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A series of Ru(II)-terpyridine complexes containing electron-donating bidentate ligands are able to effectively photodissociate nitrile ligands using red light. A spectroscopic investigation of these complexes reveal that they follow anti-energy gap law behavior, providing further evidence that population of 3LF excited states is not necessary for photoinduced nitrile dissociation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are advancing because of their superior external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) and color purity. Still, additional work is needed for blue PeLEDs to achieve the same benchmarks as the other visible colors. This study demonstrates an extremely efficient blue PeLED with a 488 nm peak emission, a maximum luminance of 8600 cd m−2, and a maximum EQE of 12.2% by incorporating the double‐sided ethane‐1,2‐diammonium bromide (EDBr2) ligand salt along with the long‐chain ligand methylphenylammonium chloride (MeCl). The EDBr2 successfully improves the interaction between 2D perovskite layers by reducing the weak van der Waals interaction and creating a Dion–Jacobson (DJ) structure. Whereas the pristine sample (without EDBr2) is inhibited by small stacking number (n) 2D phases with nonradiative recombination regions that diminish the PeLED performance, adding EDBr2 successfully enables better energy transfer from small n phases to larger n phases. As evidenced by photoluminescence (PL), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterization, EDBr2 improves the morphology by reduction of pinholes and passivation of defects, subsequently improving the efficiencies and operational lifetimes of quasi‐2D blue PeLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conspectus: Molecular photochromic compounds are those that interconvert between two isomeric forms with light. The two isomeric forms display distinct electronic and molecular structures and must not be in equilibrium with one another. These light-activated molecular switch compounds have found wide application in areas of study ranging from chemical biology to materials science, where conversion from one isomeric form to another by light prompts a response in the environment (e.g., protein or polymeric material). Certain ruthenium and osmium polypyridine sulfoxide complexes are photochromic. The mode of action is a phototriggered isomerization of the sulfoxide from S- to O-bonded. The change in ligation drastically alters both the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of the metal complex. Our laboratory has pioneered the preparation and study of these complexes. In particular, we have applied femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy to reveal excited state details of the isomerization mechanism. The data from numerous complexes allowed us to predict that the isomerization was nonadiabatic in nature, defined as occurring from a S-bonded triplet excited state (primarily metal-to-ligand charge transfer in character) to an O-bonded singlet ground state potential energy surface. This prediction was corroborated by high-level density functional theory calculations. An intriguing aspect of this reactivity is the coupling of nuclear motion to the electronic wave function and how this coupling affects motions productive for isomerization. In an effort to learn more about this coupling, we designed a project to examine phototriggered isomerization in bis-sulfoxide complexes. The goal of these studies was to determine whether certain complexes could be designed in which a single photon excitation event would prompt two sulfoxide isomerizations. We employed chelating sulfoxides in this study and found that both the nature of the chelate ring and the R group on the sulfoxide affect the photochemical reactivity. For example, this reactivity may be tuned such that two sulfoxide ligands isomerize sequentially following two successive excitations or that two sulfoxide ligands isomerize following a single excitation. This Account explains our understanding to date of this photochemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient absorption data of [FeII(tpy)(CN)3]− reveals spectroscopic signatures indicative of 3MLCT with a ∼10 ps kinetic component. These data are supported by DFT and TD-DFT calculations, which show that excited state ordering is responsive to the number of cyanide ligands on the complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanide ion (LnIII) complexes, [Ln(3Tcbx)2]3+ (LnIII=YbIII, NdIII, ErIII) are isolated with a new pyridine‐bis(carboxamide)‐based ligand with a 2,2′:5′,2′′‐terthiophene pendant (3TCbx), and their resulting photophysical properties are explored. Upon excitation of the complexes at 490 nm, only LnIII emission is observed with efficiencies of 0.29 % at 976 nm for LnIII=YbIII and 0.16 % at 1053 nm for LnIII=NdIII. ErIII emission is observed but weak. Upon excitation at 400 nm, concurrent 1O2 formation is seen, with efficiencies of 11 % for the YbIII and NdIII complexes and 13 % for the ErIII complex. Owing to the concurrent generation of 1O2, as expected, the efficiency of metal‐centered emission decreases to 0.02 % for YbIII and 0.05 % for NdIII. The ability to control 1O2 generation through the excitation wavelength indicates that the incorporation of 2,2′:5′,2′′‐terthiophene results in access to multiple sensitization pathways. These energy pathways are unraveled through transient absorption spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new pyridine-bis(carboxamide)-based ligand with a bithiophene pendant, 2Tcbx, was synthesized. Its lanthanide ion (LnIII) complexes, [Ln(2Tcbx)2]3+, were isolated and their photophysical properties were explored. Upon excitation at 360 nm, these complexes display emission in the near-infrared (NIR) with efficiencies of 0.69% for LnIII = YbIII, 0.20% for LnIII = NdIII, and 0.01% for LnIII = ErIII, respectively. Concurrent 1O2 formation was seen for all complexes, with efficiencies of 19% for the YbIII complex, 25% for the NdIII complex, and 9% for the ErIII complex. When exciting at a longer wavelength, 435 nm, only LnIII emission was observed and larger efficiencies of LnIII-centered emission were obtained. The lack of 1O2 generation indicates that energy pathways involving different ligand conformations, which were investigated by transient absorption spectroscopy, are involved in the sensitization process, and enable the wavelength-dependent generation of 1O2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis, characterization, and