Two-Photon Initiating Efficiency of a Ditopic Alkoxynitrostilbene Reacting through a Self-Regenerative Mechanism.

The photophysical properties and the photoinitiating reactivity of a ditopic alkoxynitrostilbene were compared to those of its single branch chromophore used as a reference. Whereas a trivial additive effect is observed when considering the one- and two-photon absorption properties, a clear and very significant amplification has been highlighted for the photoreactivity of this free radical photoinitiator which was used as a hydrogen abstractor in presence of an aliphatic amine co-reactant. We indeed demonstrate that the proximity of two nitroaromatics moieties within the same molecular architecture gives rise to an original cycling mechanism based on a stepwise photo triggering of each photoredox center followed by a subsequent regenerative process. The combination of a high two-photon absorption cross-section (δ780nm ≈330 GM) with a strong enhancement in photoreactivity makes this nitrostilbene bichromophore a very suitable candidate for two-photon polymerization applications.

Rotamerism-driven large magnitude host-guest binding change in a crown ether derivatized pyridinium-phenolate series.

Two TICTOID-based pyridinium-phenolates bearing a crown ether macrocycle have been designed for the complexation of a potassium cation. The nucleophilicity of the intraannular phenolate -O(-) function can be strongly modulated by biaryl twisting. Such a structure/electronic transduction effect gives rise to a host-guest binding change by more than two orders of magnitude.

Abnormal enhancement of the photoisomerization process in a trans-nitroalkoxystilbene dimer sequestered in ß-cyclodextrin cavities.

We report on the synthesis and the photophysical properties of a trans-nitroalkoxystilbene dimer (DPNS). The fluorescence quantum yield (Φ(f)), the Stokes shift, and the quantum yield for the trans-to-cis photoisomerization (Φ(t→c)) are strongly dependent on the nature of the solvent. Upon increasing solvent polarity, Φ(f) increases together with the decrease of Φ(t→c). This solvent-induced reverse behavior mainly stems from the progressive stabilization of a highly polar twisted internal charge transfer state (TICT) at excited singlet level which opens a competing channel to photoisomerization. In the presence of hydroxylic substrates (i.e., alcohols or water), fluorescence of DPNS is strongly quenched due to a hydrogen bonding interaction at excited state. The efficiency of the process is clearly correlated to the H-bond donor ability of the quencher. In aqueous solution, the major formation of a 2:1 host-guest complex with ß-cyclodextrins (ß-CD) prevents the quenching by H(2)O and leads to a 50-fold increase of the fluorescence signal together with a strong band blue-shift with respect to that of the free chromophore. This latter effect was rationalized in terms of a severe reduction of the solvent-induced stabilization of the TICT state. As a consequence, the trans-to-cis photoisomerization reaction is reactivated and leads to a paradoxical 14-fold increase of Φ(t→c) even though DPNS is sequestered in ß-CD cavities.

Excited-state dynamics of phenol-pyridinium biaryl.

The excited-state dynamics of a donor-acceptor phenol-pyridinium biaryl cation was investigated in various solvents by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and temperature dependent steady-state emission measurements. After excitation to a near-planar Franck-Condon delocalized excited S(1)(DE) state with mesomeric character, three fast relaxation processes are well resolved: solvation, intramolecular rearrangement leading to a twisted charge-shift (CSh) S(1) state with localized character, and excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) to the solvent leading to the phenoxide-pyridinium zwitterion. The proton transfer kinetics depends on the proton accepting character of the solvent whereas the interring torsional kinetics depends on the solvent polarity and viscosity. In nitriles, ESPT does not occur and interring twisting arises with no significant intrinsic barrier, but still slower than solvation. The CSh state is notably fluorescent. In alcohols and water, ESPT is faster than the solvation and DE → CSh relaxation processes and yields the zwitterion hot ground state, which strongly quenches the fluorescence. In THF, solvation and interring twisting occur first, leading to the fully relaxed, weakly fluorescent CSh state, followed by slow ESPT towards the zwitterion. At low temperature (77 K), the large viscous barrier of the solvent inhibits the torsional relaxation but ESPT still arises to some extent. Strong emission from the DE geometry and planar zwitterion is thus observed. Finally, quantum chemical calculations were performed on the ground and excited state of model phenol-pyridinium and phenoxide-pyridinium compounds. Strong S(1) state energy stabilization is predicted upon twisting in both cases, consistent with a fast relaxation towards the perpendicular geometry. A substantial S(0)-S(1) energy gap is still present for the twisted cationic species, which can explain the long-lived emission of the CSh state in nitriles. A quite different situation arises with the zwitterion for which the S(0)-S(1) energy gap predicted at the twisted geometry is very small. This suggests a close-lying conical intersection and can account for the strong fluorescence quenching observed in solvents where the zwitterion is produced by ESPT.

