Issue 36, 2023

Covalently linked pyrene antennas for optically dense yet aggregation-resistant light-harvesting systems

Abstract

In this study we present a novel energy transfer material inspired by natural light-harvesting antenna arrays, zinc(II) phthalocyanine-pyrene (ZnPcPy). The ZnPcPy system facilitates energy transfer from 16 covalently linked pyrene (Py) donor chromophores to the emissive central zinc(II) phthalocyanine (ZnPc) core. Nearly 98% energy transfer efficiency is determined from the changes in emission decay rates between free MePy to covalently linked Py, supported by comparisons of photoluminescence quantum yields using different excitation wavelengths. A comparative analysis of ZnPcPy and an equivalent mixture of ZnPc and MePy demonstrates the superior light-harvesting performance of the covalently linked system, with energy transfer rates 9705 times higher in the covalently bound system. This covalent strategy allows for very high loadings of absorbing Py chromophores to be achieved while also avoiding exciton quenching that would otherwise arise, with the same strategy widely applicable to other pairs of Főrster resonance energy transfer (FRET) chromophores.

Graphical abstract: Covalently linked pyrene antennas for optically dense yet aggregation-resistant light-harvesting systems

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Jun 2023
Accepted
26 Aug 2023
First published
08 Sep 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2023,25, 24878-24882

Covalently linked pyrene antennas for optically dense yet aggregation-resistant light-harvesting systems

L. Salah, S. Makhseed, B. Ghazal, A. Abdel Nazeer, M. K. Etherington, C. S. Ponseca Jr., C. Li, A. P. Monkman, A. Danos and A. Shuaib, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2023, 25, 24878 DOI: 10.1039/D3CP02586A

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