Intramolecular Photoinduced Energy and Electron Transfer Reactions in Phenanthroimidazole-Boron Dipyromethane Donor-Acceptor Dyads.

Donor-acceptor systems in which a donor phenanthroimidazole (PhI) is directly connected to a BODIPY acceptor (Dyad1) and separated by an ethynyl bridge between PhI and BODIPY (Dyad2) have been designed, synthesized, and characterized by various spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Optical absorption and 1H NMR characteristics of both dyads with those of constituent individuals suggest that there exists a minimum π-π interaction between phenanthroimidazole and BODIPY. Quenched emission of both the dyads was observed when excited either at phenthaoimidazole absorption maxima or at BODIPY absorption maxima in all three investigated solvents. The detailed spectral analysis provided evidence for an intramolecular photoinduced excitation energy transfer (PEnT) from the singlet excited state of phenanthroimidazole to BODIPY and photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from the ground state of phenanthroimidazole to BODIPY. Transient absorption studies suggest that charge-separated species (PhI•+ - BODIPY•-) are generated at a rate constant of (1.16 ± 0.01) × 108 s-1 for the dyads Dyad1 and (5.15 ± 0.03) × 108 s-1 and for Dyad2 whereas energy transfer rate constants were much higher and were on the order of (1.1 ± 0.02) × 1010 s-1 and (1.6 ± 0.02) × 1010 s-1 for Dyad1 and Dyad2, respectively, signifying their usefulness in light energy harvesting applications.

Subsecond spontaneous catecholamine release in mesenteric lymph node ex vivo.

Measuring the dynamics of neurochemical-regulated immunity, particularly in the gut, has been a growing interest over the last several years because of its important implications in gastrointestinal inflammation, neurodegeneration, and even depression. Sympathetic noradrenergic nerves innervate the gastrointestinal tract and resident immune organs, including the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and Peyer's patches. Previous research has suggested that neuronal inputs in the MLN release norepinephrine (NE) at neural-immune synapses to regulate immune function. The current immunological techniques do not have the appropriate temporal or spatial resolution to monitor this dynamic process in real-time, within specific regions of intact lymphoid organs. Monitoring dynamic neural signaling within intact immune organs, in real-time, would facilitate a deeper understanding of neuroimmune communication and would allow the mechanism of rapid immunomodulation to be elucidated. Here, we overcome this technological barrier by coupling real-time neurochemical detection using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) in live MLN slices from C57BL/6 mice. We have discovered rapid, spontaneous catecholamine transients in the T-cell zone of the MLN which are on the order of a few hundred nanomolar, rapid (a few seconds), and frequent (every 20-s). We demonstrate that the ß2 -adrenergic receptor and the classic catecholamine transporters (DAT and NET) play a minor role in transient regulation in the MLN suggesting that regulation at the neural-immune synapse is quite complicated and further mechanistic studies are needed. Overall, these findings provide direct evidence for rapid neurochemical events in the MLN which could have a major impact on our understanding of neurochemical-regulated immunomodulation in the gut.

A microfluidic electrochemical flow cell capable of rapid on-chip dilution for fast-scan cyclic voltammetry electrode calibration.

Here, we developed a microfluidic electrochemical flow cell for fast-scan cyclic voltammetry which is capable of rapid on-chip dilution for efficient and cost-effective electrode calibration. Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) at carbon-fiber microelectrodes is a robust electroanalytical technique used to measure subsecond changes in neurotransmitter concentration over time. Traditional methods of electrode calibration for FSCV require several milliliters of a standard. Additionally, generating calibration curves can be time-consuming because separate solutions must be prepared for each concentration. Microfluidic electrochemical flow cells have been developed in the past; however, they often require incorporating the electrode in the device, making it difficult to remove for testing in biological tissues. Likewise, current microfluidic electrochemical flow cells are not capable of rapid on-chip dilution to eliminate the requirement of making multiple solutions. We designed a T-channel device, with microchannel dimensions of 100 µm × 50 µm, that delivered a standard to a 2-mm-diameter open electrode sampling well. A waste channel with the same dimensions was designed perpendicular to the well to flush and remove the standard. The dimensions of the T-microchannels and flow rates were chosen to facilitate complete mixing in the delivery channel prior to reaching the electrode. The degree of mixing was computationally modeled using COMSOL and was quantitatively assessed in the device using both colored dyes and electrochemical detection. On-chip electrode calibration for dopamine with FSCV was not significantly different than the traditional calibration method demonstrating its utility for FSCV calibration. Overall, this device improves the efficiency and ease of electrode calibration. Graphical abstract.

