Formation Of Charge-separated State Research Articles

Large π-Conjugated Metal-Organic Frameworks for Infrared-Light-Driven CO2 Reduction.

It remains challenging to excite traditional photocatalysts through near-infrared (NIR) light. Attempts to use NIR-light-response materials for photochemical reduction usually suffer from inapposite band position due to extremely narrow band gaps. Here, we report that large π-conjugated organic semiconductor engineered metal-organic framework (MOF) can result in NIR-light-driven CO2 reduction catalyst with high photocatalytic activity. A series of mesoporous MOFs, with progressively increased macrocyclic π-conjugated units, were synthesized for tuning the light adsorption range and catalytic performance. Attainment of these MOFs in single-crystal form revealed the identical topology and precise spatial arrangements of constituent organic semiconductor units and metal clusters. Furthermore, the ultrafast spectroscopic studies confirmed the formation of charge separation state and the mechanism underlying photoexcited dynamics. This combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and in situ electron paramagnetic resonance studies verified the photoinduced electron transfer pathway within MOFs for NIR-light-driven CO2 reduction. Specifically, tetrakis(4-carboxybiphenyl)naphthoporphyrin) MOF (TNP-MOF) photocatalyst displayed an unprecedentedly high CO2 reduction rate of over 6630 μmol h-1 g-1 under NIR light irradiation, and apparent quantum efficiencies (AQE) at 760 and 808 nm were over 2.03% and 1.11%, respectively. The photocatalytic performance outperformed all the other MOF-based photocatalysts, even visible-light-driven MOF-based catalysts.

Light-induced energy transfer followed by electron transfer in axially co-ordinated benzothiazole tethered zinc porphyrin-fullero[C60/C70]pyrrolidine triads

Benzothiazole (BTZ)-zinc porphyrin (ZnP) dyads, Dyad-1 and Dyad-2 connected together with two different spacers, ester and ethoxy esters, were synthesized and light induced energy and electron transfer events were investigated. Within these dyads, due to the spectral overlap of the BTZ emission with the ZnP absorption, a selective photoexcitation of BTZ at 325 nm resulted in the photo-induced energy transfer (PEnT) from 1BTZ* to ZnP displaying the quenching of the BTZ emission followed by the concurrent appearance of the ZnP emission at 600 and 650 nm suggesting the formation of the 1ZnP* [Formula: see text]. 1BTZ*-ZnP [Formula: see text] BTZ-1ZnP*. When the dyads are titrated with imidazole appended fullero[C[Formula: see text]/C[Formula: see text]]pyrrolidines, four supramolecular triads, involving the axial co-ordination of the imidazole to the zinc center of the ZnP, were formed and the assembly formation was systematically monitored by the optical absorption technique. Cyclic voltammetry and the density functional theory calculations have revealed that, in these triads, the zinc porphyrin acts as an electron donor and fullerene moiety as the electron acceptor. Steady state fluorescence studies revealed that, upon selective excitation of the ZnP moiety at 550 nm, the emission of ZnP at 600 and 650 nm was quenched revealing the occurrence of photo-induced electron transfer (PET) from 1ZnP* to fullerene moiety leading to the formation of charge separated state [Formula: see text]. BTZ-1ZnP* : (ImC[Formula: see text] BTZ-ZnP[Formula: see text]:(ImC[Formula: see text]. More importantly, when the supramolecular triads were excited at 325 nm, the wavelength at which the BTZ absorbs predominantly, the emission of the BTZ moiety which was quenched due to PEnT from 1BTZ* to ZnP followed by the PET from 1ZnP* to fullerene indicates the probability of occurrence of 1BTZ*-ZnP:(ImC[Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] BTZ-1ZnP*[Formula: see text]: (ImC[Formula: see text] BTZ-ZnP[Formula: see text]:(ImC[Formula: see text].

