Supramolecular Triad Research Articles

Axially assembled photosynthetic reaction center mimics composed of tetrathiafulvalene, aluminum(III) porphyrin and fullerene entities.

The distance dependence of sequential electron transfer has been studied in six, vertical, linear supramolecular triads, (TTF-Ph(n)-py → AlPor-Ph(m)-C60, n = 0, 1 and m = 1, 2, 3), constructed using tetrathiafulvalene (TTF), aluminum(III) porphyrin (AlPor) and fullerene (C60) entities. The C60 and TTF units are bound to the Al center on opposite faces of the porphyrin; the C60 through a covalent axial bond using a benzoate spacer, and the TTF through a coordination bond via an appended pyridine. Time-resolved optical and EPR spectroscopic methods and computational studies are used to demonstrate that excitation of the porphyrin leads to step-wise, sequential electron transfer (ET) between TTF and C60, and to study the electron transfer rates and exchange coupling between the components of the triads as a function of the bridge lengths. Femtosecond transient absorption studies show that the rates of charge separation, k(CS) are in the range of 10(9)-10(11) s(-1), depending on the length of the bridges. The lifetimes of the charge-separated state TTF˙(+)-C₆₀˙⁻ obtained from transient absorbance experiments and the singlet lifetimes of the radical pairs obtained by time-resolved EPR are in good agreement with each other and range from 60-130 ns in the triads. The time-resolved EPR data also show that population of the triplet sublevels of the charge-separated state in the presence of a magnetic field leads to much longer lifetimes of >1 μs. The data show that a modest stabilization of the charge separation lifetime occurs in the triads. The attenuation factor β = 0.36 Å(-1) obtained from the exchange coupling values between TTF˙(+) and C₆₀˙⁻ is consistent with values reported in the literature for oligophenylene bridged TTF-C60 conjugates. The singlet charge recombination lifetime shows a much weaker dependence on the distance between the donor and acceptor, suggesting that a simple superexchange model is not sufficient to describe the back reaction.

Photoinduced electron transfer in a supramolecular triad produced by porphyrin anion-induced electron transfer from tetrathiafulvalene calix[4]pyrrole to Li(+)@C60.

Binding of a porphyrin carboxylate anion () to tetrathiafulvalene calix[4]pyrrole (TTF-C4P) results in electron transfer from TTF-C4P to Li(+)@C60 to produce the charge-separated state (1/TTF-C4P˙(+)/Li(+)@C60˙(-)) in benzonitrile. Upon photoexcitation of , photoinduced electron transfer from the triplet excited state of to TTF-C4P˙(+) occurs to produce the higher energy charge-separated state (˙(+)/TTF-C4P/Li(+)@C60˙(-)), which decays to the ground state with a lifetime of 4.8 μs.

Generation of long-lived methylviologen radical cation in the triplet-state mediated electron transfer in a β-cyclodextrin based supramolecular triad

A novel tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium–pyrene–methylviologen supramolecular triad was assembled through inclusion complexation of adamantane-linked Ru(II)–Py dyad in MV2+-linked β-cyclodextrin. Excitation of the Ru(II) chromophore populated its 3MLCT which upon energy transfer gave 3Py, which donates an electron to MV2+ to give Ru(II)–Py+–MV+. A second electron transfer then occurs from Ru(II) to Py+ to give the supramolecular Ru(III)–Py–MV+ charge separated state. Laser flash photolysis experiments confirmed formation of MV+ which exhibited 100μs lifetime. Steady state irradiation of the self-assembled system in the presence of sacrificial donor also led to formation of long-lived MV+.

Preferential Through-Space Charge Separation and Charge Recombination in V-Type Configured Porphyrin–azaBODIPY–Fullerene Supramolecular Triads

Electron transfer is one of the most fundamental and prevalent processes occurring in chemistry, physics, and biology. In donor–acceptor systems with one of the partners’ a photosensitizer, upon photoexcitation, transfer of an electron between the photoexcited and ground-state molecules occurs. Factors affecting the geometry, energetics, and dynamics of this process have been one of the intensively studied scientific topics, often by building model donor–acceptor conjugates or by utilizing natural systems. A wealth of information, applicable to almost all areas of modern science and technology, has been generated from these studies. In the present study, we demonstrate preferential through-space charge separation and charge recombination in supramolecular triads composed of porphyrin (free-base, zinc, or magnesium at the central cavity) as excited-state electron donor, BF2-chealted azadipyrromethene (azaBODIPY), and fullerene (C60) as electron acceptors. Because of spatial close proximity of the terminal ...

