Balancing binding strength and charge transfer lifetime in supramolecular associates of fullerenes

Self-Assembled Materials Incorporating Functional Porphyrins and Carbon Nanoplatforms as Building Blocks for Photovoltaic Energy Applications

As a primary goal, this review highlights the role of supramolecular interactions in the assembly of new sustainable materials incorporating functional porphyrins and carbon nanoplatforms as building blocks for photovoltaics advancements.

A supramolecular polymeric heterojunction composed of an all-carbon conjugated polymer and fullerenes

Herein, we design and synthesize a novel all-carbon supramolecular polymer host (SPh) containing conjugated macrocycles interconnected by a linear poly(para-phenylene) backbone. Applying the supramolecular host and fullerene C60 as the guest, we successfully construct a supramolecular polymeric heterojunction (SPh⊃C60). This carbon structure offers a means to explore the convex-concave π-π interactions between SPh and C60. The produced SPh was characterized by gel permeation chromatography, mass spectrometry, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and other spectroscopies. The polymeric segment can be directly viewed using a scanning tunneling microscope. Femtosecond transient absorption and fluorescence up-conversion measurements revealed femtosecond (≪300 fs) electron transfer from photoexcited SPh to C60, followed by nanosecond charge recombination to produce the C60 triplet excited state. The potential applications of SPh⊃C60 in electron- and hole-transport devices were also investigated, revealing that C60 incorporation enhances the charge transport properties of SPh. These results expand the scope of the synthesis and application of supramolecular polymeric heterojunctions.

Photoconductive Curved-Nanographene/Fullerene Supramolecular Heterojunctions

This study presents synthesis and characterizations of two novel curved nanographenes that strongly bind with fullerene C₆₀ to form photoconductive heterojunctions. Films of the self-assembled curved nanographene/fullerene complexes, which served as the photoconductive layer, generated a significant photocurrent under light irradiation. Gram-scale quantities of these curved nanographenes (TCR and HCR) as the "crown" sidewalls can be incorporated into a carbon nanoring to form molecular crowns, and the molecular structure of C₆₀ @TCR is determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The UV/Vis absorption and emission spectra, and theoretical studies revealed their unique structural features and photophysical properties. Time-resolved spectroscopic results clearly suggest fast photoinduced electron transfer process in the supramolecular heterojunctions.

Unveiling the nature of supramolecular crown ether-C60 interactions

A series of exTTF-(crown ether)₂ receptors, designed to host C₆₀, has been prepared. The size of the crown ether and the nature of the heteroatoms have been systematically changed to fine tune the association constants. Electrochemical measurements and transient absorption spectroscopy assisted in corroborating charge transfer in the ground state and in the excited state, leading to the formation of radical ion pairs featuring lifetimes in the range from 12 to 21 ps. To rationalize the nature of the exTTF-(crown ether)₂·C₆₀ stabilizing interactions, theoretical calculations have been carried out, suggesting a synergetic interplay of donor-acceptor, π-π, n-π and CH···π interactions, which is the basis for the affinity of our novel receptors towards C₆₀.