Charge separation and singlet fission in covalently linked diketopyrrolopyrrole derivatives and triphenylamine triad in solution

A covalently linked push-pull type triad containing two unsymmetrical electron donors, triphenylamine (TPA) and benzothiophene (BT), and diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP), an electron acceptor, through thiophene spacer has been synthesized (BT-DPP-TPA(7)) and ultrafast relaxation dynamics of the triad has been explored in solution phase by various spectroscopic methods. Steady-state and time-resolved emission studies show the efficient fluorescence quenching of the DPP entity of as prepared BT-DPP-TPA(7) triad. The negative free energy values comprising the redox potentials and singlet state energy of BT-DPP-TPA(7) revealed the probability of electron transfer from the singlet ground state of TPA to the excited singlet state of DPP. Femtosecond transient absorption (fsTA) spectroscopic studies confirmed the formation of charge separation state by detecting triphenylamine radical cation as electron-transfer transients. The rate of charge separation, kCS, is (109−108 s−1) observed to be increasing from nonpolar to polar solvents and the rate of charge recombination, kCR, was found to be slower (μs time scale) in polar solvents like DMF and chloroform, than that in hexane, non-polar solvent (ns time scale). This novel aspect could be due to asymmetrically designed push-pull type triad, a feature that was not evident in push-pull triad constructed using symmetric TPA as electron donors. Furthermore, fsTA studies also demonstrate, for the first time, that the DPP derivatives, TDPP(4) and BT-DPP-TPA(7), both undergo singlet fission (SF) event (S→TT) in 100−200 ps time scale in solution phase for the solution of concentration above ∼100 μM. These results may pave the new avenue for device design comprising DPP derivatives.

Solvent effects on triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion kinetics of perylene with a Bodipy-phenyl-C60 photosensitizer.

The solvent effect usually plays an important role in triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) upconversion processes. In this work, we have studied the TTA upconversion kinetics of perylene with Bodipy-phenyl-C60 as the triplet photosensitizer in five solvents, 1,4-dioxane, dichlorobenzene, chlorobenzene, toluene, and tetrahydrofuran (THF). Although no significant solvent effect was observed in steady-state absorption and fluorescence emission spectra, the overall TTA upconversion quantum yields showed a profound dependence on solvent properties, i.e. 4.9% in 1,4-dioxane, 7.1% in dichlorobenzene, 6.7% in chlorobenzene, 4.6% in toluene, and 2.2% in THF (the maximum of 50%). Each elementary reaction step involved in the overall process was analyzed by applying femtosecond and nanosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy, revealing that the fluorescence emission of perylene was more significantly affected by the solvents in contrast to the other steps. Moreover, an extra intramolecular energy-transfer pathway of Bodipy-phenyl-C60 was found via the formation of charge-separated states in dichlorobenzene, chlorobenzene, and THF solvents, once being excited. These conclusions provide valuable clues to choose the most favorable solvent for the higher TTA upconversion efficiency in related applications.

Combining Zinc Phthalocyanines, Oligo(p-Phenylenevinylenes), and Fullerenes to Impact Reorganization Energies and Attenuation Factors.

A study on electron transfer in three electron donor-acceptor complexes is reported. These architectures consist of a zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) as the excited-state electron donor and a fullerene (C60 ) as the ground-state electron acceptor. These complexes are brought together by axial coordination at ZnPc. The key variable in our design is the length of the molecular spacer, namely, oligo-p-phenylenevinylenes. The lack of appreciable ground-state interactions is in accordance with strong excited-state interactions, as inferred from the quenching of ZnPc centered fluorescence and the presence of a short-lived fluorescence component. Full-fledged femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy assays corroborated that the ZnPc ⋅ + -C60 ⋅ - charge-separated state formation comes at the expense of excited-state interactions following ZnPc photoexcitation. At a first glance, the ZnPc ⋅ + -C60 ⋅ - charge-separated state lifetime increased from 0.4 to 86.6 ns as the electron donor-acceptor separation increased from 8.8 to 29.1 Å. A closer look at the kinetics revealed that the changes in charge-separated state lifetime are tied to a decrease in the electronic coupling element from 132 to 1.2 cm-1 , an increase in the reorganization energy of charge transfer from 0.43 to 0.63 eV, and a large attenuation factor of 0.27 Å-1 .

