Steric and Electronic Influence of Excited-State Decay in Cu(I) MLCT Chromophores

ConspectusFor the past 11 years, a dedicated effort in our research group focused on fundamentally advancing the photophysical properties of cuprous bis-phenanthroline-based metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited states. We rationalized that, by gaining control over the numerous factors limiting the more widespread use of CuI MLCT photosensitizers, they would be readily adopted in numerous light-activated applications given the earth-abundance of copper and the extensive library of 1,10-phenanthrolines developed over the last century. Significant progress has been achieved by recognizing valuable structure-property concepts developed by other researchers in tandem with detailed ultrafast and conventional time-scale investigations, in-silico-inspired molecular designs to predict spectroscopic properties, and applying novel synthetic methodologies. Ultimately, we achieved a plateau in exerting cooperative steric influence to control CuI MLCT excited state decay. This led to combining sterics with π-conjugation and/or inductive electronic effects to further exert control over molecular photophysical properties. The lessons gleaned from our studies of homoleptic complexes were recently extended to heteroleptic bis(phenanthrolines) featuring enhanced visible light absorption properties and long-lived room-temperature photoluminescence. This Account navigates the reader through our intellectual journey of decision-making, molecular and experimental design, and data interpretation in parallel with appropriate background information related to the quantitative characterization of molecular photophysics using CuI MLCT chromophores as prototypical examples.Initially, CuI MLCT excited states, their energetics, and relevant structural conformation changes implicated in their photophysical decay processes are described. This is followed by a discussion of the literature that motivated our research in this area. This led to our first molecular design in 2013, achieving a 7-fold increase in excited state lifetime relative to the current state-of-the-art. The lifetime and photophysical property enhancement resulted from using 2,9-branched alkyl groups in conjunction with flanking 3,8-methyl substituents, a strategy we adapted from the McMillin group, which was initially described in the late 1990s. Applications of this newly conceived chromophore are presented in solar hydrogen-producing photocatalysis, photochemical upconversion, and photosensitization of [4 + 4] anthracene dimerization of potential interest in thermal storage of solar energy in metastable intermediates. Ultrafast transient absorption and fluorescence upconversion spectroscopic characterization of this and related CuI molecules inform the resultant photophysical properties and vice versa, so the most comprehensive structure-property understanding becomes realized when these experimental tools are collectively utilized to investigate the same series of molecules. Computationally guided structural designs generated newly conceived molecules featuring visible light-harvesting and 2,9-cycloalkane substituted complexes. The latter eventually produced record-setting excited state lifetimes in molecules leveraging both cooperative steric influence and electronic inductive effects. Using photoluminescence data from structurally homologous CuI MLCT excited states collected over 44 years, an energy gap correlation successfully modeled the data spanning a 0.3 eV emission energy range. Finally, a new research direction is revealed detailing structure-photophysical property relationships in heteroleptic CuI phenanthroline chromophores that are photoluminescent at room temperature.

Excited State Bond Homolysis of Vanadium(V) Photocatalysts for Alkoxy Radical Generation

Advancements in photocatalysis have transformed synthetic organic chemistry, using light as a powerful tool to drive selective chemical transformations. Recent approaches have focused on metal-halide ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) photoactivated bond homolysis reactions leveraged by earth-abundant elements to generate valuable synthons for radical-mediated cross-coupling reactions. Of recent utility, oxovanadium(V) LMCT photocatalysts exhibit selective alkoxy radical generation from aliphatic alcohols upon blue light (UVA) irradiation under mild conditions. The selective photochemical liberation of alkoxy radicals is valuable for applying late-stage fragmentation approaches in organic synthesis and depolymerization strategies for nonbiodegradable polymers. Steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy were used to assign the electronic structure of three well-defined V(V) photocatalysts in their ground and excited states. We assign the excited state for this transformation at earth-abundant vanadium(V), interrogating the electronic structure using static UV-visible absorption, ultrafast transient absorption, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy coupled to computational approaches. These findings afford assignments of the short-lived excited state intermediates that dictate selective homolytic bond cleavage in metal alkoxides, illustrating the valuable insight gleaned from fundamental investigations of the molecular photochemistry responsible for light-escalated chemical transformations.