Surface anchored self-assembled reaction centre mimics as photoanodes consisting of a secondary electron donor, aluminium(iii) porphyrin and TiO2 semiconductor.

A series of vertically assembled photoanodes, consisting of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)aluminum(iii) porphyrin (AlPorF3), a pyridine appended electron donor (PTZ-Py, PTZ = phenothiazine; TTF-Py, TTF = tetrathiafulvalene), and semiconductor TiO2, have been fabricated by exploiting the unique axial properties of AlPorF3. The new photoanodes were characterized by steady-state and transient spectroscopic techniques. Transient-absorption studies show that in the absence of a donor, both the photoanodes (AlPorF3-TiO2 and AlPorF3-Ph-TiO2) exhibit electron injection from AlPorF3 into the conduction band of TiO2 and the injection efficiencies are strongly dependent on the linker. Faster electron injection and recombination is revealed when AlPorF3 is directly bound to TiO2. Although a secondary electron donor is coordinated to AlPorF3 (viz., Donor-Py-AlPorF3-TiO2 and Donor-Py-AlPorF3-Ph-TiO2), the primary charge separation occurs in the form of electron injection from AlPorF3 to TiO2 followed by a secondary process involving photooxidation of the donor (PTZ and TTF) with AlPorF3˙+. The estimated electron injection lifetimes and the AlPorF3˙+ decay lifetimes strongly depend on the electron richness of the donor; the higher the electron density of the donor, the faster the electron injection and photooxidation witnessed. The photoanodes with TTF (TTF-Py-AlPorF3-TiO2 and TTF-Py-AlPorF3-Ph-TiO2) show faster injection and shorter decay lifetimes of AlPorF3˙+ over their PTZ counterparts (PTZ-Py-AlPorF3-TiO2 and PTZ-Py-AlPorF3-Ph-TiO2). The observed trends suggest that the strong secondary electron donor enhances the injection and the subsequent photooxidation processes in the investigated photoanodes. The successful mimicking of a sequential charge-separation process makes aluminum(iii) porphyrins potential sensitizers for the construction of photoanodes, especially for photocatalytic and dye-sensitized solar cells for conversion and storage of solar energy.

Tuning Optical and Electron Donor Properties by Peripheral Thio-Aryl Substitution of Subphthalocyanine: A New Series of Donor-Acceptor Hybrids for Photoinduced Charge Separation.

Subphthalocyanine (SubPc), a unique ring-reduced member of the common phthalocyanines family, although known for its higher absorptivity, reveals narrow absorption with peak maxima around 570 nm thus limiting its utility in light-energy-harvesting applications. In the present study, by peripheral thio-aryl substitution of SubPc macrocycle, the spectral properties have been modulated to extend the absorption and emission well into the visible/near-IR region. Additionally, for α-ring-substituted derivatives, facile oxidation of SubPc was witnessed, thus making these derivatives better electron donors. Next, the preparation of donor-acceptor dyads containing the well-known electron acceptor C60 connected to the central boron atom of SubPc was accomplished by making use of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. Control experiments and free-energy calculations using the redox and spectral data suggested that the observed fluorescence quenching of SubPc in these dyads is due to electron transfer. Accordingly, transient spectral studies performed both in polar and nonpolar solvents conclusively proved electron transfer to be the quenching mechanism in these dyads. The measured rate constants by fitting kinetic data revealed efficient charge separation and charge recombination processes, suggesting that these dyads could be useful materials for the construction of light-to-electricity or light-to-fuel production devices.

Engaging Copper(III) Corrole as an Electron Acceptor: Photoinduced Charge Separation in Zinc Porphyrin-Copper Corrole Donor-Acceptor Conjugates.