In-Silico Design of a Donor–Antenna–Acceptor Supramolecular Complex for Photoinduced Charge Separation

We investigate via density functional theory a series of donor–antenna–acceptor molecular rectifiers designed as modules for artificial photosynthesis devices. We consider triad modules containing phenothiazine (PTZ) as the electron donor and different derivatives of naphthalene diimide (NDI) as the antenna and secondary electron acceptor. The choice of the molecular components in the triad is guided by the redox and optical properties of each subunit. Using time-dependent DFT in combination with the long-range corrected xc-functional CAM-B3LYP we investigate how photoinduced charge transfer states are affected by systematic modifications of the triad molecular structure. In particular, we show how by controlling the length of the molecular bridges connecting the different charge separator subunits it is possible to control the driving force for the relaxation of the excitonic state into the full charge-separated state. On the basis of these findings we propose a supramolecular triad consisting of inexpensive and readily available molecular components that can find its implementation in artificial devices for solar energy transduction.

Quantum coherence controls the charge separation in a prototypical artificial light-harvesting system

The efficient conversion of light into electricity or chemical fuels is a fundamental challenge. In artificial photosynthetic and photovoltaic devices, this conversion is generally thought to happen on ultrafast, femto-to-picosecond timescales and to involve an incoherent electron transfer process. In some biological systems, however, there is growing evidence that the coherent motion of electronic wavepackets is an essential primary step, raising questions about the role of quantum coherence in artificial devices. Here we investigate the primary charge-transfer process in a supramolecular triad, a prototypical artificial reaction centre. Combining high time-resolution femtosecond spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory, we provide compelling evidence that the driving mechanism of the photoinduced current generation cycle is a correlated wavelike motion of electrons and nuclei on a timescale of few tens of femtoseconds. We highlight the fundamental role of the interface between chromophore and charge acceptor in triggering the coherent wavelike electron-hole splitting.

Quantum coherence controls the charge separation in a prototypical artificial light harvesting system

Ultrafast spectroscopy and quantum-dynamics simulations of an artificial supramolecular light-harvesting system — a supramolecular triad - provide strong evidence that the quantum-correlated wavelike motion of electrons and nuclei on a timescale of few tens of femtoseconds governs the ultrafast electronic charge transfer.

A ‘two-point’ bound zinc porphyrin–zinc phthalocyanine–fullerene supramolecular triad for sequential energy and electron transfer

A novel supramolecular triad composed of a zinc porphyrin-zinc phthalocyanine dyad and fullerenes has been assembled using a 'two-point' axial binding approach, and occurrence of efficient photoinduced energy transfer followed by electron transfer is demonstrated.

Supramolecular BODIPY-Zn(ii)-bisporphyrin dyad and trinitrofluorenone encapsulated triad as models of antenna-reaction center: synthesis, structure and photophysical properties

