High Time Resolution Q-Band EPR Study of Sequential Electron Transfer in a Triad Oriented in a Liquid Crystal

Naphthalene diimides: perspectives and promise

In this review, we describe the developments in the field of naphthalene diimides (NDIs) from 2016 to the presentday. NDIs are shown to be an increasingly interesting class of molecules due to their electronic properties, large electron deficient aromatic cores and tendency to self-assemble into functional structures. Almost all NDIs possess high electron affinity, good charge carrier mobility, and excellent thermal and oxidative stability, making them promising candidates for applications in organic electronics, photovoltaic devices, and flexible displays. NDIs have also been extensively studied due to their potential real-world uses across a wide variety of applications including supramolecular chemistry, sensing, host-guest complexes for molecular switching devices, such as catenanes and rotaxanes, ion-channels, catalysis, and medicine and as non-fullerene accepters in solar cells. In recent years, NDI research with respect to supramolecular assemblies and mechanoluminescent properties has also gained considerable traction. Thus, this review will assist a wide range of readers and researchers including chemists, physicists, biologists, medicinal chemists and materials scientists in understanding the scope for development and applicability of NDI dyes in their respective fields through a discussion of the main properties of NDI derivatives and of the status of emerging applications.

What you get out of high-time resolution electron paramagnetic resonance: example from photosynthetic bacteria

The primary energy conversion steps of natural photosynthesis proceed via light-induced radical ion pairs as short-lived intermediates. Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments of photosynthetic reaction centers monitor the key charge separated state between the oxidized primary electron donor and reduced quinone acceptor, e.g., P(+)(865)Q(-)(A) of purple photosynthetic bacteria. The time-resolved EPR spectra of P(+)(865)Q(-)(A) are indicative of a spin-correlated radical pair that is created from the excited singlet state of P(865) in an ultra-fast photochemical reaction. Importantly, the spin-correlated radical pair nature of the charge separated state is a common feature of all photosynthetic reaction centers, which gives rise to several interesting spin phenomena such as quantum oscillations, observed at short delay times after optical excitation. In this review, we describe details of the quantum oscillation phenomenon and present a complete analysis of the data obtained from the charge separated state of purple bacteria, P(+)(865)Q(-)(A). The analysis and simulation of the quantum oscillations yield the three-dimensional structure of P(+)(865)Q(-)(A) in the photosynthetic membrane on a nanosecond time scale after light-induced charge separation. Comparison with crystallographic data reveals that the position of Q(-)(A) is essentially the same as in the X-ray structure. However, the head group of Q(-)(A) has undergone a 60° rotation in the ring plane relative to its orientation in the crystal structure. The results are discussed within the framework of the previously suggested conformational gating mechanism for electron transfer from Q(-)(A) to the secondary quinone acceptor Q(B).

High Time Resolution Multifrequency EPR of Radical Pair Intermediates in Photosynthetic Reaction Centers: Structure Determination on a Nanosecond Time Scale

The primary steps of photosynthesis proceed via light-induced radical pairs as short-lived intermediates. In this paper we discuss novel coherence phenomena which can be observed for these species. It is demonstrated that the analysis of quantum beat oscillations in combination with multifrequency EPR and a magnetically oriented sample represents a powerful structural tool. We expect that this is of general interest, since the detailed structure of radical pair intermediates can be determined on a nanosecond time scale.

Photophysical Processes Involved within the Anisole−Thioindoxyl Dyad System

The photophysical properties and the nature of the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) reactions within a synthesized anisole (A)-thioindoxyl (T) dyad system (24MBTO) have been studied by electrochemical, steady-state, and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. Computations on the dyad were performed both in gas phase as well as solvent environment by TD-DFT method with B3LYP density function. The geometry optimization calculation of 24MBTO was done by 6-311G(d,p) basis function set implemented in the Gaussian package. The theoretical values of singlet vertical excitation energies were found to correlate well with the experimentally observed ones. The electrochemical measurements indicate the possibility of occurrence of PET reactions within 24MBTO between the linked redox centers A and T. Both steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements on the novel synthesized 24MBTO dyad demonstrate the formations of the two types of isomeric species: Z- and E- forms, resulted from the charge separation reactions. From the detailed studies it reveals that the present thioaurone may behave as a versatile photoswitchable system. It has been hinted that the loss process (charge recombination) within 24MBTO could possibly be prevented by incorporating it within the hydrophobic cavity of beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD).

Photoinduced Long-Lived Charge Separation in a Tetrathiafulvalene−Porphyrin−Fullerene Triad Detected by Time-Resolved Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

Photoinduced electron transfer has been observed in a molecular triad, consisting of a porphyrin (P) covalently linked to a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and a fullerene derivative (C(60)), in the different phases of the liquid crystal E-7 and in a glass of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF) by means of time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In both solvents, an EPR signal observed immediately after excitation has been assigned to the radical pair TTF(*+)-P-C(60)(*-), based on its magnetic interaction parameters and spin polarization pattern. In the 2-MeTHF glass and the crystalline phase of E-7, the TTF(*+)-P-C(60)(*-) state is formed from the TTF-(1)P-C(60) singlet state via an initial TTF-P(*+)-C(60)(*-) charge-separated state. Long-lived charge separation ( approximately 8 mus) for the singlet-born radical pair is observed in the 2-MeTHF glass at cryogenic temperatures. In the nematic phase of E-7, a high degree of ordering in the liquid crystal is achieved by the molecular triad. In this phase, both singlet- and triplet-initiated electron transfer routes are concurrently active. At room temperature in the presence of the external magnetic field, the triplet-born radical pair (T)(TTF(*+)-P-C(60)(*-)) has a lifetime of approximately 7 mus, while that of the singlet-born radical pair (S)(TTF(*+)-P-C(60)(*-)) is much shorter (<1 mus). The difference in lifetimes is ascribed to spin dynamic effects in the magnetic field.

Using spin dynamics of covalently linked radical ion pairs to probe the impact of structural and energetic changes on charge recombination

We have synthesized a series of structurally related, covalently linked electron donor-acceptor triads having highly restricted conformations to study the effects of radical ion pair (RP) structure, energetics, and solvation on charge recombination. The chromophoric electron acceptor in these triads is a 4-aminonaphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide (6ANI), in which the 4-amine nitrogen atom is part of a piperazine ring. The second nitrogen atom of the piperazine ring is part of a para-substituted aniline donor, where the para substituents are X = H, OMe, and NMe(2). The imide group of 6ANI is linked to a naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) electron acceptor across a phenyl spacer in a meta relationship. The triads undergo two-step photoinduced electron transfer to yield their respective XAn(*)(+)-6ANI-Ph-NI(*)(-) RP states, which undergo radical pair intersystem crossing followed by charge recombination to yield (3)NI. Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance experiments on the spin-polarized RPs and triplet states carried out in toluene and in E-7, a mixture of nematic liquid crystals (LCs), show that for all three triads, the XAn(*)(+)-6ANI-Ph-NI(*)(-) RPs are correlated radical pairs and directly yield values of the spin-spin exchange interaction, J, and the dipolar interaction, D. The values of J are all about -1 mT and show that the LC environment most likely enforces the chair conformation at the piperazine ring, for which the RP distance is larger than that for the corresponding boat conformation. The values of D yield effective RP distances that agree well with those calculated earlier from the spin distributions of the radical ions. Within the LC, changing the temperature shows that the CR mechanism can be changed significantly as the energy levels of the RPs change relative to that of the recombination triplet.