Prediction of Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties of D–π–A Compounds Containing Novel Fluorene Derivatives: A Promising Route to Giant Hyperpolarizabilities

Herein, first attempt has been made to utilize fluorene-based dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSCs) dye JK-201 as potential nonlinear optical (NLO) material and for the theoretical designing of novel NLO chromophores JK-D1–JK-D12. DFT/TDDFT calculations were performed to compute the effect of π-linkers and acceptors-steered modulation on electronic, photophysical and NLO properties of JK-201 and JK-D1–JK-D12. Results illustrate that computed λmax (484.74 nm) and experimentally calculated λmax (481 nm) of JK-201 was found in good agreement. Maximum red shifted absorption spectrum was observed in JK-D12 with 599.38 nm. JK-D1–JK-D12 showed narrow energy gap and broader absorption spectrum as compared to JK-201. NBO analysis confirmed the formation of charge separation state due to robust range of electrons/charge transfer from donor to acceptor via π-bridge. Giant NLO response was observed in all compounds. Particularly, JK-D12 displayed surprisingly large 〈α〉 and βtot computed 1376.74 (a.u.) and 405,731.84 (a.u.) respectively. Although literature is flooded with D–π–A compounds investigated for their DSSCs properties, but research reports on their NLO properties and utilization as NLO materials are completely deserted. Our research will open new horizons to explore DSSCs materials for NLO applications. This theoretical framework also exposed that fluorene-substituted chromophores are excellent NLO candidates for modern hi-tech applications.

First theoretical probe for efficient enhancement of nonlinear optical properties of quinacridone based compounds through various modifications

In this study, first attempt has been made for theoretical designing of quinacridone (QA) dye and new QA-based compounds (QA-1 to QA-9) were proposed by installing auxiliary donors (dimethylvinyl, methoxy, and N,N-dimethylamine), donor (diphenylamine) and acceptors (cyanoacrylic acid, CN and NO2) segments into fixed π-bridge QA. DFT and TDDFT calculations with B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and CAM-B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) functional were used to shed light on the promising structure, charge transport and NLO properties. Introduction of auxiliary donors/donor and acceptor successfully modified the structure which led to superior NLO properties. An eye-catching NLO response was observed in all designed compounds. Interestingly, QA-9 exhibits appealingly large enhancement in NLO properties through ICT process with <α> and βtot computed to be 716.02 (a.u) and 128082.15 (a.u) respectively. UV–Vis results indicates the QA-9 most red shifted among all studied compounds with λmax = 489.02 nm. QA-1 to QA-9 showed narrow HOMO-LUMO energy gap as compared to QA which results in enhanced NLO response. NBO analysis confirms the formation of charge separation state in QA-1 to QA-9 due to successful migration of electrons from auxiliary donors/donor to acceptors via π-bridge. The present research evokes the scientific interest regarding the development of QA based tempting NLO compounds that can be beneficial in modern hi-tech applications.

Synthesis, crystal structure analysis, spectral characterization and nonlinear optical exploration of potent thiosemicarbazones based compounds: A DFT refine experimental study