We describe the synthesis, characterization and photophysical properties of the dyads Zn2DEP·TNF (1) and Zn2DEP·2Py-BDP (2) and triad Zn2DEP·2Py-BDP·TNF (3), which enable us to investigate the changes in the spectroscopic properties upon the axial coordination of pyridine substituted bodipy (Py-BDP) to Zn2DEP in the dyads and the further encapsulation of TNF in the triad. Zn2DEP·TNF (1) is structurally characterized while the other compounds, Py-BDP, 2 and 3, are geometrically optimized using DFT in the absence of X-ray crystallography. It has been found that the encapsulated TNF guest within the bisporphyrin cavity is involved in strong π-π interactions with the host resulting in robust host-guest assemblies that also retain the structural integrity in solution for a long time. The association constants, K, between the host and guests are calculated at 298 K by measuring the change in the fluorescence emission in solution and are found to be 1.0 × 10(7) M(-2) for the 1 : 2 binding in 2 and 1.2 × 10(3) M(-1) for the 1 : 1 binding in 3. The solution (1)H NMR spectrum of the supramolecular dyad 2 shows an upfield shift of the Py-BDP protons due to the strong ring current of the porphyrin rings. Similarly, upon the encapsulation of TNF in triad 3, the guest protons undergo an upfield shift owing to the ring current effect. Electrochemical studies of dyad 2 indicate that the Py-BDP and Zn-bisporphyrin subunits in the dyads interact very weakly. The negative and positive shifts of the reduction and oxidation potentials indicate that it is difficult to reduce/oxidize the encapsulated complex 3. The steady state emission spectrum shows that the fluorescence intensity of the axially coordinated Py-BDP in 2 (excited at 500 nm) is remarkably quenched in comparison to free Py-BDP due to efficient photoinduced intramolecular singlet-to-singlet energy transfer from the excited state of Py-BDP to the zinc-bisporphyrin in 2. The remarkable quenching of the fluorescence intensity of Py-BDP upon excitation at 500 nm in 3 is due to photoinduced electron transfer from the excited states of Py-BDP to TNF, which is also thermodynamically favorable. The location of the electron densities on the HOMO and LUMO further support the formation of a charge-separated state in which the zinc-bisporphyrin acts as an electron donor whilst TNF acts as an electron acceptor in the supramolecular triad 3. The electrochemically evaluated HOMO-LUMO gap also maintains a good agreement with the computed HOMO-LUMO gap.

A broad-band capturing and emitting molecular triad: synthesis and photochemistry

A novel broad-band capturing and emitting supramolecular triad useful for solar energy harvesting and building optoelectronic devices is reported.

Synthesis of novel supramolecular triads bearing a H-bonded perylene bisimide core

Two novel hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) triads consisting of triazine derivatives complexed with a perylene bisimide core were synthesized and characterized. NMR, UV/vis, and fluorescence spectra of these supramolecular triads confirmed the formation of strong multiple H-bonding, which were also proven to be nano-sized H-aggregates by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements.

Synthesis of novel triarylamine-based dendrimers with N4,N6-dibutyl-1,3,5-triazine-4,6-diamine probe for electron/energy transfers in H-bonded donor–acceptor–donor triads and as efficient Cu2+ sensors

Two novel highly soluble triarylamine dendrimers TPAD1 and TPAD2 with N4,N6-dibutyl-1,3,5-triazine-4,6-diamine probe were synthesized via normal synthetic routes. Both dendrimers (TPAD1 and TPAD2) form H-bonded donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) supramolecular triads TPAD1-PBI-TPAD1 and TPAD2-PBI-TPAD2 with 3,4,9,10-perylene tetra carboxylic diimide derivative (PBI). The presence of multiple H-bonds in the solution state was elucidated by 1H NMR titrations and IR spectral studies. J-aggregations and electron/energy transfers provided by both dendrimers were verified by UV–Vis and photoluminescence (PL) titrations with PBI and the particle sizes of supramolecular triads were calculated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Similarly, both dendrimers also showed sensitivities towards Cu2+ in comparison with 19 interfering metal ions, which were evidenced via UV–Vis and PL titraions in both single and dual metal systems. The maximum detection limit of Cu2+ ions was determined to be 20 ppm from PL titrations for both dendrimers, and the 1 : 2 stoichiometry of the complexes formed by both dendrimers (TPAD1-Cu2+ and TPAD2-Cu2+) were calculated by Job plots based on UV–Vis absorption titrations. More importantly, the binding mechanism of the 1,3,5-triazine-4,6-diamine probe of both dendrimers was well characterized by 1H and 13C NMR titrations ([D8]THF : D2O = 2 : 1 in vol.) and supported by the fluorescence reversibility by adding metal ions and PMDTA sequentially.

