Noncoherent Photon Upconversion Research Articles

Conformational Impact on Energy Storage Efficiency of Subphthalocyanine-Fullerene Hybrids.

Hybrid molecules involving subphthalocyanine and Buckminsterfullerene derivatives are interesting candidates as heavy metal free triplet sensitizers. Subphthalocyanine efficiently absorbs visible photons and transfer the singlet excited state energy to the Buckminsterfullerene where intersystem crossing produces triplet states in high yield. Thus, far the efficiency of the triplet-generating photophysics in these systems has been hampered by back energy transfer to the subphthalocyanine triplet state resulting in loss of excitation energy. Herein an efficient strategy is realized to avoid loss of triplet energy by back energy transfer. A hybrid molecule based on subphthalocyanine and Buckminsterfullerene is presented in which dispersion-induced π-π interactions result in a molecular geometry where highly efficient through-space singlet excited state energy transfer takes place in one direction, whereas energy flow in the opposite direction via the triplet manifold is blocked by lack of orbital overlap. The approach opens for a new class of heavy-metal-free triplet sensitizers of particular relevance to the fields of photodynamic therapy and noncoherent photon upconversion.

Spectroscopic and Structural Studies of a Surface Active Porphyrin in Solution and in Langmuir-Blodgett Films.

Controlling aggregation of the dual sensitizer-emitter (S-E) zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) is an important consideration in solid state noncoherent photon upconversion (NCPU) applications. The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique is a facile means of preparing ordered assemblies in thin films to study distance-dependent energy transfer processes in S-E systems and was used in this report to control the aggregation of a functionalized ZnTPP on solid substrates. This was achieved by synthetic addition of a short polar tail to one of the pendant phenyl rings in ZnTPP in order to make it surface active. The surface active ZnTPP derivative formed rigid films at the air-water interface and exhibited mean molecular areas consistent with approximately vertically oriented molecules under appropriate film compression. A red shift in the UV-vis spectra as well as unquenched fluorescence emission of the LB films indicated formation of well-ordered aggregates. However, NCPU, present in the solution phase, was not observed in the LB films, suggesting that NCPU from ZnTPP as a dual S-E required not just a controlled aggregation but a specific orientation of the molecules with respect to each other.

Sensitized non-coherent photon upconversion by intramolecular triplet–triplet annihilation in a diphenylanthracene pendant polymer

Non-coherent photon upconversion by rapid intramolecular triplet–triplet annihilation has been observed following nanosecond laser excitation of Ru(dmb)3 and sequential two-fold triplet energy sensitization of a polymer containing 30 pendant diphenylanthracene groups. A global kinetic analysis of the system has been performed; the intramolecular annihilation step occurs on a sub-nanosecond time scale.

Photophysical properties of new bis-perylene dyads for potential upconversion use

Two new bis-perylenes, BPC with a meta-disubstituted benzene linker, and BPD with a p,p′-disubstituted biphenyl linker, have been synthesized and their photophysical parameters measured. Their singlet and triplet energies decrease incrementally in the order perylene, BPC, BPD, making them ideally matched with C60 for triplet–triplet energy transfer in sensitized photon upconversion schemes. Following photosensitization by triplet C60, BPC exhibits strong fluorescence upconversion by triplet–triplet annihilation, indicating that these bis-perylene dyads (and the multimers that can be constructed from them) will be interesting candidates for use in organic devices such as bulk-heterojunction and dye-sensitized solar cells employing non-coherent photon upconversion.

Homomolecular non-coherent photon upconversion by triplet–triplet annihilation using a zinc porphyrin on wide bandgap semiconductors

Non-coherent upconversion, realized by homomolecular triplet–triplet annihilation of a zinc metalloporphyrin absorber, has been measured for the metalloporphyrin adsorbed on metal oxide films (ZrO2, TiO2 and ZrO2/TiO2 mixed oxides) in which the semiconductor conduction band energy lies between the metalloporphyrin’s upconverted and prompt S1 excited states. Upconverted emission was observed for pure and mixed metal oxide films, regardless of the relative energies of the states, indicating electron transfer from upconverted states to the semiconductor was not competitive. Upconversion was attributed to aggregation of the absorber, likely in defects on the films, leading to efficient homomolecular triplet–triplet annihilation.

