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The electronic interactions and excitation energy transfer (EET) processes of a variety of multi-porphyrin arrays with linear, cyclic and box architectures have been explored. Directly meso-meso linked linear arrays (Z(N)) exhibit strong excitonic coupling with an exciton coherence length of approximately 6 porphyrin units, while fused linear arrays (T(N)) exhibit extensive π-conjugation over the whole array. The excitonic coherence length in directly linked cyclic porphyrin rings (CZ(N)) was determined to be approximately 2.7 porphyrin units by simultaneous analysis of fluorescence intensities and lifetimes at the single-molecule level. By performing transient absorption (TA) and TA anisotropy decay measurements, the EET rates in m-phenylene linked cyclic porphyrin wheels C12ZA and C24ZB were determined to be 4 and 36 ps(-1), respectively. With increasing the size of C(N)ZA, the EET efficiencies decrease owing to the structural distortions that produce considerable non-radiative decay pathways. Finally, the EET rates of self-assembled porphyrin boxes consisting of directly linked diporphyrins, B1A, B2A and B3A, are 48, 98 and 361 ps(-1), respectively. The EET rates of porphyrin boxes consisting of alkynylene-bridged diporphyrins, B2B and B4B, depend on the conformation of building blocks (planar or orthogonal) rather than the length of alkynylene linkers.

Since highly symmetric cyclic architecture of light-harvesting antenna complex LH2 in purple bacteria was revealed in 1995, there has been a renaissance in developing cyclic porphyrin arrays to duplicate natural systems in terms of high efficiency, in particular, in transferring excitation energy. This tutorial review highlights the mechanisms and rates of excitation energy transfer (EET) in a variety of synthetic cyclic porphyrin arrays on the basis of time-resolved spectroscopic measurements performed at both ensemble and single-molecule levels. Subtle change in structural parameters such as connectivity, distance, and orientation between neighboring porphyrin moieties exquisitely modulates not only the nature of interchromophoric interactions but also the rates and efficiencies of EET. The relationship between the structure and EET dynamics described here should assist a rational design of novel cyclic porphyrin arrays, more contiguous to real applications in artificial photosynthesis.

1,3-Phenylene-bridged perylenebisimide dimer (PBI2) and trimer (PBI3) were prepared along with monomer reference (PBI1) using perylene imide-anhydride 5 as a key precursor. 3,3-Dimethylbut-1-yl substituents were introduced at the 2,5-positions of perylenebisimide (PBI) to improve the solubilities of PBI oligomers. Actually, no serious aggregation of PBI2 and PBI3 was detected in their dilute CH(2)Cl(2) solutions. Under these conditions, intramolecular electronic interactions among PBI chromophores have been revealed by measuring the photophysical properties at their ensemble and single-molecule levels. The excitation energy transfer times of PBI2 (0.16 ps) and PBI3 (0.60 ps) were determined from the two different observables, anisotropy depolarization, and singlet-singlet annihilation, respectively, which are considered as the incoherent Förster-type energy hopping (EEH) times as compared with the EEH time constant (1.97 ps) calculated on the basis of the Förster mechanism. The relatively short EEH times compared to similar PBI oligomers can be attributed to 1,3-phenylene linker, which assures a short distance between the chromophores and, as a consequence, makes it hard to treat the PBI unit as a point dipole. The limitation of point-dipole approximation to describe the PBI oligomers and additional through-bond type interactions can be attributed as the causes of the discrepancies in excitation energy transfer times. Considering these photophysical properties, we can suggest that 1,3-phenylene-linked PBI oligomers have potentials as molecular photonic devices including the artificial light-harvesting system.