Ultrafast excitation transfer and charge stabilization in a newly assembled photosynthetic antenna-reaction center mimic composed of boron dipyrrin, zinc porphyrin and fullerene

A self-assembled supramolecular triad as a model to mimic the light-induced events of the photosynthetic antenna-reaction center, that is, ultrafast excitation transfer followed by electron transfer ultimately generating a long-lived charge-separated state, has been accomplished. Boron dipyrrin (BDP), zinc porphyrin (ZnP) and fullerene (C60), respectively, constitute the energy donor, electron donor and electron acceptor segments of the antenna-reaction center imitation. Unlike in the previous models, the BDP entity was placed between the electron donor, ZnP and electron acceptor, C60 entities. For the construction, benzo-18-crown-6 functionalized BDP was synthesized and subsequently reacted with 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl functionalized ZnP through the central boron atom to form the crown-BDP-ZnP dyad. Next, an alkyl ammonium functionalized fullerene was used to self-assemble the crown ether entity of the dyad via ion–dipole interactions. The newly formed supramolecular triad was fully characterized by spectroscopic, computational and electrochemical methods. Steady-state fluorescence and excitation studies revealed the occurrence of energy transfer upon selective excitation of the BDP in the dyad. Further studies involving the pump–probe technique revealed excitation transfer from the 1BDP* to ZnP to occur in about 7 ps, much faster than that reported for other systems in this series of triads, as a consequence of shorter distance between the entities. Upon forming the supramolecular triad by self-assembling fullerene, the 1ZnP* produced by direct excitation or by energy transfer mechanism resulted in an initial electron transfer to the BDP entity. The charge recombination resulted in the population of the triplet excited state of C60, from where additional electron transfer occurred to produce C60•−:crown-BDP-ZnP•+ ion pair as the final charge-separated species. Nanosecond transient absorption studies revealed the lifetime of the charge-separated state to be ∼100 μs, the longest ever reported for this type of antenna-reaction center mimics, indicating better charge stabilization as a result of the different disposition of the entities of the supramolecular triad.

Ultrafast excitation transfer and charge stabilization in a newly assembled photosynthetic antenna-reaction center mimic composed of boron dipyrrin, zinc porphyrin and fullerene

A self-assembled supramolecular triad as a model to mimic the light-induced events of the photosynthetic antenna-reaction center, that is, ultrafast excitation transfer followed by electron transfer ultimately generating a long-lived charge-separated state, has been accomplished. Boron dipyrrin (BDP), zinc porphyrin (ZnP) and fullerene (C(60)), respectively, constitute the energy donor, electron donor and electron acceptor segments of the antenna-reaction center imitation. Unlike in the previous models, the BDP entity was placed between the electron donor, ZnP and electron acceptor, C(60) entities. For the construction, benzo-18-crown-6 functionalized BDP was synthesized and subsequently reacted with 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl functionalized ZnP through the central boron atom to form the crown-BDP-ZnP dyad. Next, an alkyl ammonium functionalized fullerene was used to self-assemble the crown ether entity of the dyad via ion-dipole interactions. The newly formed supramolecular triad was fully characterized by spectroscopic, computational and electrochemical methods. Steady-state fluorescence and excitation studies revealed the occurrence of energy transfer upon selective excitation of the BDP in the dyad. Further studies involving the pump-probe technique revealed excitation transfer from the (1)BDP* to ZnP to occur in about 7 ps, much faster than that reported for other systems in this series of triads, as a consequence of shorter distance between the entities. Upon forming the supramolecular triad by self-assembling fullerene, the (1)ZnP(*) produced by direct excitation or by energy transfer mechanism resulted in an initial electron transfer to the BDP entity. The charge recombination resulted in the population of the triplet excited state of C(60), from where additional electron transfer occurred to produce C(60)(•-):crown-BDP-ZnP(•+) ion pair as the final charge-separated species. Nanosecond transient absorption studies revealed the lifetime of the charge-separated state to be ~100 μs, the longest ever reported for this type of antenna-reaction center mimics, indicating better charge stabilization as a result of the different disposition of the entities of the supramolecular triad.

