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Title: One‐Photon Excitation Followed by a Three‐Step Sequential Energy–Energy–Electron Transfer Leading to a Charge‐Separated State in a Supramolecular Tetrad Featuring Benzothiazole–Boron‐Dipyrromethene–Zinc Porphyrin–C 60
Abstract

A panchromatic triad, consisting of benzothiazole (BTZ) and BF2‐chelated boron‐dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moieties covalently linked to a zinc porphyrin (ZnP) core, has been synthesized and systematically characterized by using1H NMR spectroscopy, ESI‐MS, UV‐visible, steady‐state fluorescence, electrochemical, and femtosecond transient absorption techniques. The absorption band of the triad, BTZ‐BODIPY‐ZnP, and dyads, BTZ‐BODIPY and BODIPY‐ZnP, along with the reference compounds BTZ‐OMe, BODIPY‐OMe, and ZnP‐OMe exhibited characteristic bands corresponding to individual chromophores. Electrochemical measurements on BTZ‐BODIPY‐ZnP exhibited redox behavior similar to that of the reference compounds. Upon selective excitation of BTZ (≈290 nm) in the BTZ‐BODIPY‐ZnP triad, the fluorescence of the BTZ moiety is quenched, due to photoinduced energy transfer (PEnT) from1BTZ*to the BODIPY moiety, followed by quenching of the BODIPY emission due to sequential PEnT from the1BODIPY* moiety to ZnP, resulting in the appearance of the ZnP emission, indicating the occurrence of a two‐step singlet–singlet energy transfer. Further, a supramolecular tetrad, BTZ‐BODIPY‐ZnP:ImC60, was formed by axially coordinating the triad with imidazole‐appended fulleropyrrolidine (ImC60), and parallel steady‐state measurements displayed the diminished emission of ZnP, which clearly indicated the occurrence of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from1ZnP* to ImC60. Finally, femtosecond transient absorption spectral studies provided evidence for the sequential occurrence of PEnT and PET events, namely,1BTZ*‐BODIPY‐ZnP:ImC60→BTZ‐1BODIPY*‐ZnP:ImC60→BTZ‐BODIPY‐1ZnP*:ImC60→BTZ‐BODIPY‐ZnP.+:ImC60.−in the supramolecular tetrad. The evaluated rate of energy transfer,kEnT, was found to be 3–5×1010 s−1, which was slightly faster than that observed in the case of BODIPY‐ZnP and BTZ‐BODIPY‐ZnP, lacking the coordinated ImC60. The rate constants for charge separation and recombination,kCSandkCR, respectively, calculated by monitoring the rise and decay of C60.−were found to be 5.5×1010and 4.4×108 s−1, respectively, for the BODIPY‐ZnP:ImC60triad, and 3.1×1010and 4.9×108 s−1, respectively, for the BTZ‐BODIPY‐ZnP:ImC60tetrad. Initial excitation of the tetrad, promoting two‐step energy transfer and a final electron‐transfer event, has been successfully demonstrated in the present study.

 
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NSF-PAR ID:
10237023
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Chemistry – A European Journal
Volume:
27
Issue:
6
ISSN:
0947-6539
Page Range / eLocation ID:
p. 2184-2195
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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