A series of covalently linked cyclic porphyrin arrays CNZ that consist of N/2 of meso-meso directly linked zinc(II) porphyrin dimer subunits Z2 bridged by 1,3-phenylene spacers have been prepared by Ag(I)-promoted oxidative coupling reaction. We have investigated the excitation energy migration processes of CNZ in toluene by using femtosecond transient absorption anisotropy decay measurements by taking 2Z2 composed of two Z2 units linked by 1,3-phenylene as a reference molecule. On the basis of the excitation energy transfer rate determined for 2Z2, we have revealed the excitation energy hopping rates in the cyclic arrays CNZ by using a regular polygon model. The number of excitation energy hopping sites N(flat) calculated by using a regular polygon model is close to the observed N(expt) value obtained from the transient absorption anisotropy decays for C12Z-C18Z with circular and well-ordered structures. On the other hand, a large discrepancy between N(flat) and N(expt) was found for smaller or larger arrays (C10Z, C24Z, and C32Z). In the case of C10Z, m-phenylene linked 2Z2 motif with the interchromophoric angle of 120 degrees is not well suited to make a cyclic pentagonal array C10Z based on planar pentagonal structure. This geometrical factor inevitably causes a structural distortion in C10Z, leading to a discrepancy between N(expt) and N(flat) values. On the contrary, the presence of highly distorted conformers such as figure-eight structures reduces the number of effective hopping sites N(expt) in large cyclic arrays C24Z and C32Z. Thus, our study demonstrates that not only the large number of porphyrin chromophores in the cyclic arrays CNZ but the overall rigidity and three-dimensional orientation in molecular architectures is a key factor to be considered in the preparation of artificial light harvesting porphyrin arrays.

Multiporphyrin dendrimers are among the most promising architectures to mimic the oxygenic light-harvesting complex because of their structural similarities and synthetic convenience. The overall geometries of dendrimers are determined by the core structure, the type of dendron, and the number of generations of interior repeating units. The rigid core and bulky volume of exterior porphyrin units in multiporphyrin dendrimers give rise to well-ordered three-dimensional structures. As the number of generations of interior repeating units increases, however, the overall structures of dendrimers become disordered and randomized due to the flexibility of the repeating units. To reveal the relationship between molecular structure and processes of excitation-energy migration in multiporphyrin dendrimers, we calculated the molecular structure and measured the time-resolved transient absorption and fluorescence anisotropy decays for various hexaarylbenzene-anchored polyester zinc(II) porphyrin dendrimers along with three types of porphyrin dendrons as references. We found that the congested two-branched type dendrimers exhibit more efficient energy migration processes than one- or three-branched type dendrimers because of multiple energy migration pathways, and the three-dimensional packing efficiency of dendrimers strongly depends on the type of dendrons.

The excitation-energy-hopping (EEH) times within two-dimensional cyclic zinc(II)-porphyrin arrays 5 and 6, which were prepared by intermolecular coordination and ring-closing metathesis reaction of olefins, were deduced by modeling the EEH process based on the anisotropy depolarization as well as the exciton-exciton annihilation dynamics. Assuming the number of energy-hopping sites N = 5 and 6, the two different experimental observables, that is, anisotropy depolarization and exciton-excition annihilation times, consistently give the EEH times of 8.0 +/- 0.5 and 5.3 +/- 0.6 ps through the 1,3-phenylene linkages of 5 and 6, respectively. Accordingly, the self-assembled cyclic porphyrin arrays have proven to be well-defined two-dimensional models for natural light-harvesting complexes.

Surface passivation is a critical aspect of preventing surface oxidation and improving the emission properties of nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs). Recent studies have demonstrated the critical role of surface ligands in determining the performance of QD-based light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs). Herein, the underlying mechanism by which the capping ligands of InP/ZnSe/ZnS QDs influence the brightness and lifetime of the QD-LEDs is investigated. The electrochemical results demonstrate that highly luminescent InP/ZnSe/ZnS QDs exhibit modulated charge injection depending on the length of the surface ligand chains: short alkyl chains on the ligands are favorable for charge transport to the QDs. In addition, the correlation between the spectroscopic and XRD analyses suggests that the length of the ligand chain tunes the ligand–ligand coupling strength, thereby controlling the inter-QD energy transfer dynamics. The present findings shed new light on the crucial role of surface ligands for InP/ZnSe/ZnS QD-LED applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐assembly of porphyrins is a fascinating topic, not only for mimicking