Construction and photophysics study of supramolecular complexes composed of three-point binding fullerene-trispyridylporphyrin dyads and zinc porphyrin

A series of novel supramolecular complexes composed of a three-point binding C(60)-trispyridylporphyrin dyad (1) or C(70)-trispyridylporphyrin dyad (2) and zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnP) were constructed by adopting a "covalent-coordinate" bonding approach, composed of three-point binding. The dyads and self-assembled supramolecular triads or pentads formed by coordinating the pyridine groups located on the dyads to ZnP, have been characterized by means of spectral and electrochemical techniques. The formation constants of ZnP-1 and ZnP-2 complexes were calculated as 1.4 × 10(4) M(-1) and 2.0 × 10(4) M(-1), respectively, and the Stern-Volmer quenching constants K(SV) were founded to be 2.9 × 10(4) M(-1) and 5.5 × 10(4) M(-1), respectively, which are much higher than those of other supramolecular complexes such as previously reported ZnP-3 (N-ethyl-2-(4-pyridyl)-3,4-fulleropyrrolidine). The electrochemical investigations of these complexes suggest weak interactions between the constituents in the ground state. The excited states of the complexes were further monitored by time-resolved fluorescence measurements. The results revealed that the presence of the multiple binding point dyads (1 or 2) slightly accelerated the fluorescence decay of ZnP in o-DCB relative to that of the "single-point" bound supramolecular complex ZnP-3. In comparison with 1 and 2, C(70) is suggested as a better electron acceptor relative to C(60). DFT calculations on a model of supramolecular complex ZnP-1 (with one ZnP entity) were performed. The results revealed that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is mainly located on the fullerene cage, while the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) is mainly located on the ZnP macrocycle ring, predicting the formation of radical ion pair ZnP(+)˙-H(2)P-C(60)(-)˙ during photo-induced reaction.

Sequential Charge Separation in Two Axially Linked Phenothiazine−Aluminum(III) Porphyrin−Fullerene Triads

New supramolecular triads (PTZpy→AlPor-C(60), TPTZpy→AlPor-C(60)), containing aluminum(III) porphyrin (AlPor), fullerene (C(60)), and phenothiazine (phenothiazine = PTZ, 2-methylthiophenothaizine = TPTZ) have been constructed. In these triads the fullerene and phenothiazine units are bound axially to opposite faces of the porphyrin plane via covalent and coordination bonds, respectively. The ground- and excited-state properties of the triads and reference dyads are studied using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. The time-resolved data show that photoexcitation results in charge separation from the excited singlet state of the porphyrin to the C(60) unit, generating (Donor)py→AlPor(•+)-C(60)(•-), Donor = PTZ and TPTZ. A subsequent hole shift from the porphyrin to phenothiazine generates the charge-separated state (Donor)(•+)py→AlPor-C(60)(•-). The lifetime of the charge separation exhibits a modest increase from 39 ns in the absence of the donor to 100 ns in PTZpy→AlPor-C(60) and 83 ns in TPTZpy→AlPor-C(60). These lifetimes are discussed in terms of the electronic coupling between phenothiazine, the porphyrin, and C(60).

Photoinduced Charge Separation in a Ferrocene−Aluminum(III) Porphyrin−Fullerene Supramolecular Triad

Light-induced electron transfer is investigated in a ferrocene-aluminum(III) porphyrin-fullerene supramolecular triad (FcAlPorC(60)) and the constituent dyads (AlPorC(60) and FcAlPorPh). The fullerene unit (C(60)) is bound axially to the aluminum(III) porphyrin (AlPor) via a benzoate spacer, and ferrocene (Fc) is attached via an amide linkage to one of the four phenyl groups in the meso positions of the porphyrin ring. The absorption spectra and voltammetry data of the complexes suggest that the ground state electronic structures of the Fc, AlPor, and C(60) entities are not significantly perturbed in the dyads and triad. Time-resolved optical and transient electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data show that photoexcitation of the AlPorC(60) dyad results in efficient electron transfer from the excited singlet state of the porphyrin to fullerene, producing the charge-separated state AlPor(•+)-C(60)(•-). The fluorescence and transient EPR data also suggest that some energy transfer from the porphyrin to fullerene may occur. The lifetime of the radical pair AlPor(•+)-C(60)(•-) measured by transient absorbance spectroscopy is found to be 39 ns in o-dichlorobenzene at room temperature. At 200 K, transient EPR experiments place a lower limit of 5 μs on the radical pair lifetime. In the triad, the data suggest that excitation of the porphyrin gives rise to the charge-separated state Fc(•+)-AlPor-C(60)(•-) in two electron transfer steps. Photocurrent measurements demonstrate that both dyads and the triad have good photovoltaic performance. However, when Fc is appended to AlPorC(60), the expected improvement of the radical pair lifetime and the photovoltaic characteristics is not observed.