Photon Upconversion by Triplet–Triplet Annihilation in Ru(bpy)3- and DPA-Functionalized Polymers

Two photophysically active polymers, each containing one absorbing Ru(bpy)3 triplet sensitizing core and multiple 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) triplet energy acceptors, are shown to exhibit noncoherent photon upconversion by triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) in both fluid solution and in thin solid films. An analysis of the kinetics and absorbed power dependencies of the upconverted fluorescence demonstrates that, in fluid solution, TTA is occurring in the low-power, pseudo-first order limit, and that the energy transfer mechanism involves fast, efficient intramolecular triplet energy transfer from the excited Ru(bpy)3 core to the DPA acceptors in the macromolecule’s pendant arms, followed by intermolecular TTA. Intermolecular triplet energy transfer, diffusion coefficient, and quantum yield measurements using Ru(bpy)3 and DPA controls suggest that, although a minority of the intermolecular encounters result in TTA in this one absorbing core system, efficient intramolecular TTA could be realized in a po...

Efficiency of Noncoherent Photon Upconversion by Triplet–Triplet Annihilation: The C60 Plus Anthanthrene System and the Importance of Tuning the Triplet Energies

As part of a continuing effort to find noncoherent photon upconversion (NCPU) systems with improved energy conversion efficiencies, the photophysics of the blue emitter, anthanthrene (An), and the fullerene absorber-sensitizer, C60, have been examined by both steady-state and pulsed laser techniques. An is a promising candidate for NCPU by homomolecular triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) because its triplet state lies ∼800 cm(-1) below the triplet energy of the C60 donor (thereby improving efficiency by reducing back triplet energy transfer), and its fluorescent singlet state lies in near resonance with double its triplet energy (thus minimizing thermal energy losses in the annihilation process). In fluid solution, efficient triplet-triplet donor-acceptor energy transfer is observed, and rate constants for homomolecular TTA in the An acceptor are estimated to approach the diffusion limit. NCPU is also observed in An + C60 in poly(methylmethacrylate) thin films.

Mechanisms of Low-Power Noncoherent Photon Upconversion in Metalloporphyrin−Organic Blue Emitter Systems in Solution

The mechanisms of noncoherent photon upconversion that involve triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) in solution have been investigated for two model systems. ZnTPP (meso-tetraphenylporphine zinc) is used as the model visible light-absorbing metalloporphyrin because its S(1) fluorescence intensity can be used to monitor the initial rate of porphyrin triplet state production and because its S(2) fluorescence intensity can be used as a direct measure of the rate of porphyrin TTA. When perylene, which has a triplet energy lower than that of ZnTPP, is added as a signaling blue emitter (BE), the mechanism of photon upconversion involves triplet energy transfer from the porphyrin to the BE followed by TTA in the BE to form the fluorescent perylene S(1) state. The kinetics of this process have been characterized and are unremarkable. When coumarin 343 (C343), which has photophysical properties similar to those of perylene except that it has a much higher triplet energy than ZnTPP, is added as the signaling BE, emission from the ZnTPP S(2) state is quenched and fluorescence from the C343 grows in. Contrary to previous suggestions, the mechanism of photon upconversion in this system does not involve singlet energy transfer from the porphyrin S(2) state to the BE. Instead, ground-state C343 complexes with the ZnTPP triplet to form a triplet exciplex, which then undergoes TTA with a second ZnTPP triplet to give the fluorescent state of the BE in a three-center process.

Efficient S 2 state production in ZnTPP–PMMA thin films by triplet–triplet annihilation: Evidence of solute aggregation in photon upconversion systems

Non-coherent photon upconversion by triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) of metalloporphyrins in degassed solid thin PMMA films has been investigated. Dual S 1 and S 2 fluorescence of the model chromophore ZnTPP is used to monitor TTA directly. Evidence that aggregation is required for TTA to occur with the measured efficiencies is presented.