chlorophyll assemblies in photosynthetic organisms, but also for the potential of creating molecular‐level devices. Herein, zinc porphyrin derivatives bearing a meta‐pyridyl group at the meso position were prepared and their assemblies studied in chloroform. Among the porphyrins studied, one with a carbamoylpyridyl moiety gave a distinct 1H NMR spectrum in CDCl3, which allowed the supramolecular structure in solution to be probed in detail. Ring‐current‐induced chemical‐shift changes in the 1H NMR spectrum, together with vapor‐pressure osmometry and diffusion‐ordered NMR spectroscopy, among other evidence, suggested that the porphyrin molecules form a trimer with a triangular cone structure. Incorporation of a directly linked porphyrin–ferrocene dyad with the same assembling properties in the assemblies led to a rare example of a light‐harvesting/charge‐separation system in which an energy gradient is incorporated and reductive quenching occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upon photon absorption, π‐conjugated organics are apt to undergo ultrafast structural reorganization via electron‐vibrational coupling during non‐adiabatic transitions. Ultrafast nuclear motions modulate local planarity and quinoid/benzenoid characters within conjugated backbones, which control primary events in the excited states, such as localization, energy transfer, and so on. Femtosecond broadband fluorescence upconversion measurements were conducted to investigate exciton self‐trapping and delocalization in cycloparaphenylenes as ultrafast structural reorganizations are achieved via excited‐state symmetry‐dependent electron‐vibrational coupling. By accessing two high‐lying excited states, one‐photon and two‐photon allowed states, a clear discrepancy in the initial time‐resolved fluorescence spectra and the temporal dynamics/spectral evolution of fluorescence spectra were monitored. Combined with quantum chemical calculations, a novel insight into the effect of the excited‐state symmetry on ultrafast structural reorganization and exciton self‐trapping in the emerging class of π‐conjugated materials is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy‐transfer cassettes consisting of naphthaleneimide‐fused metalloporphyrin acceptors (M=Zn and Pd) and BODIPY donors have been designed and synthesized. These systems have rigid pseudo‐tetrahedral structures with a donor‐acceptor separation of ca. 17.5 Å. Spectroscopic investigations, including femtosecond transient absorption measurements, showed efficient excitation energy transfer (EET) occurring according to the Förster mechanism. Strong fluorescence of the donor units and significant spectral overlap of the donor and acceptor subunits are prerequisites for the efficient EET in these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excitation transfer from 1BODIPY* to bisstyrylBODIPY followed by electron transfer to C60 leading to a charge separated state of appreciable lifetime in a supramolecularly assembled triad is demonstrated, as a mimic of the photosynthetic ‘antenna-reaction centre’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-to-β 2,5-Pyrrolylene linked cyclic porphyrin oligomers have been synthesized by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of 2,5-diborylpyrrole and 3,7-dibromoporphyrin. The cyclic porphyrin oligomers exhibit roughly coplanar structures, strong excitonic coupling, small electrochemical HOMO-LUMO gaps, and ultrafast excitation energy transfer between the neighboring porphyrins via the pyrrolylene bridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Azobenzene-bridged β-to-β and meso-to- meso porphyrin nanorings were successfully synthesized by a palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction in a logical synthesis. The dimeric structure was confirmed by XRD analysis. The azo linkages in di- and tetramers are in the all- trans conformation, whereas in the trimers one azo linkage can be interconverted between cis and trans under external stimulation. When trimeric isomers are heated to 333 K or higher, the azo linkages will be in the all- trans configurations: the pure all- trans trimer can be kept in the dark for several months. Fluorescence anisotropy and pump-power-dependent decay results revealed excitation energy transfer for azobenzene-bridged zinc-porphyrin nanorings. The distances between porphyrin units of these azobenzene-bridged porphyrin arrays are almost the same, but the exciton energy hopping (EEH) times for each wheel are markedly different. The dimer and meso-to- meso tetramer possess relatively short excitation energy transfer (EET) times (1.28 and 2.48 ps, respectively) due to their good planarity and rigidity. In contrast, the EET time for the trimeric zinc(II)-porphyrin array (6.9 ps) is relatively long due to its nonradiative decay pathway (i.e., cis/ trans isomerization of azobenzene). Both di- and tetramers exhibit relatively high fluorescence quantum yields, whereas the trimers show weak emission because of structural differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct β-to-β linked branched and cyclic porphyrin trimers and pentamers have been synthesized by