An electron-deficient copper(III) corrole was utilized for the construction of donor-acceptor conjugates with zinc(II) porphyrin (ZnP) as a singlet excited state electron donor, and the occurrence of photoinduced charge separation was demonstrated by using transient pump-probe spectroscopic techniques. In these conjugates, the number of copper corrole units was varied from 1 to 2 or 4 units while maintaining a single ZnP entity to observe the effect of corrole multiplicity in facilitating the charge-separation process. The conjugates and control compounds were electrochemically and spectroelectrochemically characterized. Computational studies revealed ground state geometries of the compounds and the electron-deficient nature of the copper(III) corrole. An energy level diagram was established to predict the photochemical events by using optical, emission, electrochemical, and computational data. The occurrence of charge separation from singlet excited zinc porphyrin and charge recombination to yield directly the ground state species were evident from the diagram. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy studies provided spectral evidence of charge separation in the form of the zinc porphyrin radical cation and copper(II) corrole species as products. Rates of charge separation in the conjugates were found to be of the order of 10(10)  s(-1) and increased with increasing multiplicity of copper(III) corrole entities. The present study demonstrates the importance of copper(III) corrole as an electron acceptor in building model photosynthetic systems.

Phosphorus(V) Porphyrin-Manganese(II) Terpyridine Conjugates: Synthesis, Spectroscopy, and Photo-Oxidation Studies on a SnO2 Surface.

A major challenge in designing artificial photosynthetic systems is to find a suitable mimic of the highly oxidizing photoactive species P680 in photosystem II. High-potential phosphorus(V) porphyrins have many attractive properties for such a mimic but have not been widely studied. Here, we report the synthesis and photophysical characterization of a novel phosphorus(V) octaethylporphyrin-oxyphenyl-terpyridine conjugate (PPor-OPh-tpy, 1) and its corresponding manganese(II) complex (PPor-OPh-Mn(tpy)Cl2, 2). The X-ray structure of 2 shows that the Mn(II) and P(V) centers are 11.783 Šapart and that the phenoxy linker is not fully conjugated with the terpyridine ligand. The porphyrin fluorescence in 1 and 2 is strongly quenched and has a shorter lifetime compared to a reference compound without the terpyridine ligand. This suggests that electron transfer from tpy or Mn(tpy) to the excited singlet state of the PPor may be occurring. However, femtosecond transient absorbance data show that the rate of relaxation to the ground state in 1 and 2 is comparable to the fluorescence lifetimes. Thus, if charge separation is occurring, its lifetime is short. Because both 1 and 2 are positively charged, they can be electrostatically deposited onto the surface of negatively charged SnO2 nanoparticles. Freeze-trapping EPR studies of 2 electrostatically bound to SnO2 suggest that excitation of the porphyrin results in electron injection from 1PPor* into the conduction band of SnO2 and that the resulting PPor•+ species acquires enough potential to photo-oxidize the axially bound Mn(II) (tpy) moiety to Mn(III) (tpy).

Photoinduced charge separation in wide-band capturing, multi-modular bis(donor styryl)BODIPY-fullerene systems.

A new series of multi-modular donor-acceptor systems capable of exhibiting photoinduced charge separation have been designed, synthesized and characterized using various techniques. In this series, the electron donor was a BF2-chelated dipyrromethene (BODIPY) appended with two styryl linkers carrying two electron rich triphenylamine or phenothiazine entities. Fulleropyrrolidine linked at the meso-position of the BODIPY ring served as an electron acceptor. As a result of extended conjugation and multiple electroactive chromophore entities, the bis-styryl BODIPY revealed absorbance and emission well-into the near-infrared region covering a 300-850 nm spectral range. Using redox, computational, absorbance and emission data, an energy level diagram was constructed that helped in envisioning the different photochemical events. Spectral evidence for photoinduced charge separation in these systems was established from femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption studies. The measured rate constants indicated fast charge separation and relatively slow charge recombination revealing their usefulness in light energy harvesting and optoelectronic device building applications. The bis(donor styryl)BODIPY-fullerene systems populated BODIPY triplet excited states during the process of charge recombination.

