We present experimental data illustrating that photochemical upconversion based on sensitized triplet−triplet annihilation can exhibit anti-Stokes emissions whose intensities with respect to the excitation power can vary between quadratic and linear using a noncoherent polychromatic light source. The benchmark upconverting composition consisting of Pd(II) octaethylporphyrin (PdOEP) sensitizers and 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) acceptors/annihilators in toluene was selected to generate quadratic, intermediate, and linear behavior under both coherent and noncoherent excitation conditions. Each of these power laws was traversed in a single sample in one contiguous experiment through selective pumping of the sensitizer using an Ar + laser. Wavelength-dependent responses ranging from quadratic to pseudolinear were also recorded from the identical sample composition when excited by Xe lamp/monochromator output in a conventional fluorimeter, where the optical density at λ ex dictates the observed incident power dependence. Finally, pure linear behavior was derived from noncoherent excitation for the first time at higher sensitizer concentrations. SECTION: Kinetics, Spectroscopy

Upconversion photochemistry occurring between palladium(II) octaethylporphyrin (PdOEP, 1) and 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA, 2) in toluene successfully sensitizes nanostructured WO(3) photoanodes (E(g) = 2.7 eV) to sub-bandgap non-coherent green photons at low power density.

In the present study, the red-light absorbing platinum(II) tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin (PtTPBP) was used as a triplet sensitizer in conjunction with two distinct iodophenyl-bearing BODIPY derivatives independently serving as triplet acceptors/annihilators poised for photon upconversion based on triplet-triplet annihilation. In deaerated benzene solutions, extremely stable and high quantum efficiency green (Phi(UC) = 0.0313 +/- 0.0005) and yellow (Phi(UC) = 0.0753 +/- 0.0036) upconverted emissions were observed from selective red excitation of the PtTPBP sensitizer at 635 +/- 5 nm. The current systems represent the first examples of photon upconversion where aromatic hydrocarbons do not serve the role of triplet acceptor/annihilator. Notably, the nature of the current chromophore compositions permitted highly reproducible upconversion quantum efficiency determinations while permitting the evaluation of the triplet-triplet annihilation quantum yields in both instances.