The thiosemicarbazones have exciting biological and nonlinear optical (NLO) applications. The present study reports detail experimental and computational studies of three novel ferrocene-substituted thiosemicarbazones: (E/Z)-4-benzyl-1-(1-ferrocenylethyl)thiosemicarbazones (1), (E/Z)-4-(4-chlorobenzyl)-1-(1-ferrocenyl-ethyl) thiosemicarbazone (2) and (E/Z)-4-(2-bromo benzyl)-1-(1-ferrocenylethyl)thiosemicarbazone (3). These compounds were synthesized and resolved into their single crystal structures for the estimation of unit cells, space groups, bond angles and bond lengths. Chemical structures of 1–3 were further characterized spectroscopically employing nuclear magnetic resonance technique (1H NMR), infrared (FT-IR), mass and UV–Visible studies. Computational studies of 1–3 were performed using density functional theory (DFT) tools at M06 level of theory and 6–31 + G(d,p) basis set combination to gain the optimized geometry. A good correlation was found between experimental SC-XRD structures and DFT optimized geometries. Electronic properties including natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) analysis, spectroscopic FT-IR data and NLO properties were calculated using same M06/6–31 + G(d,p) level of theory. NBO analysis confirmed the formation of charge separation state due to successful migration of electrons from donor to acceptor unit through π-bridge. Global reactivity parameters were estimated using energies of FMOs which described that 1–3 are chemically hard and stable molecules. Vertical electronic transition states were calculated using time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) at same level of theory. NLO properties of 1–3 were computed 5.77, 3.48 and 8.93 times greater than the standard urea molecule respectively. Two-state model confirmed the potential of synthesized molecules as NLO candidates.

Elucidating Charge Separation Dynamics in a Hybrid Metal–Organic Framework Photocatalyst for Light-Driven H2 Evolution

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as novel scaffolds for artificial photosynthesis due to their unique capability in incorporating homogeneous photosensitizer and catalyst to their robust heterogeneous matrix. In this work, we report the charge separation dynamics between molecular Ru-photosensitizer and Pt-catalyst, both of which were successfully incorporated into a Zr-MOF that demonstrates excellent activity and stability for light-driven H2 generation from water. Using optical transient absorption (OTA) spectroscopy, we show that charge separation in this hybrid MOF occurs via electron transfer (ET) from Ru-photosensitizer to Pt-catalyst. Using Pt L3-edge X-ray transient absorption (XTA) spectroscopy, we observed the intermediate reduced Pt site, directly confirming the formation of charge separated state due to ET from Ru-photosensitizer and unraveling their key roles in photocatalysis.

Charge separation at an organic/inorganic nano-hybrid interface: atomistic simulations of a para-sexiphenyl ZnO system.

A prototypical organic/inorganic interface is considered which is formed by vertical stacking of 20 para-sexiphenyl molecules physisorbed on a ZnO nano-cluster of 3903 atoms. Charge separation kinetics at the interface are investigated for their dependence on ultrafast optical excitation. In order to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution of the Frenkel exciton in the organic part and the formation of charge separated states a first principles parameterized Hamiltonian is introduced and the related time-dependent Schroedinger equation is solved. By determining the interface absorption spectrum the optically addressable states can be uncovered. The work continues our previous studies of J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2018, 9, 209, but with a changed type of surface passivation. This prevents trapping of electrons close to the surface. Charge separated states are formed by direct optical excitation and also by exciton decay at the interface. Electron migration away from the interface into bulk regions becomes possible. The hole stays close to the interface for all excitation scenarios. Finally, it is demonstrated that energetic disorder is of minor influence.

Atomistic Simulations of Charge Separation at a Nanohybrid Interface: Relevance of Photoinduced Initial State Preparation.

Charge separation kinetics at a nanohybrid interface are investigated in their dependence on ultrafast optical excitation. A prototypical organic/inorganic interface is considered. It is formed by a vertical stacking of 20 para-sexiphenyl molecules physisorbed on a ZnO nanocluster of 3783 atoms. A first principle parametrized Hamiltonian is employed, and the photoinduced subpicosecond evolution of Frenkel-excitons in the organic part is analyzed besides the formation of charge separated states across the interface. The interface absorption spectrum is calculated. Together, the data indicate that the charge separation is based on the direct excitation of the charge separated states but also on the migration of created Frenkel excitons to the interface with subsequent decay. Further, the photoinduced interface dynamics are compared with data resulting from direct set-ups of an initially excited state. Mostly such set-ups lead to substantially different charge separation processes.

Multichromophoric Perylenediimide-Silicon Phthalocyanine-C60 System as an Artificial Photosynthetic Analogue.

