Synthetically tuneable biomimetic artificial photosynthetic reaction centres that closely resemble the natural system in purple bacteria.

Porphyrin-based photosynthetic reaction centre (PRC) mimics, ZnPQ-Q2HP-C60 and MP2Q-Q2HP-C60 (M = Zn or 2H), designed to have a similar special-pair electron donor and similar charge-separation distances, redox processes and photochemical reaction rates to those in the natural PRC from purple bacteria, have been synthesised and extensive photochemical studies performed. Mechanisms of electron-transfer reactions are fully investigated using femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. In benzonitrile, all models show picosecond-timescale charge-separations and the final singlet charge-separations with the microsecond-timescale. The established lifetimes are long compared to other processes in organic solar cells or other organic light harvesting systems. These rigid, synthetically flexible molecules provide the closest mimics to the natural PRC so far synthesised and present a future direction for the design of light harvesters with controllable absorption, redox, and kinetics properties.

Synthesis and photoinduced electron transfer in platinum(II) bis(N-(4-ethynylphenyl)carbazole)bipyridine fullerene complexes.

Platinum(ii) bis(N-(4-ethynylphenyl)carbazole)bipyridine fullerene complexes, (Cbz)2-Pt(bpy)-C60 and ((t)BuCbz)2-Pt(bpy)-C60, were synthesized. Their photophysical properties were studied by electronic absorption and emission spectroscopy and the origin of the transitions was supported by computational studies. The electrochemical properties were also studied and the free energies for charge-separation and charge-recombination processes were evaluated. The photoinduced electron transfer reactions in the triads were investigated by femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. In dichloromethane, both triads undergo ultrafast charge separation from the (3)MLCT/LLCT excited state within 300 fs to yield their respective triplet charge-separated (CS) states, namely (Cbz)2˙(+)-Pt(bpy)-C60˙(-) and ((t)BuCbz)2˙(+)-Pt(bpy)-C60˙(-), and the CS states would undergo charge recombination to give the (3)C60* state, which subsequently decays to the ground state in 22-28 µs.

Design and synthesis of bipyridine platinum(II) bisalkynyl fullerene donor-chromophore-acceptor triads with ultrafast charge separation.

Donor-chromophore-acceptor triads, (PTZ)2-Pt(bpy)-C60 and ((t)BuPTZ)2-Pt(bpy)-C60, along with their model compound, (Ph)2-Pt(bpy)-C60, have been synthesized and characterized; their photophysical and electrochemical properties have been studied, and the origin of the absorption and emission properties has been supported by computational studies. The photoinduced electron transfer reactions have been investigated using the femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. In dichloromethane, (Ph)2-Pt(bpy)-C60 shows ultrafast triplet-triplet energy transfer from the (3)MLCT/LLCT excited state within 4 ps to give the (3)C60* state, while in (PTZ)2-Pt(bpy)-C60 and ((t)BuPTZ)2-Pt(bpy)-C60, charge-separated state forms within 400 fs from the (3)MLCT/LLCT excited state with efficiency of over 0.90, and the total efficiency with the contribution of (3)C60* is estimated to be 0.99. Although the forward electron transfer reactions are very rapid, the charge-separated state recombines to the singlet ground state at a time of hundreds of nanoseconds because of the difference in spin multiplicity between the charge-separated state and the ground state.