skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Next Generation Cuprous Phenanthroline MLCT Photosensitizer Featuring Cyclohexyl Substituents

Journal Article · · Inorganic Chemistry

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, ΦPL = 5.5%), CH3CN (τ = 1.5 μs, ΦPL = 2.6%), and THF (τ = 2.0 μs, ΦPL = 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. Here, electrochemical and static PL data illustrate that [Cu(dchtmp)2]PF6 is a potent photoreductant (–1.77 V vs. Fc+/o 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 hinderance 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.

Research Organization:
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0011979
OSTI ID:
1786981
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1812207
Journal Information:
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 60, Issue 12; ISSN 0020-1669
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (69)

Transient Absorption Dynamics of Sterically Congested Cu(I) MLCT Excited States journal March 2015
Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Heteroleptic Ir(III) + Polypyridyl Complexes journal June 2016
Diversity of Copper(I) Complexes Showing Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence: Basic Photophysical Analysis journal April 2015
Activation volume (.DELTA. V.dbldag.q) for energy- and electron-transfer quenching of [Cu(dpp)2+]* (dpp = 2,9-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline) journal May 1993
Improving the photophysical properties of copper(I) bis(phenanthroline) complexes journal December 2008
Strong Steric Hindrance Effect on Excited State Structural Dynamics of Cu(I) Diimine Complexes journal February 2012
Trifluoromethylated Phenanthroline Ligands Reduce Excited-State Distortion in Homoleptic Copper(I) Complexes journal February 2020
Visible-light radical reaction designed by Ru- and Ir-based photoredox catalysis journal January 2014
Enhancing the Visible-Light Absorption and Excited-State Properties of Cu(I) MLCT Excited States journal February 2018
Crowded Cu(I) Complexes Involving Benzo[ h ]quinoline:  π-Stacking Effects and Long-Lived Excited States journal July 2001
Photoinduced structural distortions and singlet–triplet intersystem crossing in Cu( i ) MLCT excited states monitored by optically gated fluorescence spectroscopy journal January 2017
Temperature-dependent Emission of Copper(I) Phenanthroline Complexes with Bulky Substituents: Estimation of an Energy Gap between the Singlet and Triplet MLCT States journal April 2010
A Twist on the Copper Center in the Crystal Structure of [Cu(dnpp) 2 ]PF 6 and the Charge-Transfer Excited State? (dnpp = 2,9-Dineopentyl-1,10-phenanthroline) journal August 1997
Electronic structures of ion radicals of nitrogen-heteroaromatic hydrocarbons as studied by ESR and optical spectroscopy journal November 1979
Intriguing Effects of Halogen Substitution on the Photophysical Properties of 2,9-(Bis)halo-Substituted Phenanthrolinecopper(I) Complexes journal May 2019
Advances in the light conversion properties of Cu(I)-based photosensitizers journal November 2014
Energy‐adjusted a b i n i t i o pseudopotentials for the first row transition elements journal January 1987
Flash photolysis and quenching studies of copper(I) systems in the presence of Lewis bases: inorganic exciplexes? journal September 1987
Structure-Dependent Photophysical Properties of Singlet and Triplet Metal-to-Ligand Charge Transfer States in Copper(I) Bis(diimine) Compounds journal October 2003
Photostudies of copper(I) systems. 6. Room-temperature emission and quenching studies of bis(2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)copper(I) journal November 1980
Pseudo-Jahn–Teller Effect—A Two-State Paradigm in Formation, Deformation, and Transformation of Molecular Systems and Solids journal January 2013
Synthesis and Characterization of Some Copper(I) Phenanthroline Complexes journal May 1995
Cuprous Phenanthroline MLCT Chromophore Featuring Synthetically Tailored Photophysics journal September 2016
Single- and two-color pulsed laser resonance Raman spectroscopy of excited states of bis(2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)copper(I) in solution journal November 1988
Photoredox Catalysis with Metal Complexes Made from Earth-Abundant Elements journal November 2017
Theoretical studying of basic photophysical processes in a thermally activated delayed fluorescence copper(I) complex: Determination of reverse intersystem crossing and radiative rate constants journal December 2017
New developments in the polarizable continuum model for quantum mechanical and classical calculations on molecules in solution journal July 2002
E-Type Delayed Fluorescence of a Phosphine-Supported Cu 2 (μ-NAr 2 ) 2 Diamond Core: Harvesting Singlet and Triplet Excitons in OLEDs journal July 2010
Interplays of excited state structures and dynamics in copper(I) diimine complexes: Implications and perspectives journal January 2015