Ultrafast excited-state dynamics of a series of zwitterionic pyridinium phenoxides with increasing sterical hindering.

A series of pyridinium phenoxides that differ by the dihedral angle between the pyridinium and the phenoxide rings because of substituents with increasing steric encumbrance has been investigated by ultrafast spectroscopy. Like the related betaine-30, these molecules are characterised by a zwitterionic electronic ground state and a weakly polar S(1) state. Their fluorescence lifetime was found to lie between 200 to 750 fs, decreasing with increasing dihedral angle, and increasing with solvent viscosity. This was assigned to a non-radiative deactivation of the emissive state coupled to a large amplitude motion involving the dihedral angle. The transient absorption spectra suggested that emission occurs from the Franck-Condon S(1) state, which decays to a dark excited state, that itself most probably corresponds to the relaxed S(1) state. Finally, this relaxed state decays to the vibrationally hot ground state through an intramolecular charge separation process with a time constant ranging between 0.4 and 3 ps, increasing with the dihedral angle and with the solvent relaxation time. These variations were discussed in terms of the Jortner-Bixon model of electron transfer, where the charge separation dynamics depends on both electronic coupling and solvent relaxation. The results suggested that charge separation slows down with increasing dihedral angle.

Photoinduced coupled charge and proton transfers in gradually twisted phenol-pyridinium biaryl series.

A detailed photophysical analysis of a phenol-pyridinium biphenyl series with gradual twisted geometry is presented in this paper. The low-energy CT absorption band of the compounds undergoes a decrease of intensity with a progressive blue shift by increasing the twist angle of the central bond (Theta(AD)). These effects are well described and quantified within the framework of the Mulliken-Murrel approach, which allows us to extend such a model to the charge-shift process. The biaryl compounds exhibit broadened fluorescence bands assigned to the radiative deactivation of a charge shift (CSh) species generated by an intramolecular twisting relaxation of the locally excited (LE) state. Parallel to the rotamerism of the central single bond, excited-state proton-transfer (ESPT) processes are occurring from both excited states and lead to the nonemissive phenolate forms. Solvatochromic shifts of the emission bands are correlated by the Kamlet-Taft parameters (pi*, alpha, and beta). The correlation first confirms the pi* dependence of the CSh band shift but also demonstrates a clear beta dependence. The contribution of the latter parameter to the band hypsochromy is markedly increasing with Theta(AD). Such an unusual effect was ascribed to a much higher ESPT rate relative to the highly twisted conformation with respect to that of more planar geometry. Despite the suppression of the geometrical relaxation in ethanol glass at 77 K, the fluorescence of the phenolate species produced by ESPT from LE state is detected. The relative increase of its fluorescence band intensity with Theta(AD) confirms the gradual enhancement of the excited states acidity.

Photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer in a 2,7-diaminofluorene chromophore decorated with two benzophenone subunits.

An extensive photophysical analysis of a 2,7-bis-(N-4-methoxyphenyl-N-phenylamino)fluorene derivative covalently linked with two benzophenone moieties is presented. A systematic comparison with a model chromophore without benzophenone was performed. For both chromophores, the electronic properties of the ground states are completely equivalent indicating that benzophenone subunits do not exhibit any electronic interaction with the diaminofluorene core. However, at the singlet excited state, the presence of benzophenones induces the occurrence of additional non-radiative de-excitation pathways. Even the intersystem crossing rate is significantly increased with respect to that of the model one. A photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer (PIET) from diaminofluorene to benzophenone subunits is proposed as the most efficient quenching process. At low polar solvent, the emission of an exciplex confirms the PIET process and the occurrence of a partial charge separation between donor and acceptor parts.

Two-photon absorption and polymerization ability of intramolecular energy transfer based photoinitiating systems.

We design a new photoinitiating system where the two-photon absorption of a 2,7 bisaminofluorene moiety leads to the photoactivation of a camphorquinone subunit through a Förster-type intramolecular energy transfer: the application to a two-photon polymerization reaction is demonstrated.