A High-Energy Charge-Separated State of 1.70†eV from a High-Potential Donor-Acceptor Dyad: A Catalyst for Energy-Demanding Photochemical Reactions.

A high potential donor-acceptor dyad composed of zinc porphyrin bearing three meso-pentafluorophenyl substituents covalently linked to C60 , as a novel dyad capable of generating charge-separated states of high energy (potential) has been developed. The calculated energy of the charge-separated state was found to be 1.70 eV, the highest reported for a covalently linked porphyrin-fullerene dyad. Intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer leading to charge-separated states of appreciable lifetimes in polar and nonpolar solvents has been established from studies involving femto- to nanosecond transient absorption techniques. The high energy stored in the form of charge-separated states along with its persistence of about 50-60 ns makes this dyad a potential electron-transporting catalyst to carry out energy-demanding photochemical reactions. This type of high-energy harvesting dyad is expected to open new research in the areas of artificial photosynthesis especially producing energy (potential) demanding light-to-fuel products.

Modulation of Energy Transfer into Sequential Electron Transfer upon Axial Coordination of Tetrathiafulvalene in an Aluminum(III) Porphyrin-Free-Base Porphyrin Dyad.

Axially assembled aluminum(III) porphyrin based dyads and triads have been constructed to investigate the factors that govern the energy and electron transfer processes in a perpendicular direction to the porphyrin plane. In the aluminum(III) porphyrin-free-base porphyrin (AlPor-Ph-H2Por) dyad, the AlPor occupies the basal plane, while the free-base porphyrin (H2Por) with electron withdrawing groups resides in the axial position through a benzoate spacer. The NMR, UV-visible absorption, and steady-state fluorescence studies confirm that the coordination of pyridine appended tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivative (TTF-py or TTF-Ph-py) to the dyad in noncoordinating solvents afford vertically arranged supramolecular self-assembled triads (TTF-py→AlPor-Ph-H2Por and TTF-Ph-py→AlPor-Ph-H2Por). Time-resolved studies revealed that the AlPor in dyad and triads undergoes photoinduced energy and/or electron transfer processes. Interestingly, the energy and electron donating/accepting nature of AlPor can be modulated by changing the solvent polarity or by stimulating a new competing process using a TTF molecule. In modest polar solvents (dichloromethane and o-dichlorobenzene), excitation of AlPor leads singlet-singlet energy transfer from the excited singlet state of AlPor ((1)AlPor*) to H2Por with a moderate rate constant (k(EnT)) of 1.78 × 10(8) s(-1). In contrast, excitation of AlPor in the triad results in ultrafast electron transfer from TTF to (1)AlPor* with a rate constant (k(ET)) of 8.33 × 10(9)-1.25 × 10(10) s(-1), which outcompetes the energy transfer from (1)AlPor* to H2Por and yields the primary radical pair TTF(+•)-AlPor(-•)-H2Por. A subsequent electron shift to H2Por generates a spatially well-separated TTF(+•)-AlPor-H2Por(-•) radical pair.

Ultrafast charge separation and charge stabilization in axially linked 'tetrathiafulvalene-aluminum(III) porphyrin-gold(III) porphyrin' reaction center mimics.