the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of β-borylporphyrins and β-bromoporphyrins. The cyclic porphyrin trimer, the smallest directly linked cyclic porphyrin wheel to date, and its twined pentamer, exhibit small electrochemical HOMO-LUMO gaps, broad nonsplit Soret bands, and red-shifted Q-bands, thus indicating large electronic interactions between the constituent porphyrin units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An artificial light-harvesting multiporphyrin dendrimer ( 8PZnPFB) composed of a focal freebase porphyrin ( PFB) with eight zinc(II) porphyrin ( PZn) wings exhibited unique photophysical property switching in response to specific guest molecule binding. UV/Vis titration studies indicated stable 1:2 host-guest complex formation between 8PZnPFB and meso-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)-porphyrin ( TPyP) for which the first and second association constants were estimated to be >108 M−1 and 3.0×107 M−1, respectively. 8PZnPFB originally shows 94 % energy transfer efficiency from PZn to the focal PFB. By the formation of the host-guest complex ( 8PZnPFB⋅2 TPyP) the emission intensity of 8PZnPFB is significantly decreased, and an ultrafast charge separation state is generated. The energy transfer process from PZn wings to the PFB core in 8PZnPFB is almost entirely switched to an electron transfer process by the formation of 8PZnPFB⋅2 TPyP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 1,3-phenylene-bridged hexameric ZnII porphyrin wheel was synthesized by a Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction through a one-pot or a stepwise route. The hexameric wheel structure was revealed by using X-ray diffraction analysis. The porphyrin wheel exhibits a split Soret band due to effective exciton coupling and displays efficient excitation energy transfer along the wheel. Measurements of fluorescence anisotropy decay and pump-power-dependent decay reveal a rapid excitation energy hopping along the wheel with a rate of 1.4 ps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of photosynthesis has driven researchers to seek ways to mimic its fundamental features in simplified systems. The absorption of a photon by light-harvesting (antenna) complexes made up of a large number of protein-embedded pigments initiates photosynthesis. Subsequently the many pigments within the antenna system shuttle that photon via an efficient excitation energy transfer (EET) until it encounters a reaction center. Since the 1995 discovery of the circularly arranged chromophoric assemblies in the crystal structure of light-harvesting antenna complex LH2 of purple bacteria Rps. Acidophila, many designs of light-harvesting antenna systems have focused on cyclic porphyrin wheels that allow for efficient EET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: energy transfer; porphyrinoids; self-assembly; structure elucidation; zinc EN energy transfer porphyrinoids self-assembly structure elucidation zinc 3888 3888 1 02/26/21 20210224 NES 210224 B A light-harvesting antenna model b made of three mutually axially coordinated zinc porphyrin molecules is reported in this work. With an energy gradient incorporated, energy transfer only occurs from porphyrin molecules specializing in light absorption to a porphyrin molecule as a charge separation center. Cover Feature: A Light-Harvesting/Charge-Separation Model with Energy Gradient Made of Assemblies of meta-Pyridyl Zinc Porphyrins (Chem. Eur. J. 12/2021). [Extracted from the article]

Transient absorption anisotropies of the Zn(II)porphyrin monomer, its direct meso-meso coupled dimer, and trimer are measured in the B (Soret) band region by sub-30 fs laser pulses. It is shown that detailed information on the electronic structures and energy transfer dynamics can be obtained from the anisotropy and the magic angle data. The anisotropies of all three molecules exhibit remarkable behaviors in the first 200 fs region. Experimental observations can be accounted for adequately by treating the transient absorption signal as an explicit sum of ground state bleach and excited state stimulated emission contributions. In the monomer, the anisotropy decay denotes an oscillatory feature followed by a 100 fs time constant exponential decay. It is argued that the B[sub x] and B[sub y] transitions of the porphyrin monomer are nondegenerate with an energy splitting of ∼170 cm[sup -1]. Furthermore, equilibration of the excitation energy within the B states is slightly underdamped. Excitation of the monomerlike B band of the dimer (trimer) leads to ultrafast ∼30 fs (60 fs) anisotropy decay and a subsequent rise with ∼60 fs (70 fs) time constant. It is concluded that the anisotropy decay is due to the ultrafast energy transfer to the low-energy exciton split B band, while the rise is due to the redshift of the excited state stimulated emission spectrum thereby decreasing the contribution of the excited state stimulated emission component in the overall transient absorption signal. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An image which illustrates spring-flower blossoms that are composed of multiporphyrin dendrimers with two different morphologies is presented.