Sequential photoinduced energy transfer followed by electron transfer and the formation of charge-separated states, which are primary events of natural photosynthesis, have been demonstrated in a newly synthesized multichromophoric covalently linked triad, PDI-SiPc-C60 . The triad comprises a perylenediimide (PDI), which primarily fulfils antenna and electron-acceptor functionalities, silicon phthalocyanine (SiPc) as an electron donor, and fulleropyrrolidine (C60 ) as a second electron acceptor. The multi-step convergent synthetic procedure developed here produced good yields of the triad and control dyads, PDI-SiPc and SiPc-C60 . The structures and geometries of the newly synthesized donor-acceptor systems have been established from spectral, computational, and electrochemical studies with reference to appropriate control compounds. Ultrafast energy transfer from 1 PDI* to SiPc in the case of PDI-SiPc and PDI-SiPc-C60 was witnessed. An energy-level diagram established from spectral and electrochemical data suggested the formation of two types of charge-separated states, that is, PDI-SiPc.+ -C60.- and PDI.- -SiPc.+ -C60 from the 1 SiPc* in the triad, with generation of the latter being energetically more favorable. However, photochemical studies involving femtosecond transient spectroscopy revealed the formation of PDI-SiPc.+ -C60.- as a major charge-separated product. This observation may be rationalized in terms of the closer spatial proximity to SiPc of C60 compared to PDI in the triad. The charge-separated state persisted for a few nanoseconds prior to populating the 3 SiPc* state during charge recombination.

Elucidating the enhancement in optical properties of low band gap polymers by tuning the structure of alkyl side chains.

We carry out a computational study of optical properties of two novel 5,6-difluorobenzo[c][1,2,5]-thiadiazole-based polymers, PFBT-T20TT and PFBT-T12TT, to elucidate the surprisingly superior performance of polymer solar cells based on the former, when it differs from the latter only in the alkyl side chains. Density Functional Theory (DFT) based geometry optimization at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level reveals differences in internal coordinates, which are important in tuning the electronic and optical properties. We further calculate the electronic structure at room temperature by employing molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in combination with DFT techniques. The energies of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) are found to be in reasonable agreement with the available experimental data and the HOMO-lowest unoccupied MO energy gap is found to be similar for both the molecules. The electronic density of the HOMO in PFBT-T20TT is, however, found to be significantly more delocalized along the backbone, which is proposed to be conducive for the formation of charge separated states leading to an improved device performance. Furthermore, via fitting the absorption spectra calculated with the multi-mode Brownian Oscillator model, we have also extracted a weaker exciton-phonon coupling parameter in PFBT-T20TT, consistent with the trends revealed via the DFT-MD results.

Photophysical properties and potential application in photocurrent generation of porphyrin-[60]fullerene polymer linked by metal axial coordination

Porphyrin-[60]fullerene polymers linked by metal axial coordination of fullerenoacetic diacids e-isomer with dihydroxo Sn(IV) porphyrin have been prepared and characterized. The polymers display the regular one-dimensional linear arrays with lengths exceeded 200 nm and show good thermal stability. The efficient photoinduced electron transfer from singlet excited porphyrin to fullerene in the polymer has been achieved resulting in the formation of charge separation state with a lifetime as long as 140 μs in benzonitrile. The long-lived charge separated state is very useful for photoelectric conversion system. The photocurrent generation in organic photovoltaic device was described further, and a steady and rapid cathodic photocurrent response was produced at the irradiation of λex = 429 nm light. The polymers are expected to provide novel photonic or electronic functions in organic solar cell.

Synthesis, Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties of Amide‐Linked Phthalocyanine‐Fullerene Dyad

AbstractA new amide‐linked phthalocyanine‐fullerene dyad ZnPc‐C60 was synthesized and characterized. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the ZnPc‐C60 dyad were investigated. The fluorescence spectrum and quantum yield in different solvents showed the occurrence of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from the singlet excited ZnPc to C60, which was further confirmed by nanosecond transient absorption spectra and cyclic voltammetry data. The free energy change for charge separation (ΔGCS) was estimated to be exothermic with −0.51 eV, which favored the formation of charge‐separation state. The PET from ZnPc to C60 in ZnPc‐C60 made the dyad exhibit stronger reverse saturable absorption performance compared with C60 and the control sample in the Z‐scan experiments, which indicated the synergistic effect of two active moieties in the dyad.