The axial bonding ability of aluminum(III) porphyrin (AlPor) has been exploited to synthesize the vertically linked dyad 'aluminum(III) porphyrin-gold(III) porphyrin' (AlPor-Ph-AuPor(+)) and the two corresponding self-assembled triads 'tetrathiafulvalene-aluminum(III) porphyrin-gold(III) porphyrin' (TTF-py→AlPor-Ph-AuPor(+) and TTF-Ph-py→AlPor-Ph-AuPor(+)). The unique topology of these triads provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the sequential electron transfer in the perpendicular direction to the AlPor plane where the AlPor acts as a photosensitizer and primary electron donor while the AuPor and TTF serve as an electron acceptor and donor, respectively. The ground state properties of the dyad and triad suggest that there are no direct intramolecular interactions between the oppositely disposed AuPor and TTF units of the triad. However, the NMR and UV-visible absorption studies of the dyad reveal intermolecular interactions in non-coordinating solvents due to the coordination of counterion PF6(-) to the Al center of AlPor. Steady-state and femtosecond transient absorption studies of the dyad show that the lowest excited singlet state of AlPor ((1)AlPor*) is strongly quenched by ultrafast electron transfer to AuPor(+) with a time constant of 3.16 ps. The resulting charge separated state (AlPor(+)˙-AuPor˙) decays to ground state biexponentially with time constants of 27.26 and 2557 ps. Analogously, upon photo-excitation the triads also produce the same primary radical pair (AlPor(+)˙-AuPor˙). However, the formed radical pair is further involved in a rapid hole transfer from AlPor(+)˙ to TTF to form a stable final radical pair TTF(+)˙-AlPor-AuPor˙. The lifetime of the charge separated state exhibits an increase from 27.26 ps in AlPor-Ph-AuPor to 1393 ps in TTF-py→AlPor-Ph-AuPor(+) and 1484 ps in TTF-Ph-py→AlPor-Ph-AuPor(+). These results reveal successful charge stabilization in the self-assembled supramolecular reaction center mimics constructed via the axial linkage strategy.

Charge separation in graphene-decorated multimodular tris(pyrene)-subphthalocyanine-fullerene donor-acceptor hybrids.

A new approach to probe the effect of graphene on photochemical charge separation in donor-acceptor conjugates is devised. For this, multimodular donor-acceptor conjugates, composed of three molecules of pyrene, a subphthalocyanine, and a fullerene C60 ((Pyr)3 SubPc-C60 ), have been synthesized and characterized. These systems were hybridized on few-layer graphene through π-π stacking interactions of the three pyrene moieties. The hybrids were characterized using Raman, HRTEM, and spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. The energy levels of the donor-acceptor conjugates were fine-tuned upon interaction with graphene and photoinduced charge separation in the absence and presence of graphene was studied by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Accelerated charge separation and recombination was detected in these graphene-decorated conjugates suggesting that they could be used as materials for fast-responding optoelectronic devices and in light energy harvesting applications.

A supramolecular tetrad featuring covalently linked ferrocene-zinc porphyrin-BODIPY coordinated to fullerene: a charge stabilizing, photosynthetic antenna-reaction center mimic.

A novel photosynthetic-antenna-reaction-center model compound, comprised of BF2 -chelated dipyrromethene (BODIPY) as an energy-harvesting antenna, zinc porphyrin (ZnP) as the primary electron donor, ferrocene (Fc) as a hole-shifting agent, and phenylimidazole-functionalized fulleropyrrolidine (C60 Im) as an electron acceptor, has been synthesized and characterized. Optical absorption and emission, computational structure optimization, and cyclic voltammetry studies were systematically performed to establish the role of each entity in the multistep photochemical reactions. The energy-level diagram established from optical and redox data helped identifying different photochemical events. Selective excitation of BODIPY resulted in efficient singlet energy transfer to the ZnP entity. Ultrafast electron transfer from the (1) ZnP* (formed either as a result of singlet-singlet energy transfer or direct excitation) or (1) C60 * of the coordinated fullerene resulting into the formation of the Fc-(C60 (.) (-) Im:ZnP(.) (+) )-BODIPY radical ion pair was witnessed by femtosecond transient absorption studies. Subsequent hole migration to the ferrocene entity resulted in the Fc(+) -(C60 (.) (+) Im:ZnP)-BODIPY radical ion pair that persisted for 7-15 µs, depending upon the solvent conditions and contributions from the triplet excited states of ZnP and ImC60 , as revealed by the nanosecond transient spectral studies. Better utilization of light energy in generating the long-lived charge-separated state with the help of the present "antenna-reaction-center" model system has been successfully demonstrated.

Phenothiazine-BODIPY-fullerene triads as photosynthetic reaction center models: substitution and solvent polarity effects on photoinduced charge separation and recombination.

