One- and two-photon absorption spectra of organoboron complexes: vibronic and environmental effects

We synthesized a series of four parent aza-β-ketoiminate organoboron complexes and performed spectroscopic studies using both experimental and computational techniques. We studied how benzannulation influences the vibronic structure of the UV/Vis absorption bands with a focus on the bright lowest-energy π → π* electronic excitation. Theoretical simulations, accounting for inhomogeneous broadening effects using different embedding schemes, allowed gaining in-depth insights into the observed differences in band shapes induced by structural modifications. We observed huge variations in the distributions of vibronic transitions depending on the position of benzannulation. By and large, the harmonic approximation combined with the adiabatic hessian model delivers qualitatively correct band shapes for the one-photon absorption spectra, except in one case. We also assessed the importance of non-Condon effects (accounted for by the linear term in Herzberg-Teller expansion of the dipole moment) for S0 → S1 band shapes. It turned out that non-Condon contributions have no effect on the band shape in one-photon absorption spectra. In contrast, these effects significantly change the Franck-Condon band shapes of the two-photon absorption spectra. For one of the studied organoboron complexes we also performed a preliminary exploration of mechanical anharmonicity, resulting in an increase of the intensity of the 0-0 transition, which improves the agreement with the experimental data compared to the harmonic model.

Difluoroborate-based bichromophores: Symmetry relaxation and two-photon absorption

Given potential applications of multiphoton absorbers, in the present work we have studied the symmetry-relaxation effects in one- and two-photon absorption spectra in two bichromophore systems based on difluoroborate core linked by biphenylene or bianthracene moieties. We have employed a palette of experimental methods (synthesis, one- and two-photon spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography) and state-of-the-art computational methods to shed light on how symmetry relaxation, a result of twisting of building blocks, affects one- and two-photon absorption of the two studied fluorescent dyes. Electronic-structure calculations revealed that the planarity of central biphenyl moiety, as well as deviations from planarity up to 30-40 deg., ensure maximum values of two-photon transition strengths. Perpendicular arrangement of phenylene units in biphenylene moiety leads to 20% drop in the two-photon transition strengths. More detailed studies demonstrated that equilibrium structures of both compounds in chloroform solution show very different values of two-photon absorption cross sections at absorption band maxima, i.e. 224 GM for and 134 GM for biphenyle and bianthracene linkers, respectively. The latter value is in good agreement with experimental value obtained using Z-scan method. The difference in two-photon absorption cross section between both compounds can be rationalized based on equilibrium geometry differences, i.e. interplanar angle is 35 deg and 91 deg in the case of biphenylene and bianthracene moiety, respectively. It is thus not beneficial to introduce conformationally locked central linker based on bianthracene moiety.

Cost-Effective Simulations of Vibrationally-Resolved Absorption Spectra of Fluorophores with Machine-Learning-Based Inhomogeneous Broadening

The results of electronic and vibrational structure simulations are an invaluable support for interpreting experimental absorption/emission spectra, which stimulates the development of reliable and cost-effective computational protocols. In this work, we contribute to these efforts and propose an efficient first-principle protocol for simulating vibrationally-resolved absorption spectra, including nonempirical estimations of the inhomogeneous broadening. To this end, we analyze three key aspects: (i) a metric-based selection of density functional approximation (DFA) so to benefit from the computational efficiency of time-dependent density function theory (TD-DFT) while safeguarding the accuracy of the vibrationally-resolved spectra, (ii) an assessment of two vibrational structure schemes (vertical gradient and adiabatic Hessian) to compute the Franck-Condon factors, and (iii) the use of machine learning to speed up nonempirical estimations of the inhomogeneous broadening. In more detail, we predict the absorption band shapes for a set of 20 medium-sized fluorescent dyes, focusing on the bright ππ^★ S₀ → S₁ transition and using experimental results as references. We demonstrate that, for the studied 20-dye set which includes structures with large structural variability, the preselection of DFAs based on an easily accessible metric ensures accurate band shapes with respect to the reference approach and that range-separated functionals show the best performance when combined with the vertical gradient model. As far as band widths are concerned, we propose a new machine-learning-based approach for determining the inhomogeneous broadening induced by the solvent microenvironment. This approach is shown to be very robust offering inhomogeneous broadenings with errors as small as 2 cm^-1 with respect to genuine electronic-structure calculations, with a total CPU time reduced by 98%.