Enhanced Visible Light Absorption in Heteroleptic Cuprous Phenanthrolines

This work presents a series of Cu(I) heteroleptic 1,10-phenanthroline chromophores featuring enhanced UVA and visible-light-harvesting properties manifested through vectorial control of the copper-to-phenanthroline charge-transfer transitions. The molecules were prepared using the HETPHEN strategy, wherein a sterically congested 2,9-dimesityl-1,10-phenanthrolne (mesPhen) ligand was paired with a second phenanthroline ligand incorporating extended π-systems in their 4,7-positions. The combination of electrochemistry, static and time-resolved electronic spectroscopy, 77 K photoluminescence spectra, and time-dependent density functional theory calculations corroborated all of the experimental findings. The model chromophore, [Cu(mesPhen)(phen)]+ (1), lacking 4,7-substitutions preferentially reduces the mesPhen ligand in the lowest energy metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excited state. The remaining cuprous phenanthrolines (2-4) preferentially reduce their π-conjugated ligands in the low-lying MLCT excited state. The absorption cross sections of 2-4 were enhanced (εMLCTmax = 7430-9980 M-1 cm-1) and significantly broadened across the UVA and visible regions of the spectrum compared to 1 (εMLCTmax = 6494 M-1 cm-1). The excited-state decay mechanism mirrored those of long-lived homoleptic Cu(I) phenanthrolines, yielding three distinguishable time constants in ultrafast transient absorption experiments. These represent pseudo-Jahn-Teller distortion (τ1), singlet-triplet intersystem crossing (τ2), and the relaxed MLCT excited-state lifetime (τ3). Effective light-harvesting from Cu(I)-based chromophores can now be rationalized within the HETPHEN strategy while achieving directionality in their respective MLCT transitions, valuable for integration into more complex donor-acceptor architectures and longer-lived photosensitizers.

Electronic Tuning of Photoexcited Dynamics in Heteroleptic Cu(I) Complex Photosensitizers

Photoexcited dynamics of heteroleptic Cu(I) complexes as noble-metal-free photosensitizers are closely intertwined with the nature of their ligands. By utilizing ultrafast optical and X-ray transient absorption spectroscopies, we characterized a new set of heteroleptic Cu(I) complexes [Cu(PPh3)2(BPyR)]+ (R = CH3, H, Br to COOCH3), with an increase in the electron-withdrawing ability of the functional group (R). We found that after the transient photooxidation of Cu(I) to Cu(II), the increasing electron-withdrawing ability of R barely affects the internal conversion (IC) (e.g., Jahn-taller (JT) distortion) between singlet MLCT states. However, it does accelerate the dynamics of intersystem crossing (ISC) between singlet and triplet MLCT states and the subsequent decay from the triplet MLCT state to the ground state. The associated lifetime constants are reduced by up to 300%. Our understanding of the photoexcited dynamics in heteroleptic Cu(I) complexes through ligand electronic tuning provides valuable insight into the rational design of efficient Cu(I) complex photosensitizers.

Atomic-scale observation of solvent reorganization influencing photoinduced structural dynamics in a copper complex photosensitizer

Photochemical reactions in solution are governed by a complex interplay between transient intramolecular electronic and nuclear structural changes and accompanying solvent rearrangements. State-of-the-art time-resolved X-ray solution scattering has emerged in the last decade as a powerful technique to observe solute and solvent motions in real time. However, disentangling solute and solvent dynamics and how they mutually influence each other remains challenging. Here, we simultaneously measure femtosecond X-ray emission and scattering to track both the intramolecular and solvation structural dynamics following photoexcitation of a solvated copper photosensitizer. Quantitative analysis assisted by molecular dynamics simulations reveals a two-step ligand flattening strongly coupled to the solvent reorganization, which conventional optical methods could not discern. First, a ballistic flattening triggers coherent motions of surrounding acetonitrile molecules. In turn, the approach of acetonitrile molecules to the copper atom mediates the decay of intramolecular coherent vibrations and induces a further ligand flattening. These direct structural insights reveal that photoinduced solute and solvent motions can be intimately intertwined, explaining how the key initial steps of light harvesting are affected by the solvent on the atomic time and length scale. Ultimately, this work takes a step forward in understanding the microscopic mechanisms of the bidirectional influence between transient solvent reorganization and photoinduced solute structural dynamics.

