Resonance Raman study of ring deuterated 4-dimethylaminobenzonitrile (DMABN-d4): the ground, ICT and triplet states

Femto- to Millisecond Time-Resolved Photodynamics of a Double-Functionalized Push-Pull Organic Linker: Potential Candidate for Optoelectronically Active MOFs

The design of improved organic linkers for the further engineering of smarter metal–organic framework (MOF) materials has become a paramount task for a wide number of material scientists. In this report, a luminescent double-functionalized push–pull (electron donor–acceptor) archetype organic molecule, dimethyl 4-amino-8-cyanonaphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylate (Me₂CANADC), has been synthesized and characterized. The optical steady-state properties of Me₂CANADC are strongly influenced by the surrounding environment as a direct consequence of its strong charge transfer (CT) character. The relaxation from its first electronically excited singlet state follows a double pathway: (1) on one side deactivating from its local excited (LE) state in the sub-picosecond or picosecond time domain, and (2) on the other side undergoing an ultrafast intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) reaction that is slowing down in viscous solvents. The deactivation to the ground state of these species with CT character is the origin of the Me₂CANADC luminescence, and they present solvent-dependent lifetime values ranging from 8 to 18 ns. The slow photodynamics of Me₂CANADC unveils the coexistence of a non-emissive triplet excited state and the formation of a long-lived charge separated state (2 µs). These observations highlight the promising optical properties of Me₂CANADC linker, opening a window for the design of new functional MOFs with huge potential to be applied in the fields of luminescent sensing and optoelectronics.

A lifetime in photochemistry; some ultrafast measurements on singlet states

We describe here the development of time-correlated single-photon counting techniques from the early use of spark discharge lamps as light sources through to the use of femtosecond mode-locked lasers through the personal work of the author. We used laser-excited fluorescence in studies on energy migration and rotational relaxation in synthetic polymer solutions, in biological probe molecules and in supersonic jet expansions. Time-correlated single-photon counting was the first method used in early fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), and we outline the development of this powerful technique, with a comparison of techniques including wide-field microscopy. We employed these modern forms of FLIM to study single biological cells, and applied FLIM also to gain an understanding the distribution in tissue, and fates of photosensitizer molecules used in photodynamic therapy. We also describe the uses and instrumental design of laser systems for the study of ultrafast time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy.

Triplet state dipole moments of aminobenzonitriles

The triplet state dipole moments mu(T) of a series of 4-amino- and 3-aminobenzonitriles in cyclohexane, benzene, and 1,4-dioxane are recalculated from previously published [J. Phys. Chem. 1992, 96, 10809] time-resolved microwave conductivity data, on the basis of newly measured intersystem crossing yields. For 4-(dimethylamino)benzonitrile (DMABN), the following values are now determined for mu(T): 8.3 D (cyclohexane), 8.9 D (benzene), and 9.7 D (1,4-dioxane), as compared with the previously reported dipole moment of 12 D for the first and the last solvent. With the other aminobenzonitriles, similar mu(T) data are obtained, between 6.9 D for 4-aminobenzonitrile (ABN) in n-hexane and 10.0 D for 4-(di-n-decylamino)benzonitrile (DDABN) in 1,4-dioxane. The increase of mu(T) observed for all aminobenzonitriles when going from cyclohexane via benzene to 1,4-dioxane may indicate that their triplet dipole moments become larger with increasing solvent polarity. The present mu(T) of DMABN, between 8.3 and 9.7 D, although larger than the ground state dipole moment mu(0) of 6.6 D, is somewhat smaller than that of the locally excited (LE) state (9.9 D) but considerably smaller than the dipole moment of the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state (17 D). By comparing these mu(X) data with the frequency (CN) of the cyano vibration in each state, it appears that at least for DMABN in the triplet state (CN) is not a reliable indication of the extent of charge transfer as compared with the other states S0, LE, and ICT.

The Electronic Origin of the Dual Fluorescence in Donor−Acceptor Substituted Benzene Derivatives

The origin of the dual fluorescence of DMABN (dimethylaminobenzonitrile) and other benzene derivatives is explained by a charge transfer model based on the properties of the benzene anion radical. It is shown that, in general, three low-lying electronically excited states are expected for these molecules, two of which are of charge transfer (CT) character, whereas the third is a locally excited (LE) state. Dual fluorescence may arise from any two of these states, as each has a different geometry at which it attains a minimum. The Jahn-Teller induced distortion of the benzene anion radical ground state helps to classify the CT states as having quinoid (Q) and antiquinoid (AQ) forms. The intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state is formed by the transfer of an electron from a covalently linked donor group to an anti-bonding orbital of the pi-electron system of benzene. The change in charge distribution of the molecule in the CT states leads to the most significant geometry change undergone by the molecule which is the distortion of the benzene ring to a Q or AQ structure. As the dipole moment is larger in the perpendicular geometry than in the planar one, this geometry is preferred in polar solvents, supporting the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) model. However, in many cases the planar conformation of CT excited states is lower in energy than that of the LE state, and dual fluorescence can be observed also from planar structures.

Theoretical study of photoinduced singlet and triplet excited states of 4-dimethylaminobenzonitrile and its derivatives

Singlet and triplet low-lying states of the 4-dimethylaminobenzonitrile and its derivatives have been studied by the density functional theory and ab initio methodologies. Calculations reveal that the existence of the methyl groups in the phenyl ring and the amino twisting significantly modify properties of their excited states. A twisted singlet intramolecular charge-transfer state can be accessed through decay of the second planar singlet excited state with charge-transfer character along the amino twisting coordinate or by an intramolecular charge-transfer reaction involved with a locally first excited singlet state. Plausible charge-transfer triplet states and intersystem crossing processes among singlet and triplet states have been explored by spin-orbit coupling calculations. The intersystem crossing process was predicted to be the dominant deactivation channel of the photoexcited 4-dimethylaminobenzonitrile.