Synthesis and Characterization of Peripherally Ferrocene-modified Zinc Phthalocyanine for Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

Synthesis and structural characterization of peripherally ferrocene-substituted zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc-Fc) were carried out for efficient far-red/near-IR performance in dye-sensitized nanostructured TiO 2 solar cells. Incorporating ferrocene into phthalocyanine strongly improved the dye solubility in polar organic solvents, and reduced surface aggregation due to the steric effect of bulky ferrocene substituents. The involvement of electron transfer reaction pathways between ferrocene and phthalocyanine in ZnPc-Fc was evidenced by completely quenched fluorescence from S1 state (< 0.08% vs ZnPc). Strong absorption bands at 542 and 682 nm were observed in the transient absorption spectroscopy of ZnPc-Fc in DMSO, which was excited at a 670 nm laser pulse with a 15 ps full width at half maximum. Also, the excited state absorption signals at 450 - 600 and 750 - 850 nm appeared from the formation of charge separated state of phthalocyanine's anion. The lifetime of the charge separate state in ZnPc-Fc was determined to be 170 ± 8 ps, which was almost 17 times shorter than that of the ZnPc.

Electron Transfer in the Supramolecular Donor−Acceptor Dyad of Zinc Hemiporphycene

In the present study, photoinduced electron transfer (ET) processes of supramolecular donor-acceptor dyads of Zn 2,3,7,8,11,12,17,18-octaethylhemiporphycene (ZnHPc) and axial ligands were investigated by using various spectroscopic methods. The formation of 1:1 dyads was confirmed by absorption spectral change during titration of axial ligand. The association constants were determined from the spectral change. Quenching of the fluorescence intensity was observed when electron acceptor ability of the axial ligand increased. The driving forces for ET were estimated based on the estimated redox potentials and structural parameters. It became clear that various ZnHPc dyads showed ET because of slightly higher donor-ability and larger excitation energy of ZnHPc when compared to the corresponding dyads of Zn porphycene (ZnPcn). The transient absorption spectra during the sub-picosecond laser flash photolysis showed the formation of charge separated state, that is, radical cation of ZnHPc and radical anion of axial ligand, from the singlet excited ZnHPc. The observed ET rates were compared with the previously reported values for Zn porphyrins and ZnPcn. The ET rates of ZnHPc were located between those observed with porphyrins and ZnPcn supramolecular dyads, even when the -DeltaG values were similar to each other. This observation was explained on the basis of the variation in reorganization energy and electronic coupling (V) values. Furthermore, distribution of HOMO electron density gave a plausible explanation for the variation in V values of these dyads.

Discrete Supramolecular Donor–Acceptor Complexes

The renewed interest in noncovalently associating electroactive molecules arises in part from the quest for new organic materials that convert solar energy into electrical/ chemical equivalents. In this context, the formation of charge-separated states is a key prerequisite. Charge-transfer events triggered by light have been studied in supramolecular donor–acceptor systems based on hydrogen bonds and coordinative metal bonds. Although many of the most widely utilized electroactive fragments feature large pconjugated surfaces, to date the use of p–p aromatic interactions has mainly been limited to the construction of semi-infinite ensembles of chromophores either to achieve charge transport—with the known example of charge transfer through DNA bases—or to increase the efficiency of light absorption. Detailed studies on charge-transfer interactions in discrete supramolecular systems held together by p–p aromatic interactions are surprisingly scarce. Recently, we succeeded in the realization of donor–acceptor supramolecules based on the recognition of the convex exterior of C60 by the concave surface of p-extended tetrathiafulvalene derivatives. Numerous incentives, especially in the context of constructing more efficient optoelectronic devices, are offered by these C60/exTTF materials. Herein we describe the physicochemical characterization of the supramolecular donor–acceptor p complexes and provide a theoretical description of the underlying host–guest interactions. The meta and para tweezers (MTW and PTW, respectively) share a straightforward design, in which two 2-[9-(1,3dithiol-2-ylidene)anthracen-10(9H)-ylidene]-1,3-dithiole (exTTF) units are connected through isophthalic or terephthalic diester spacers, respectively (Scheme 1). MTW and

