field of photodynamic therapy (PDT), the intersystem crossings occurring between excited singlet and triplet states are the key for an ideal photosensitizer (PS) candidate. The triplets must present relatively long lifetimes, and they must lie near or above the energy which is needed for the excitation of molecular oxygen. It this case, charge/electron phenomena can act competitive, and they are not desirable. However, there are a few complexes which are good PSs of singlet oxygen despite the charge transfer (CT) nature of their lowest excited state.