Using Three-Pulse Femtosecond Spectroscopy to Probe Ultrafast Triplet Energy Transfer in Zinc meso-Tetraarylporphyrin-Perylene-3,4-dicarboximide Dyads

Ryan T. Hayes, Christopher J. Walsh, Michael R. Wasielewski*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

Linear arrays of zinc meso-tetraarylporphyrin (ZnP), perylene-3,4- dicarboximide (PMI), and either naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) or pyromellitimide (PI) were synthesized and studied by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy. PMI was covalently linked in one of two orientations relative to ZnP. In one set of molecules, the 9 position of the perylene core is connected to the para position of a meso-phenyl in ZnP to give ZnP-PMI-N-X, where X = NI or PI is attached to the imide nitrogen atom of PMI. In the second set of compounds, the imide nitrogen atom of PMI is connected to the meso-phenyl in ZnP to give ZnP-N-PMI-X, where X = PI or H. Selective excitation of ZnP using 420 nm, 110 fs laser pulses in each molecule in toluene produces 1*ZnP, which intersystem crosses (ISC) to 3*ZnP with τ = 2.3 ns. For ZnP-PMI-N-X, triplet energy transfer (TET) from 3*ZnP to PMI is much faster than ISC, so that 3*ZnP is not observed by one-pump-one-probe transient absorption spectroscopy. Following its formation, the lowest excited triplet state of 3*PMI was excited with a 575 nm, 110 fs laser pulse to produce an upper excited triplet state, 3**PMI. In ZnP-PMI-N-X, subpicosecond TET from 3**PMI re-populates 3*ZnP, which subsequently undergoes TET back to PMI with a rate of (7 ps) -1. The same experiment carried out on ZnP-N-PMI-X reveals that the TET process 3*ZnP-N-PMI-X → ZnP- 3*N-PMI-X occurs with a rate of (55 ns) -1. The nearly 8000-fold larger TET rate from 3*ZnP to PMI in ZnP-PMI-N-X relative to that in ZnP-N-PMI-X is a consequence of the larger π-orbital coefficients at the 9 position in both the HOMO and LUMO of PMI relative to that on its imide nitrogen atom. This basic asymmetry allows optimization of energy and electron and/or hole transfer rates in large assemblies containing PMI for use in organic molecular electronics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3253-3260
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry A
Volume108
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 22 2004

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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