Novel photosynthetic reaction center model compounds of the type donor2 -donor1 -acceptor, composed of phenothiazine, BF2 -chelated dipyrromethene (BODIPY), and fullerene, respectively, have been newly synthesized using multistep synthetic methods. X-ray structures of three of the phenothiazine-BODIPY intermediate compounds have been solved to visualize the substitution effect caused by the phenothiazine on the BODIPY macrocycle. Optical absorption and emission, computational, and differential pulse voltammetry studies were systematically performed to establish the molecular integrity of the triads. The N-substituted phenothiazine was found to be easier to oxidize by 60 mV compared to the C-substituted analogue. The geometry and electronic structures were obtained by B3LYP/6-31G(dp) calculations (for H, B, N, and O) and B3LYP/6-31G(df) calculations (for S) in vacuum, followed by a single-point calculation in benzonitrile utilizing the polarizable continuum model (PCM). The HOMO-1, HOMO, and LUMO were, respectively, on the BODIPY, phenothiazine and fullerene entities, which agreed well with the site of electron transfer determined from electrochemical studies. The energy-level diagram deduced from these data helped in elucidating the mechanistic details of the photochemical events. Excitation of BODIPY resulted in ultrafast electron transfer to produce PTZ-BODIPY(.+) -C60 (.-) ; subsequent hole shift resulted in PTZ(.+) -BODIPY-C60 (.-) charge-separated species. The return of the charge-separated species was found to be solvent dependent. In nonpolar solvents the PTZ(.+) -BODIPY-C60 (.-) species populated the (3) C60 * prior to returning to the ground state, while in polar solvent no such process was observed due to relative positioning of the energy levels. The (1) BODIPY* generated radical ion-pair in these triads persisted for few nanoseconds due to electron transfer/hole-shift mechanism.

Supramolecular tetrad featuring covalently linked bis(porphyrin)-phthalocyanine coordinated to fullerene: construction and photochemical studies.

A multimodular donor-acceptor tetrad featuring a bis(zinc porphyrin)-(zinc phthalocyanine) ((ZnP-ZnP)-ZnPc) triad and bis-pyridine-functionalized fullerene was assembled by a "two-point" binding strategy, and investigated as a charge-separating photosynthetic antenna-reaction center mimic. The spectral and computational studies suggested that the mode of binding of the bis-pyridine-functionalized fullerene involves either one of the zinc porphyrin and zinc phthalocyanine (Pc) entities of the triad or both zinc porphyrin entities leaving ZnPc unbound. The binding constant evaluated by constructing a Benesi-Hildebrand plot by using the optical data was found to be 1.17×10(5) M(-1), whereas a plot of "mole-ratio" method revealed a 1:1 stoichiometry for the supramolecular tetrad. The mode of binding was further supported by differential pulse voltammetry studies, in which redox modulation of both zinc porphyrin and zinc phthalocyanine entities was observed. The geometry of the tetrad was deduced by B3LYP/6-31G* optimization, whereas the energy levels for different photochemical events was established by using data from the optical absorption and emission, and electrochemical studies. Excitation of the zinc porphyrin entity of the triad and tetrad revealed ultrafast singlet-singlet energy transfer to the appended zinc phthalocyanine. The estimated rate of energy transfer (k(ENT)) in the case of the triad was found to be 7.5×10(11) s(-1) in toluene and 6.3×10(11) s(-1) in o-dichlorobenzene, respectively. As was predicted from the energy levels, photoinduced electron transfer from the energy-transfer product, that is, singlet-excited zinc phthalocyanine to fullerene was verified from the femtosecond-transient spectral studies, both in o-dichlorobenzene and toluene. Transient bands corresponding to ZnPc(⋅+) in the 850 nm range and C60(⋅-) in the 1020 nm range were clearly observed. The rate of charge separation, k(CS), and rate of charge recombination, k(CR), for the (ZnP-ZnP)-ZnPc(⋅+):Py2C60(⋅-) radical ion pair (from the time profile of 849 nm peak) were found to be 2.20×10(11) and 6.10×10(8) s(-1) in toluene, and 6.82×10(11) and 1.20×10(9) s(-1) in o-dichlorobenzene, respectively. These results revealed efficient energy transfer followed by charge separation in the newly assembled supramolecular tetrad.

Purine Functional Group Type and Placement Modulate the Interaction with Carbon-Fiber Microelectrodes.