detailed comparison of a series of novel Pt-bisacetylide containing conjugated small molecules possessing an unconventional "roller-wheel" shaped structure that is distinctly different from the "dumbbell" designs in traditional Pt-bisacetylide containing conjugated polymers and small molecules. The relationships between the chemical nature and length of the "rollers" and the electronic and physical properties of the materials are carefully studied by steady-state spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, differential scanning calorimetry, singlecrystal X-ray diffraction, transient absorption spectroscopy, theoretical calculation, and device application. It was revealed that if the roller are long enough, these molecules can "slip-stack" in the solid state, leading to high crystallinity and charge mobility. Organic solar cells were fabricated and showed power conversion efficiencies up to 5.9%, out-performing all existing Pt-containing materials. The device performance was also found to be sensitive to optimization conditions and blend morphologies, which are a result of the intricate interplay among materials crystallinity, phase separation, and the relative positions of the lowest singlet and triplet excited states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron(II)-to-titanium(IV) metal-to-metal-charge transfer (MMCT) is important in the photosensitization of TiO2 by ferrocyanide, charge transfer in solid-state metal-oxide photocatalysts, and has been invoked to explain the blue color of sapphire, blue kyanite, and some lunar material. Herein, a series of complexes with alkynyl linkages between ferrocene (Fc) and TiIV has been prepared and characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and electrochemistry. Complexes with two ferrocene substituents include Cp2Ti(C2Fc)2, Cp*2Ti(C2Fc)2, and Cp2Ti(C4Fc)2. Complexes with a single ferrocene utilize a titanocene with a trimethylsilyl derivatized Cp ring, TMSCp, and comprise the complexes TMSCp2Ti(C2Fc)(C2R), where R = C6H5, p-C6H4CF3, and CF3. The complexes are compared to Cp2Ti(C2Ph)2, which lacks the second metal. Cyclic voltammetry for all complexes reveals a reversible TiIV/III reduction wave and an FeII/III oxidation that is irreversible for all complexes except TMSCp2Ti(C2Fc)(C2CF3). All of the complexes with both Fc and Ti show an intense absorption (4000 M-1cm-1 < ε < 8000 M-1cm-1) between 540 and 630 nm that is absent in complexes lacking a ferrocene donor. The energy of the absorption tracks with the difference between the TiIV/III and FeIII/II reduction potentials, shifting to lower energy as the difference in potentials decreases. Reorganization energies, λ, have been determined using band shape analysis (2600 cm-1 < λ < 5300 cm-1) and are in the range observed for other donor-acceptor complexes that have a ferrocene donor. Marcus-Hush-type analysis of the electrochemical and spectroscopic data are consistent with the assignment of the low-energy absorption as a MMCT band. TD-DFT analysis also supports this assignment. Solvatochromism is apparent for the MMCT band of all complexes, there being a bathochromic shift upon increasing polarizability of the solvent. The magnitude of the shift is dependent on both the electron density at TiIV and the identity of the linker between the titanocene and the Fc. Complexes with a MMCT are photochemically stable, whereas Cp2Ti(C2Ph)2 rapidly decomposes upon photolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irradiation of [Ru(bpy)2(bpSOp)](PF6)2 (where bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine and bpSOp is 1,3-bis(phenylsulfinyl)-propane) results in the formation of two new isomers, namely the S,O- and O,O-bonded species. The crystal structure of the bis-thioether and bis-sulfoxide complexes are reported. NMR spectroscopy of the bis-thioether complex in solution is consistent with the molecular structure determined by diffraction methods. Further, NMR spectroscopy of the bis-sulfoxide complex reveals two conformers in solution, one that is consistent with the solid state structure and a second conformer showing distortion in the aliphatic portion of the chelate ring. Time-resolved visible absorption spectroscopy reveals isomerization time constants of 91 ps in dichloroethane (DCE) and 229 ps in propylene carbonate (PC). Aggregate isomerization quantum yields of 0.57 and 0.42 have been determined in DCE and in PC, respectively. The kinetics of the thermal reversion from the O,O- to S,O-bonded isomer are strongly solvent dependent, occurring with rates of 2.41 × 10-3 and 4.39 × 10-5 s-1 in DCE, and 4.68 × 10-4 and 9.79 × 10-6 s-1 in PC. The two kinetic components are assigned to the two isomers identified in solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the synthesis and characterization of a series of four fluorescent Sn(IV) Schiff base complexes, which also possess long-lived triplet excited states. The complexes absorb visible light (λmax = 420 to 462 nm) and the optical properties are easily tunable without laborious synthetic elaboration. The triplet excited states are not luminescent, but can be observed and followed using nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The lifetimes of the triplet excited states are on the order of 500 µs-10 ms in PMMA matrices. The triplet state energies were estimated via energy transfer reactions with a series of organic triplet acceptors. In addition, the photoexcited complexes react with electron donors and acceptors in solution. These results demonstrate the potential for the development of photosensitizers based on main group elements with high spin orbit coupling constants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carrier dynamics in monolayer MoS2 have been investigated using broadband femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (FTAS). A tunable pump pulse was used while a broadband probe pulse revealed ground and excited state carrier dynamics. Interestingly, for pump wavelengths both resonant and nonresonant with the A and B excitons, we observe a broad ground state bleach around 2.9 eV, with decay components similar to A and B. Associating this bleach with the band nesting region between K and G in the band structure indicates significant k-space delocalization and overlap among excitonic wave functions identified as A, B, C, and D. Comparison of time dynamics for all features in resonance and nonresonance excitation is consistent with this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]