Electronic energy harvesting multi BODIPY-zinc porphyrin dyads accommodating fullerene as photosynthetic composite of antenna-reaction center

Efficient electronic energy transfer (EET) in the newly synthesized dyads comprised of zinc porphyrin covalently linked to one, two or four numbers of boron dipyrrin (BDP) entities is investigated. Both steady-state and time-resolved emission as well as transient absorption studies revealed occurrence of efficient singlet-singlet energy transfer from BDP to zinc porphyrin with the time scale ranging between 28 and 48 ps. A decrease in time constants for energy transfer with increasing the number of BDP units is observed revealing better antenna effect of dyads bearing higher number of boron dipyrrin entities. Further, supramolecular triads to mimic the 'antenna-reaction center' functionality of photosynthetic reaction center have been successfully constructed by coordinating fulleropyrrolidine appended with an imidazole ligand to the zinc porphyrin. The structural integrity of the supramolecular triads was arrived by optical, computational and electrochemical studies. Free energy calculations revealed possibility of photoinduced electron transfer from singlet excited zinc porphyrin to fullerene, and the preliminary transient absorption studies involving pump-probe technique are supportive of occurrence of electron transfer from (1)ZnP* to fullerene in the supramolecular triads.

Extension of the charge separated-state lifetime by supramolecular association of a tetrathiafulvaleneelectron donor to a zinc/gold bisporphyrin

Supramolecular triads were prepared by self-assembly of 4'-pyridyl-2-tetrathiafulvalene axially bound on ZnP-spacer-AuP(+) dyads; the lifetime of the charge separated state ((+)TTF-ZnP-Spacer-AuP ) formed upon light excitation of the triad is greatly increased with respect to that found in the parent dyad.

Photosynthetic Antenna−Reaction Center Mimicry: Sequential Energy- and Electron Transfer in a Self-assembled Supramolecular Triad Composed of Boron Dipyrrin, Zinc Porphyrin and Fullerene

A self-assembled supramolecular triad, a model to mimic the photochemical events of photosynthetic antenna-reaction center, viz., sequential energy and electron transfer, has been newly constructed and studied. Boron dipyrrin, zinc porphyrin, and fullerene respectively constitute the energy donor, electron donor, and electron acceptor segments of the antenna-reaction center mimicry. For the construction, first, boron dipyrrin was covalently attached to a zinc porphyrin entity bearing a benzo-18-crown-6 host segment at the opposite end of the porphyrin ring. Next, an alkyl ammonium functionalized fullerene was used to self-assemble the crown ether entity via ion-dipole interactions. The newly formed supramolecular triad was fully characterized by spectroscopic, computational, and electrochemical methods. Selective excitation of the boron dipyrrin moiety in the dyad resulted in energy transfer over 97% efficiency creating singlet excited zinc porphyrin. The rate of energy transfer from the decay measurements of time-correlated singlet photon counting (TCSPC) and up-conversion techniques agreed well with that obtained by the pump-probe technique and revealed efficient photoinduced energy transfer in the dyad (time constant in the order of 10-60 ps depending upon the conformer). Upon forming the supramolecular triad by self-assembling fullerene, the excited zinc porphyrin resulted in electron transfer to the coordinated fullerene yielding a charge-separated state, thus mimicking the antenna-reaction center functionalities of photosynthesis. Nanosecond transient absorption studies yielded a lifetime of the charge-separated state to be 23 micros indicating charge stabilization in the supramolecular triad. The present supramolecular system represents a successful model to mimic the rather complex "combined antenna-reaction center" events of photosynthesis.