Abstract
Perylenediimides (PDIs) offer a number of attractive characteristics as alternatives to fullerenes in organic photovoltaics (OPVs), including favorable orbital energetics, high extinction coefficients in the visible spectral region, photostability, and the capacity to self-assemble into ordered nanostructures. However, energy transfer followed by charge separation in PDI assemblies must kinetically out-compete excimer formation that limits OPV performance. We report on the excitation energy transfer (EET) rate in a covalently linked PDI tetramer in which the PDI chromophores are arranged in a tetrahedral geometry about a tetraphenyladamantane core. Transient absorption spectroscopy of the tetramer in CH2Cl2 reveals a laser intensity-dependent fast absorption decay component indicative of singlet-singlet annihilation resulting from intramolecular EET. Femtosecond fluorescence anisotropy measurements show that the EET time constant τ = 6 ps, which is similar to that predicted for a through-space Förster EET mechanism. Concentration-dependent steady-state spectroscopic studies reveal the formation of intermolecular aggregates of the tetramers in toluene. The aggregates are formed by cofacial π-stacking interactions between PDIs of neighboring tetramers. Transient absorption spectra of the aggregated tetramers in toluene solution demonstrate long-lived excited-state decay dynamics (τ ∼ 30 ns) in agreement with previous observations of PDI excimers.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 16941-16950 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Physical Chemistry C |
Volume | 118 |
Issue number | 30 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 31 2014 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Energy(all)
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films