Deep-Blue Emissive Copper(I) Complexes Based on P-Thiophenylethyl-Substituted Cyclic Bisphosphines Displaying Photoinduced Structural Transformations of the Excited States

A synthetic method for a primary 2-(thiophen-2'-yl)ethylphosphine was developed. The reaction of thiophenylethylphosphine with paraformaldehyde and primary arylamines leads to the formation of cyclic bisphosphines, namely, 1,5-di(aryl)-3,7-bis(thiophenylethyl)-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane (aryl = phenyl, p-tolyl). The obtained bisphosphines form cationic bis-P,P-chelate complexes with copper(I) tetrafluoroborate, which were structurally characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental and XRD analyses. Surprisingly, the copper(I) complexes display a multiband emission in the solid state with maxima at 355-360, 425-430, and 480-490 nm and nanosecond lifetimes (1.2-1.4 ns) upon a 335 nm excitation. The excitation of the complexes at 360 nm at room temperature results in a deep-blue emission at 425-430 nm and a tail at 460-490 nm. A temperature decrease leads to an increased intensity of the emission band at 480 nm, while the luminescence lifetimes insignificantly increased up to 14 ns. Quantum chemical calculations explain the observed unusual luminescent behavior by the existence of "undistorted" and "flattened" singlet excited states of copper(I) complexes at room temperature and at 77 K, respectively.

Towards Optimized Photoluminescent Copper(I) Phenanthroline-Functionalized Complexes: Control of the Photophysics by Symmetry-Breaking and Spin–Orbit Coupling

The electronic and structural alterations induced by the functionalization of the 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) ligand in [Cu(I) (phen-R₂)₂]⁺ complexes (R=H, CH₃, tertio-butyl, alkyl-linkers) and their consequences on the luminescence properties and thermally activated delay fluorescence (TADF) activity are investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent (TD) extension. It is shown that highly symmetric molecules with several potentially emissive nearly-degenerate conformers are not promising because of low S₁/S₀ oscillator strengths together with limited or no S₁/T₁ spin–orbit coupling (SOC). Furthermore, steric hindrance, which prevents the flattening of the complex upon irradiation, is a factor of instability. Alternatively, linking the phenanthroline ligands offers the possibility to block the flattening while maintaining remarkable photophysical properties. We propose here two promising complexes, with appropriate symmetry and enough rigidity to warrant stability in standard solvents. This original study paves the way for the supramolecular design of new emissive devices.

Real-Time and In Situ Viscosity Monitoring in Industrial Adhesives Using Luminescent Cu(I) Phenanthroline Molecular Sensors

Monitoring the viscosity of polymers in real-time remains a challenge, especially in confined environments where traditional rheological measurements are hard to apply. In this study, we have utilized the luminescent complex [Cu(diptmp)2]+ (diptmp = 2,9-diisopropyl-3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) as an optical probe for real-time sensing of viscosity in various adhesives during the curing process (viscosity increases). The emission lifetime of the triplet metal-to-ligand charge transfer (3MLCT) state of [Cu(diptmp)2]+ in epoxy adhesive increased exponentially during curing, similar to viscosity values obtained from oscillatory rheology. The longer lifetime in higher viscosity materials was attributed to changes in the excited-state deactivation processes from a known Jahn-Teller distortion in the Cu(I) geometry from tetrahedral in the ground state to square planar in the excited state. The real-time viscosity was also monitored reversibly by emission lifetime during polymer swelling (viscosity and lifetime decrease) and unswelling (viscosity and lifetime increase). Monitoring emission lifetime, unlike measuring the excited-state lifetime via transient absorption measurements in our previous study, allowed us to measure viscosity in opaque samples which scatter light. The optical probe [Cu(diptmp)2]+ in Gorilla Glue adhesive showed a clear correlation of the emission intensity or lifetime to viscosity during the curing process. We have also compared these lifetime changes using [Ru(bpy)3]2+ (bpy = bipyridine) as a control. [Cu(diptmp)2]+ showed not only a higher emission lifetime but also more ubiquity as a real-time viscosity sensor.