Much of a Muchness: On the Origins of Two- and Three-Photon Absorption Activity of Dipolar Y-Shaped Chromophores

The molecular origin of two- (2PA) and three-photon absorption (3PA) activity in three experimentally studied chromophores, prototypical dipolar systems, is investigated. To that end, a generalized few-state model (GFSM) formula is derived for the 3PA transition strength for nonhermitian theories and employed at the coupled-cluster level of theory. Using various computational techniques such as molecular dynamics, linear and quadratic response theories, and GFSM, an in-depth analysis of various optical channels involved in 2PA and 3PA processes is presented. It is found that the four-state model involving the second and third excited singlet states as intermediates is the smallest model among all considered few-state approximations that produces 2PA and 3PA transition strengths (for S₀ → S₁ transition) close to the reference results. By analyzing various optical channels appearing in these models and involved in studied multiphoton processes, we found that the 2PA and 3PA activities in all the three chromophores are dominated and hence controlled by the dipole moment of the final excited state. The similar origins of the 2PA and the 3PA in these prototypical dipolar chromophores suggest transferability of structure–property relations from the 2PA to the 3PA domain.

Substituted 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3H-quinazolin-4-ones and their difluoroboron complexes: Synthesis and photophysical properties

2-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-3H-quinazolin-4-ones with diverse substituents at phenol ring and their six-membered difluoroboron complexes have been synthesized via few-stage approach. The photophysical properties of target compounds have been investigated in two solvents as well as in the solid state. The nature of substituents and substitution point in the phenol moiety of ligands and resulting BF₂-complexes on the photophysical properties of dyes have been explored. The complex bearing two t-Bu groups proved to be the most emissive in solid state, whereas its 5-methoxy and 4-diethylamino counterparts possess strong emission in toluene solution. The dyes exhibited large Stokes shifts which was attributed to excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). Additionally, fluorescence of quinazolinones in the mixture of THF/water was studied. All ligands demonstrated emission enhancement with increase of water fraction which was due to aggregation induced emission.

Two-Photon Absorption Activity of BOPHY Derivatives: Insights from Theory

We present a theoretical study of a two-photon absorption (2PA) process in dipolar and quadrupolar systems containing two BF₂ units. For this purpose, we considered 13 systems studied by Ponce-Vargas et al. [J. Phys. Chem. B2017, 121, 10850−1085829136383] and performed linear and quadratic response theory calculations based on the RI-CC2 method to obtain the 2PA parameters. Furthermore, using the recently developed generalized few-state model, we provided an in-depth view of the changes in 2PA properties in the molecules considered. Our results clearly indicate that suitable electron-donating group substitution to the core BF₂ units results in a large red-shift of the two-photon absorption wavelength, thereby entering into the desired biological window. Furthermore, the corresponding 2PA strength also increases significantly (up to 30-fold). This makes the substituted systems a potential candidate for biological imaging.

Photoactive layers for photovoltaics based on near-infrared absorbing aryl-substituted naphthalocyanine complexes: preparation and investigation of properties

Photoactive layers based on substituted naphthalocyanines and conductive polymer MEH-PPV were prepared using the spin-coating technique and their conductivity was tested in dark and under illumination.

Controlling Two-Photon Action Cross Section by Changing a Single Heteroatom Position in Fluorescent Dyes

The optimization of nonlinear optical properties for "real-life" applications remains a key challenge for both experimental and theoretical approaches. In particular, for two-photon processes, maximizing the two-photon action cross section (TPACS), the figure of merit for two-photon bioimaging spectroscopy, requires simultaneously controlling all its components. In the present Letter, a series of difluoroborates presenting various heterocyclic rings as an electron acceptor have been synthesized and their absorption, fluorescence, photoisomerization, and two-photon absorption features have been analyzed using both experimental and theoretical approaches. Our results demonstrate that the TPACS values can be fine-tuned by changing the position of a single heteroatom, which alters the fluorescence quantum yields without changing the intrinsic two-photon absorption cross section. This approach offers a new strategy for optimizing TPACS.