A consistent and accurate ab initio parametrization of density functional dispersion correction (DFT-D) for the 94 elements H-Pu journal April 2010
Steric Effects in the Ground and Excited States of Cu(NN) 2 + Systems journal January 1997
Ultrafast Structural Rearrangements in the MLCT Excited State for Copper(I) bis- Phenanthrolines in Solution journal February 2007
Exciplex quenching of photo-excitd copper complexes journal May 1985
Photodriven Electron and Energy Transfer from Copper Phenanthroline Excited States journal January 1996
Intersystem crossing and internal conversion from the lowest charge-transfer singlet excited state of the (2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)copper(I) cation journal January 1972
Density‐functional thermochemistry. III. The role of exact exchange journal April 1993
Temperature dependence of luminescence from Cu(NN)2+ systems in fluid solution. Evidence for the participation of two excited states journal August 1983
A Friedländer approach to novel 1,10-phenanthrolines and their use as ligands for Ru(II) and Cu(I) journal January 1994
Nature of the lowest energy excited state of a bis-phenanthroline [2]-catenand and its Cu(I), Ag(I) and Co(II) complexes journal August 1995
Ultrafast Excited-State Dynamics of Copper(I) Complexes journal February 2015
Development of the Colle-Salvetti correlation-energy formula into a functional of the electron density journal January 1988
New luminescent copper(I) complexes with extended π-conjugation journal February 2018
Substituent effect on the photoinduced structural change of Cu(i) complexes observed by femtosecond emission spectroscopy journal January 2014
Metal centered ligand field excited states: Their roles in the design and performance of transition metal based photochemical molecular devices journal March 2011
Photophysical Characteristics and Reactivity of Bis(2,9-di- tert -butyl-1,10-phenanthroline)copper(I) journal July 2009
Studies of photoinduced electron transfer from bis(2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)copper(I) journal August 1978
From ruthenium(ii) to iridium(iii): 15 years of triads based on bis-terpyridine complexes journal January 2004
Deaminative Strategy for the Visible-Light-Mediated Generation of Alkyl Radicals journal August 2017
Equilibration between Three Different Excited States in a Bichromophoric Copper(I) Polypyridine Complex journal July 2007
Real-Time Observation of the Photoinduced Structural Change of Bis(2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)copper(I) by Femtosecond Fluorescence Spectroscopy:  A Realistic Potential Curve of the Jahn−Teller Distortion journal April 2007
A combined computational and experimental study of the [Co(bpy)3]2+/3+ complexes as one-electron outer-sphere redox couples in dye-sensitized solar cell electrolyte media journal January 2014
Sub-50-fs photoinduced spin crossover in [Fe(bpy)3]2+ journal July 2015
MLCT excited states of cuprous bis-phenanthroline coordination compounds journal October 2000
Facile Oxidation-Based Synthesis of Sterically Encumbered Four-Coordinate Bis(2,9-di- tert -butyl-1,10-phenanthroline)copper(I) and Related Three-Coordinate Copper(I) Complexes journal May 2007
Estimation of excited-state redox potentials by electron-transfer quenching. Application of electron-transfer theory to excited-state redox processes journal August 1979
Recent advances in dual transition metal–visible light photoredox catalysis journal October 2016
Cooperative Substituent Effects on the Excited States of Copper Phenanthrolines journal October 1999
The basis of aryl substituent effects on charge-transfer absorption intensities journal April 1986
Direct synthesis of disubstituted aromatic polyimine chelates journal January 1982
Merging visible-light photoredox and copper catalysis in catalytic aerobic oxidation of amines to nitriles journal January 2017
Rapid Excited-State Structural Reorganization Captured by Pulsed X-rays journal September 2002
MLCT State Structure and Dynamics of a Copper(I) Diimine Complex Characterized by Pump−Probe X-ray and Laser Spectroscopies and DFT Calculations journal June 2003
Photoactive Complexes with Earth-Abundant Metals journal September 2018
Design of a Long-Lifetime, Earth-Abundant, Aqueous Compatible Cu(I) Photosensitizer Using Cooperative Steric Effects journal July 2013
Absorption and luminescence properties of 1, 10-phenanthroline, 2, 9-diphenyl-1, 10-phenanthroline, 2,9-dianisyl-1, 10-phenanthroline and their protonated forms in dichloromethane solution journal January 1992
A New Phenanthroline Ligand and the Spontaneous Resolution of its Homoleptic Copper(I) Complex journal September 2020
CONCENTRATION-DEPENDENT LIFETIMES OF Cu(NN)+ 2 SYSTEMS: EXCIPLEX QUENCHING FROM THE ION PAIR STATE journal December 1989
Assignment of the charge-transfer excited states of bis(N-heterocyclic) complexes of copper(I) journal July 1989
Self—Consistent Molecular Orbital Methods. XII. Further Extensions of Gaussian—Type Basis Sets for Use in Molecular Orbital Studies of Organic Molecules journal March 1972