Toward Improved Charge Separation through Conformational Control in Copper Coordination Complexes

The continued development of solar energy as a renewable resource necessitates new approaches to sustaining photodriven charge separation (CS). We present a bioinspired approach in which photoinduced conformational rearrangements at a ligand are translated into changes in coordination geometry and environment about a bound metal ion. Taking advantage of the differential coordination properties of Cu^I and Cu^II, these dynamics aim to facilitate intramolecular electron transfer (ET) from Cu^I to the ligand to create a CS state. The synthesis and photophysical characterization of CuCl(dpaa^R) (dpaa = dipicolylaminoacetophenone, with R = H and OMe) are presented. These ligands incorporate a fluorophore that gives rise to a twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) excited state. Excited-state ligand twisting provides a tetragonal coordination geometry capable of capturing Cu^II when an internal ortho-OMe binding site is present. NMR, IR, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and optical spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction, and electrochemical methods establish the ground-state properties of these Cu^I and Cu^II complexes. The photophysical dynamics of the Cu^I complexes are explored by time-resolved photoluminescence and optical transient absorption spectroscopies. Relative to control complexes lacking a TICT-active ligand, the lifetimes of CS states are enhanced ∼1000-fold. Further, the presence of the ortho-OMe substituent greatly enhances the lifetime of the TICT* state and biases the coordination environment toward Cu^II. The presence of Cu^I decreases photoinduced degradation from 14 to <2% but does not result in significant quenching via ET. Factors affecting CS in these systems are discussed, laying the groundwork for our strategy toward solar energy conversion.

Ligand‐Induced Donor State Destabilisation – A New Route to Panchromatically Absorbing Cu(I) Complexes

The intense absorption of light to covering a large part of the visible spectrum is highly desirable for solar energy conversion schemes. To this end, we have developed novel anionic bis(4H‐imidazolato)Cu(I) complexes (cuprates), which feature intense, panchromatic light absorption properties throughout the visible spectrum and into the NIR region with extinction coefficients up to 28,000 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹. Steady‐state absorption, (spectro)electrochemical and theoretical investigations reveal low energy (Vis to NIR) metal‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer absorption bands, which are a consequence of destabilized copper‐based donor states. These high‐lying copper‐based states are induced by the σ‐donation of the chelating anionic ligands, which also feature low energy acceptor states. The optical properties are reflected in very low, copper‐based oxidation potentials and three ligand‐based reduction events. These electronic features reveal a new route to panchromatically absorbing Cu(I) complexes.

Low power threshold photochemical upconversion using a zirconium(iv) LMCT photosensitizer

The current investigation demonstrates highly efficient photochemical upconversion (UC) where a long-lived Zr(iv) ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) complex serves as a triplet photosensitizer in concert with well-established 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) along with newly conceived DPA-carbazole based acceptors/annihilators in THF solutions. The initial dynamic triplet-triplet energy transfer (TTET) processes (ΔG ∼ -0.19 eV) featured very large Stern-Volmer quenching constants (K SV) approaching or achieving 105 M-1 with bimolecular rate constants between 2 and 3 × 108 M-1 s-1 as ascertained using static and transient spectroscopic techniques. Both the TTET and subsequent triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) processes were verified and throughly investigated using transient absorption spectroscopy. The Stern-Volmer metrics support 95% quenching of the Zr(iv) photosensitizer using modest concentrations (0.25 mM) of the various acceptor/annihilators, where no aggregation took place between any of the chromophores in THF. Each of the upconverting formulations operated with continuous-wave linear incident power dependence (λ ex = 514.5 nm) down to ultralow excitation power densities under optimized experimental conditions. Impressive record-setting η UC values ranging from 31.7% to 42.7% were achieved under excitation conditions (13 mW cm-2) below that of solar flux integrated across the Zr(iv) photosensitizer's absorption band (26.7 mW cm-2). This study illustrates the importance of supporting the continued development and discovery of molecular-based triplet photosensitizers based on earth-abundant metals.