Entropic Changes Control the Charge Separation Process in Triads Mimicking Photosynthetic Charge Separation

Laser-induced optoacoustic spectroscopy (LIOAS) measurements with carotene-porphyrin-acceptor "supermolecular" triads (C-P-A, with A = C60, a naphthoquinone NQ, and a naphthoquinone derivative, Q) were carried out with the purpose of analyzing the thermodynamic parameters for the formation and decay of the respective long-lived charge separated state C*+-P-A*-. The novel procedure of inclusion of the benzonitrile solutions of the triads in Triton X-100 micelle nanoreactors suspended in water permitted the separation of the enthalpic and structural volume change contributions to the LIOAS signals, by performing the measurements in the range 4-20 degrees C. Contractions of 4.2, 5.7, and 4.2 mL mol-1 are concomitant with the formation of C*+-P-A*- for A = C60, Q and NQ, respectively. These contractions are mostly attributed to solvent movements and possible conformational changes upon photoinduced electron transfer, due to the attraction of the oppositely charged ends, as a consequence of the giant dipole moment developed in these compounds upon charge separation ( approximately 110 D). The estimations combining the calculated free energies and the LIOAS-derived enthalpy changes indicate that entropy changes, attributed to solvent movements, control the process of electron transfer for the three triads, especially for C-P-C60 and C-P-Q. The heat released during the decay of 1 mol of charge separated state (CS) is much smaller than the respective enthalpy content obtained from the LIOAS measurements for the CS formation. This is attributed to the production of long-lived energy storing species upon CS decay.

Conformationally Gated Photoinduced Processes within Photosensitizer−Acceptor Dyads Based on Osmium(II) Complexes with Triarylpyridinio-Functionalized Terpyridyl Ligands: Insights from Theoretical Analysis

A theoretical analysis, based on density functional theory, has been carried out to study photoinduced processes within a recently experimentally characterized (Lainé, P. P.; Bedioui, F.; Loiseau, F.; Chiorboli, C.; Campagna, S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja058357w.) series of Os(II) bis-tpy complexes (tpy = 2,2':6'2' '-terpyridine) functionalized by 2,4,6-triarylpyridinium groups, TP+. These dyad systems, designed to produce a charge-separated state (CSS) upon light excitation, are made up of a photosensitizer unit (P, the metal complex) and a tunable acceptor unit (A, the TP+). A full ab initio characterization of the electronic and structural properties of the lowest-lying triplet excited states, as well as of the CSS, allowed for a complete rationalization of the photoinduced processes taking place within the dyads. Among salient insights, theory allowed (i) substantiation of the inner P structural planarization as the relaxation mode of the MLCT states, (ii) confirmation of the existence of a ligand-centered triplet excited state (3LC) shown to essentially involve the nitro substituent of A (TP+-NO2) and lying very close in energy to the P-centered 3MLCT state, and (iii) a demonstration that the energy of the 3LC level is independent of intercomponent tilt angle (theta1). On this basis, the occurrence of a reversible electronic energy transfer between the 3MLCT and the 3LC states could be substantiated and shown to depend on the intramolecular conformation represented by theta1, which actually governs their electronic coupling (essentially via the degree of intercomponent conjugation). These computational issues were checked against experimental data already available and the results of a specifically undertaken photophysical study. Finally, CSS formation has been confirmed by studying the spin density patterns of reduced nitro-derivatized dyads. Taken together, these findings accurately account for the different excited-state behaviors of the dyads as a function of the level of structural restriction of their intercomponent conformation (and related amplitude for torsional fluctuations), thus providing theoretical evidence of conformationally gated photoinduced electron- and energy-transfer processes.