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Effects of Strong Electronic Coupling in Chlorin and Bacteriochlorin Dyads

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [4];  [5];  [2];  [4];  [3]
  1. Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Washington University
  2. Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Baltimore, MD (United States)
  3. Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)
  4. Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)
  5. Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (United States)
Achieving tunable, intense near-infrared absorption in molecular architectures with properties suitable for solar light harvesting and biomedical studies is of fundamental interest. Herein, we report the photophysical, redox, and molecular-orbital characteristics of nine hydroporphyrin dyads and associated benchmark monomers that have been designed and synthesized to attain enhanced light harvesting. Each dyad contains two identical hydroporphyrins (chlorin or bacteriochlorin) connected by a linker (ethynyl or butadiynyl) at the macrocycle β-pyrrole (3- or 13-) or meso (15-) positions. The strong electronic communication between constituent chromophores is indicated by the doubling of prominent absorption features, split redox waves, and paired linear combinations of frontier molecular orbitals. Relative to the benchmarks, the chlorin dyads in toluene show substantial bathochromic shifts of the long-wavelength absorption band (17-31 nm), modestly reduced singlet excited-state lifetimes (τS = 3.6-6.2 ns vs 8.8-12.3 ns), and increased fluorescence quantum yields (Φf = 0.37-0.57 vs 0.34-0.39). The bacteriochlorin dyads in toluene show significant bathochromic shifts (25-57 nm) and modestly reduced τS (1.6-3.4 ns vs 3.5-5.3 ns) and Φf (0.09-0.19 vs 0.17-0.21) values. The τS and Φf values for the bacteriochlorin dyads are reduced substantially (up to ~20-fold) in benzonitrile. The quenching is due primarily to the increased S1 → So internal conversion that is likely induced by increased contribution of charge-resonance configurations to the S1 excited state in the polar medium. Lastly, the fundamental insights gained on the physicochemical properties of the strongly coupled hydroporphyrin dyads may aid utilization in solar-energy conversion and photomedical research.
Research Organization:
Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-05ER15660; FG02-05ER15661
OSTI ID:
1774949
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 120; ISSN 1089-5639
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (4)

Synthesis and Spectral Properties of meso-Arylbacteriochlorins, Including Insights into Essential Motifs of their Hydrodipyrrin Precursors journal April 2017
Synthesis and photophysical characteristics of 2,3,12,13-tetraalkylbacteriochlorins journal January 2016
Switching sides—Reengineered primary charge separation in the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center journal December 2019
Strongly coupled bacteriochlorin dyad studied using phase-modulated fluorescence-detected two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy journal January 2018

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