Purine detection in the brain with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) at carbon-fiber microelectrodes (CFME) has become increasingly popular over the past decade; despite the growing interest, an in-depth analysis of how purines interact with the CFME at fast-scan rates has not been investigated. Here, we show how the functional group type and placement in the purine ring modulate sensitivity, electron transfer kinetics, and adsorption on the carbon-fiber surface. Similar investigations of catecholamine interaction at CFME with FSCV have informed the development of novel catecholamine-based sensors and is needed for purine-based sensors. We tested purine bases with either amino, carbonyl, or both functional groups substituted at different positions on the ring and an unsubstituted purine. Unsubstituted purine showed very little to no interaction with the electrode surface, indicating that functional groups are important for interaction at the CFME. Purine nucleosides and nucleotides, like adenosine, guanosine, and adenosine triphosphate, are most often probed using FSCV due to their rich extracellular signaling modalities in the brain. Because of this, the extent to which the ribose and triphosphate groups affect the purine-CFME interaction was also evaluated. Amino functional groups facilitated the interaction of purine analogues with CFME more than carbonyl groups, permitting strong adsorption and high surface coverage. Ribose and triphosphate groups decreased the oxidative current and slowed the interaction at the electrode which is likely due to steric effects and electrostatic repulsion. This work provides insight into the factors that affect purine-CFME interaction and conditions to consider when developing purine-targeted sensors for FSCV.

Charge-separation in panchromatic, vertically positioned bis(donor styryl)BODIPY-aluminum(iii) porphyrin-fullerene supramolecular triads.

Three, broad band capturing, vertically aligned supramolecular triads, R2-BDP-AlPorF3←Im-C60 [R = H, styryl (C2H2-Ph), C2H2-TPA (TPA = triphenylamine); ← = coordinate bond], have been constructed using BODIPY derivative (BDP, BDP-Ph2 or BDP-TPA2), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)aluminum(iii) porphyrin (AlPorF3) and fullerene (C60) entities. The C60 and BDP units are bound to the Al center on the opposite faces of the porphyrin: the BDP derivative through a covalent axial bond using a benzoate spacer and the C60 through a coordination bond via an appended imidazole. Owing to the bis-styryl functionality on BDP, the constructed dyads and triads exhibited panchromatic light capture. Due to the diverse absorption and redox properties of the selected entities, it was possible to demonstrate excitation wavelength dependent photochemical events. In the case of the BDP-AlPorF3 dyad, selective excitation of BDP resulted in singlet-singlet energy transfer to AlPorF3 (kEnT = 1.0 × 1010 s-1). On the other hand, excitation of the AlPorF3 entity in the BDP-AlPorF3←Im-C60 triad revealed charge separation leading to the BDP-(AlPorF3)˙+-(C60)˙- charge separated state (kCS = 2.43 × 109 s-1). In the case of the Ph2-BDP-AlPorF3 dyad, energy transfer from 1AlPorF3* to 1(Ph2-BDP)* was witnessed (kEnT = 1.0 × 1010 s-1); however, upon assembling the supramolecular triad, (Ph2-BDP)-AlPorF3←Im-C60, electron transfer from 1AlPorF3* to C60 (kCS = 3.35 × 109 s-1), followed by hole shift (kHS = 1.00 × 109 s-1) to Ph2-BDP, was witnessed. Finally, in the case of the TPA2-BDP-AlPorF3←Im-C60 triad, only electron transfer leading to the (TPA2-BDP)˙+-AlPorF3←Im-(C60)˙- charge separated state, and no energy transfer, was observed. The facile oxidation of Ph2-BDP and TPA2-BDP compared to AlPorF3 in the latter two triads facilitated charge separation through either an electron migration or hole transfer mechanism depending on the initial excitation. The charge-separated states in these triads persisted for about 20 ns.

Controlling electron and energy transfer paths by selective excitation in a zinc porphyrin-BODIPY-C60 multi-modular triad.