Abstract: During the last decade, a variety of multidimensional chromophore arrays have been prepared to mimic the photosynthetic processes in natural light-harvesting complexes. At the same time, ultrafast spectroscopy has proven to be a good tool for elucidating their photophysical properties, including excitation energy transfer processes. Recently, ultrafast exciton dynamics in multiporphyrin arrays have been extensively investigated by time-resolved spectroscopic techniques such as time-correlated single photon counting and femtosecond transient absorption. The depolarization and exciton–exciton annihilation times could be obtained by time-resolved spectroscopic measurements using Förster-type incoherent energy transfer theory based on dipole–dipole coupling. In this article, the coupling energies of H- and J-type porphyrin aggregates were calculated by matrix diagonalization whose elements are the transition dipole coupling energies, including information on the relative orientation of transition dipoles, distances, and solvents. Analyzing the eigenvalues and eigenvectors obtained by matrix diagonalization, we were able to determine electronically allowed or forbidden transitions. The relationship between molecular structures and transition dipolar interactions exhibited in the steady-state absorption spectra was reexamined and compared with the experimentally observed incoherent energy hopping times in view of exciton coupling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A series of dendritic multiporphyrin arrays (PZnTz-nPFB; n = 2, 4, 8) comprising a triazole-bearing focal zinc porphyrin (PZn) with a different number of freebase porphyrin (PFB) wings has been synthesized, and their photoinduced energy transfer process has been evaluated. UV/vis absorption, emission, and time-resolved fluorescence measurements indicated that efficient excitation energy transfer takes place from the focal PZn to PFB wings in PZnTz-nPFB's. The triazole-bearing PZn effectively formed host-guest complexes with anionic species by means of axial coordination with the aid of multiple C-H hydrogen bonds. By addition of various anionic guests to PZnTz and PZnTz-nPFB's, strong bathochromic shifts of PZn absorption were observed, indicating the HOMO-LUMO gap (ΔEHOMO-LUMO) of PZn decreased by anion binding. Time-resolved fluorescence measurements revealed that the fluorescence emission predominantly takes place from PZn in PZnTz-nPFB's after the addition of CN-. This change was reversible because a treatment with a silver strip to remove CN- fully recovered the original energy transfer process from the focal PZn to PFB wings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The energy transfer process upon photoexcitation in binary polymer blends with different donor/acceptor pairs were investigated with the aid of the steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence methods. The observed differences in the energy transfer efficiency are not fully explained by the Förster radius, deduced from the spectral overlap calculation. The order of energy transfer efficiencies for different donor/acceptor pairs does not follow the sequence of Förster radius, particularly for the acceptors having relatively long PL lifetimes. Hence, an alternative simple model is proposed to account for the order of energy transfer efficiency, which is to include the effect of the acceptor PL lifetime, specifically in the presence of excess donor. Such is the case with usual polymer LED devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Donor–acceptor (D–A) triplet photosensitizers have gained considerable attention in the field of photodynamic therapy. While numerous studies have been conducted on these photosensitizers, their energy transfer mechanism has not been completely elucidated. Herein, we prepared BODIPY-based D–A complexes (AM2–4) to investigate their photophysical and solvatochromic properties. In addition, the hypothesis that a decrease in the singlet and triplet energy gap (ΔE ST) can increase the intersystem crossing rate and singlet oxygen quantum yield (SOQY) was investigated. Moreover, by designing the experiments under more controlled conditions than those reported in previous studies, we obtained more accurate data. AM2–4 materials with the charge-transfer (CT) character exhibited higher SOQY (0.32–0.44) than AM1 without the CT character. Besides, as the electron-accepting power of the photosensitizers increased, ΔE ST between the first singlet excited state and triplet excited state decreased, resulting in an increased SOQY. This study elucidates the molecular mechanism of D–A triplet photosensitizers and contributes to the development of efficient photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy. Image 1 • Correlation between singlet-triplet energy gap and singlet oxygen quantum yield in controlled conditions was investigated. • A donor-acceptor (D-A) complex based on triphenylamine (TPA) and boron dipyrromethane (BODIPY) was used. • The singlet oxygen quantum yield (SOQY) increased as the singlet-triplet energy gap decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]