A General Mechanism of Green-to-Red Photoconversions of GFP

Here we dissect the phenomena of oxidative and reductive green-to-red photoconversion of the Green Fluorescent Protein. We characterize distinct orange- and red-emitting forms (λ_abs/λ_em = 490/565 nm; λ_abs/λ_em = 535/600 nm) arising during the Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP) photoconversion under low-oxygen conditions in the presence of reductants. These forms spectroscopically differ from that observed previously in oxidative redding (λ_abs/λ_em = 575/607 nm). We also report on a new green-emitting state (λ_abs/λ_em = 405/525 nm), which is formed upon photoconversion under the low-oxygen conditions. Based on the spectral properties of these forms, their light-independent time evolution, and the high-level computational studies, we provide a structural basis for various photoproducts. Under the low-oxygen conditions, the neutral quinoid-like structure formed via a two-electron oxidation process is found to be a key intermediate and a most likely candidate for the novel green-emitting state of the chromophore. The observed large Stokes shift is traced to the formation of the zwitterionic form of the chromophore in the excited state. Subsequently, this form undergoes two types of cyclization reactions, resulting in the formation of either the orange-emitting state (λ_abs/λ_em = 490/565 nm) or the red-emitting form (λ_abs/λ_em = 535/600 nm). The T65G mutant lacks one of the proposed cyclization pathways and, indeed, the photoconverted T65G EGFP exhibits a single orange-emitting state. In oxidative redding, the red-emitting state resembles the structure of the chromophore from asFP595 (λ_abs/λ_em = 572/595 nm), which is directly formed upon two-electron oxidation and deprotonation bypassing the formation of the quinoid-like structure. Our results disclose a general “oxidative” mechanism of various green-to-red photoconversions of EGFP, providing a link between oxidative redding and the photoconversion under low-oxygen conditions.

Sandwich double-decker Er(iii) and Yb(iii) complexes containing naphthalocyanine moiety: synthesis and investigation of the effect of a paramagnetic metal center

Novel heteroleptic Er(iii) and Yb(iii) naphthalocyaninato-phthalocyaninates containing an octa-phenyl or octa-phenoxysubstituted naphthalocyanine deck were synthesised and identified by ¹H NMR, EPR and high resolution MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Direct synthesis of novel homoleptic Yb(iii) bis (octa-phenylnaphthalocyaninate) was carried out. Downfield lanthanide induced shifts of the aromatic protons in target compounds were observed compared with the corresponding diamagnetic Lu(iii) complexes. In the near-IR absorption spectra, an increase in ionic radius from Lu(iii) to Er(iii) resulted in a bathochromic shift of the intervalence band up to 1473 nm. This work presents the first experimental EPR study of Yb(iii) bis naphthalocyaninate, where a set of magnetic parameters and properties (including spin, magnitude and sign of magnetic anisotropy parameter D, increased splitting in a crystal field, ferromagnetic f-π interaction etc.) were determined and interpreted by both EPR and SQUID techniques and supported by theoretical considerations.

A novel hybrid blend based on phenoxy-substituted boron subphthalocyanine for organic photodetectors

Phenoxy-substituted boron subphthalocyanine, blended with a conductive polymer MEH-PPV, is presented as a photoresistive organic material. Using an easily accessible drop casting technique, the blend produces a thin-layer organic photoresistor with a photoresistive ratio of ~2–12. Variations in the blend composition and morphology are shown to change the transport properties of the material. The photoelectrochemical characteristics of the photoresistor are discussed in terms of impedance spectroscopy and the morphology of the material is analyzed using confocal fluorescent microscopy. The device developed is a daylight detector.

Heteroleptic naphthalo-phthalocyaninates of lutetium: synthesis and spectral and conductivity properties

Novel heteroleptic naphthalo-phthalocyaninates of lutetium possessing a symmetrical substituted naphthalocyanine deck were synthesized on the basis of two preformed synthetic blocks: naphthalocyanine ligand and lutetium phthalocyaninates. The compounds obtained were characterized by (1)H NMR and high-resolution MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. The correlation between the nature of the substituents and the spectral properties of the target complexes was determined by the introduction of electron-donating (aryl-, aryloxy-) or electron-withdrawing (chloro-) substituents into the phthalocyanine deck. In addition, the nature of peripheral substituents was shown not to affect drastically the phthalocyanine conductivity and activation energy. Conductivity properties depend on thin film morphology which, in turn, relies on intermolecular π-π interactions.