The competition between conformational dynamics and electron transfer within a series of phenothiazine-(phenyl) n -pyrene (n ) 0, 1) electron donor-acceptor dyads of potential use in organic light emitting diodes was examined using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The molecular structures of these dyads permit only torsional motions around the single bonds joining each aromatic subunit. The redox properties of these molecules are nearly independent of the phenyl bridging group, whereas spectroelectrochemistry shows that the UV/vis absorption spectra of the oxidized and reduced species vary with the bridge. Each molecule exhibits dual fluorescence emission which provides evidence for conformational heterogeneity. Emission from a locally excited state originates from a minority conformation, in which electron transfer is negligible, whereas emission because of ion pair recombination results from the majority conformation which undergoes electron transfer. The electron-transfer reactions proceed with time constants <25 ps except in the dyad with the longest donor-acceptor distance in nonpolar solution, where the free energy of the charge separation reaction is positive. If electron transfer is sufficiently fast, conformational relaxation within the ion pair state product occurs on a 100-400 ps time scale, whereas if electron transfer is slow, conformation relaxation with the locally excited state centered on phenothiazine occurs. In two of the dyads in nonpolar solvents, wherein the free energy for charge separation is estimated to be very small, strong mixing between the ion pair state and the locally excited state of phenothiazine is found. The results show that competitive conformational relaxations can have a strong influence on the charge separation dynamics of donor-bridge-acceptor molecules with single bond linkages. In turn, these conformational dynamics will undoubtedly have an important influence on the photophysics of these molecules in the solid-state environment characteristic of light-emitting diodes. † Part of the special issue "Edward Schlag Festschrift".
Electron donor-acceptor systems, in which phenothiazine is tethered to pyrene by means of a phenyl bridge, exhibit a dual emission in moderately and very polar solvents. Employing steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, we were able to provide evidence that the "blue" and "red" emission bands originate from different conformers. The ground-state geometry of the majority species is identical to that found in the crystalline state (the quasi-equatorial conformer). This conformation executes a fast electron-transfer process accompanied by significant structural relaxation. Consequently, its fluorescence exhibits a large solvatochromic shift typical for charge-transfer states. The photophysical properties of the minority species (the quasi-axial conformer) vary significantly with the substitution pattern of the bridging phenyl ring. In part, this difference is related to the orientational factor, κ, governing the rate of energy transfer between the pyrene and phenothiazine moieties. In the para-substituted derivative, fluorescence emission from both the excited phenylpyrene and the phenylphenothiazine subsystem can be observed. In the meta-substituted derivative, fluorescence originates mainly from the primarily absorbing phenylpyrene subsystem. In nonpolar solvent (cyclohexane), the nature of the fluorescing state differs for the para-and meta-substituted compounds. Whereas in the former, the fluorescence originates from the locally excited phenothiazine, it is governed by emission from a structurally modified CT state in the latter derivative. Semiempirical (AM1/CI) molecular orbital calculations with a continuum solvent treatment have been used to investigate the different states involved and provide explanations for the observed results. The calculations reveal the existence of an intermediately populated CT state in which the negative charge is partly localized in the bridge as well as in the pyrene acceptor.
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