Next Generation Cuprous Phenanthroline MLCT Photosensitizer Featuring Cyclohexyl Substituents

A new long-lived, visible-light-absorbing homoleptic Cu(I) metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) photosensitizer, [Cu(dchtmp)₂]PF₆ (dchtmp = 2,9-dicyclohexyl-3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline), has been synthesized, structurally characterized, and evaluated in terms of its molecular photophysics, electrochemistry, and electronic structure. Static and time-resolved transient absorption (TA) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy measured on the title compound in CH₂Cl₂ (τ = 2.6 μs, Φ_PL = 5.5%), CH₃CN (τ = 1.5 μs, Φ_PL = 2.6%), and THF (τ = 2.0 μs, Φ_PL = 3.7%) yielded impressive photophysical metrics even when dissolved in Lewis basic solvents. The combined static spectroscopic data along with ultrafast TA experiments revealed that the pseudo-Jahn-Teller distortion and intersystem crossing dynamics in the MLCT excited state displayed characteristics of being sterically arrested throughout its evolution. Electrochemical and static PL data illustrate that [Cu(dchtmp)₂]PF₆ is a potent photoreductant (-1.77 V vs Fc^+/0 in CH₃CN) equal to or greater than all previously investigated homoleptic Cu(I) diimine complexes. Although we successfully prepared the cyclopentyl analog dcptmp (2,9-dicyclopentyl-3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) using the same C-C radical coupling photochemistry as dchtmp, the corresponding Cu(I) complex could not be isolated due to the steric hindrance presented at the metal center. Ultimately, the successful preparation of [Cu(dchtmp)₂]⁺ represents a major step forward for the design and discovery of novel earth-abundant photosensitizers made possible through a newly conceived ligand synthetic strategy.

On the interplay of solvent and conformational effects in simulated excited-state dynamics of a copper phenanthroline photosensitizer

QM/MM direct dynamics simulations in acetonitrile reveal the interplay between solvent and conformational effects in the photoinduced ultrafast flattening of a copper photosensitizer.

Enhancing the Visible-Light Absorption and Excited-State Properties of Cu(I) MLCT Excited States

A computationally inspired Cu(I) metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) chromophore, [Cu(sbmpep)₂]⁺ (sbmpep = 2,9-di(sec-butyl)-3,8-dimethyl-4,7-di(phenylethynyl)-1,10-phenanthroline), was synthesized in seven total steps, prepared from either dichloro- or dibromophenanthroline precursors. Complete synthesis, structural characterization, and electrochemistry, in addition to static and dynamic photophysical properties of [Cu(sbmpep)₂]⁺, are reported on all relevant time scales. UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy revealed significant increases in oscillator strength along with a concomitant bathochromic shift in the MLCT absorption bands with respect to structurally related model complexes (ε = 16 500 M^-1 cm^-1 at 491 nm). Strong red photoluminescence (Φ = 2.7%, λ_max = 687 nm) was observed from [Cu(sbmpep)₂]⁺, which featured an average excited-state lifetime of 1.4 μs in deaerated dichloromethane. Cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry revealed ∼300 mV positive shifts in the measured one-electron reversible reduction and oxidation waves in relation to a Cu(I) model complex possessing identical structural elements without the π-conjugated 4,7-substituents. The excited-state redox potential of [Cu(sbmpep)₂]⁺ was estimated to be -1.36 V, a notably powerful reductant for driving photoredox chemistry. The combination of conventional and ultrafast transient  absorption and luminescence spectroscopy successfully map the excited-state dynamics of [Cu(sbmpep)₂]⁺ from initial photoexcitation to the formation of the lowest-energy MLCT excited state and ultimately its relaxation to the ground state. This newly conceived molecule appears poised for photosensitization reactions involving energy and electron-transfer processes relevant to photochemical upconversion, photoredox catalysis, and solar fuels photochemistry.

Artificial photosynthesis by light absorption, charge separation, and multielectron catalysis

We highlight recent novel approaches in the field of artificial photosynthesis. We emphasize the potential of a highly modular plug-and-play concept that we hope will persuade the community to explore a more inclusive variety of multielectron redox catalysis to complement the proton reduction and water oxidation half-reactions in traditional solar water splitting systems.