A multi-modular donor-acceptor triad composed of zinc porphyrin, BF2-chelated dipyrromethene (BODIPY), and C60 was newly synthesized, with the BODIPY entity at the central position. Using absorbance and emission spectral, electrochemical redox, and computational optimization results, energy level diagrams for the ZnP-BODIPY dyad and ZnP-BODIPY-C60 triad were constructed to envision the different photochemical events upon selective excitation of the BODIPY and ZnP entities. By transient absorption spectral studies covering a wide femtosecond-to-millisecond time scale, evidence for the different photochemical events and their kinetic information was secured. Efficient singlet-singlet energy transfer from 1BODIPY* to ZnP with a rate constant kENT = 1.7 × 1010 s-1 in toluene was observed in the case of the ZnP-BODIPY dyad. Interestingly, in the case of the ZnP-BODIPY-C60 triad, the selective excitation of ZnP resulted in electron transfer leading to the formation of the ZnP˙+-BODIPY-C60˙- charge-separated state. Owing to the distal separation of the radical cation and radical anion species (edge-to-edge distance of 18.7 Å), the radical ion-pair persisted for microseconds. By contrast, the selective excitation of BODIPY resulted in an ultrafast energy transfer to yield ZnP-BODIPY-1C60* as the major product. The 1C60* populated the low-lying 3C60* via intersystem crossing prior to returning to the ground state. The present study successfully demonstrates the importance of supramolecular geometry and selection of excitation wavelength in regulating the different photoprocesses.

Effect of Spacer Connecting the Secondary Electron Donor Phenothiazine in Subphthalocyanine-Fullerene Conjugates in Promoting Electron Transfer Followed by Hole Shift Process.

Sequential electron/hole transfer between energetically well-positioned entities of photosynthetic reaction center models is one of the commonly employed mechanisms to generate long-lived charge-separated states. A wealth of information, applicable towards light energy harvesting and building optoelectronic devices, has been acquired from such studies. In the present study, we report on the effect of spacer (direct or via phenoxy linkage) connecting the hole shifting agent, phenothiazine (PTZ), on photoinduced charge stabilization in subphthalocyanine-fullerene donor-acceptor conjugates. In these conjugates, the subphthalocyanine (SubPc) and fullerene (C60 ) served as primary electron donor and acceptor, respectively, while the phenothiazine entities act as hole shifting agents. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by optical absorption and emission, computational, and electrochemical methods. The redox potentials measured using differential pulse voltammetry were used to estimate free-energy changes for charge separation, hole migration, and charge recombination processes. Using femto- and nanosecond transient absorption techniques, evidence for charge separation, and kinetics of charge separation and recombination were obtained in polar benzonitrile and nonpolar toluene solvents. In the conjugate where the phenothiazine entities are directly linked to SubPc, evidence for sequential electron transfer followed by hole shift leading to long-lived charge separated state was weak, primarily due to the delocalization of HOMO on both SubPc and PTZ entities. However, in case of the conjugate where the PTZ and SubPc are linked via phenoxy spacers, sequential electron transfer/hole shift was observed leading to the formation of long-lived charge-separated states. The present study brings out the importance of the spacer group connecting the hole shifting agent in model donor-acceptor conjugates to generate long-lived charge-separated states.

Syntheses, Charge Separation, and Inverted Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cell Application of Phenothiazine-Fullerene Dyads.

A series of phenothiazine-fulleropyrrolidine (PTZ-C60) dyads having fullerene either at the C-3 aromatic ring position or at the N-position of phenothiazine macrocycle were newly synthesized and characterized. Photoinduced electron transfer leading to PTZ(•+)-C60(•-) charge-separated species was established from studies involving femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Because of the close proximity of the donor and acceptor entities, the C-3 ring substituted PTZ-C60 dyads revealed faster charge separation and charge recombination processes than that observed in the dyad functionalized through the N-position. Next, inverted organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells were constructed using the dyads in place of traditionally used [6,6]-phenyl-C61- butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and an additional electron donor material poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). The performance of the C-3 ring substituted PTZ-C60 dyad having a polyethylene glycol substituent produced a power conversion efficiency of 3.5% under inverted bulk heterojunction (BHJ) configuration. This was attributed to optimal BHJ morphology between the polymer and the dyad, which was further promoted by the efficient intramolecular charge separation and relatively slow charge recombination promoted by the dyad within the BHJ structure. The present finding demonstrate PTZ-C60 dyads as being good prospective materials for building organic photovoltaic devices.