Fullerene-porphyrin conjugates

Porphyrin-fullerene conjugates attract wide attention for their intramolecular energy and electron transfer properties [87, 88]. By attachment of the porphyrin to two points on the Cgo surface, the interchromophoric spatial relationship in the cyclophane-type molecular dyads trans-2 ( )-52 [67] and trans-1 54 [68] (Scheme 7-8), which controls both energy and electron transfer, is rigorously defined. In the two systems, as well as in the fullerene-porphyrin conjugate 58 [75] (Scheme 7-9), the close proximity between fullerene and porphyrin chromophore leads to a nearly complete quenching of the porphyrin luminescence, presumably as a result of efficient energy transfer between the porphyrin donor and the fullerene acceptor. 

Souza FD, Chitta R, Gadde S, McCarty AL, Karr PA, Zandler ME, Sandanayaka ASD, Araki Y, Ito O (2006) Design, syntheses and studies of supramolecular porphyrin-fullerene conjugates, using bis-18-crown-6 appended porphyrins and pyridine or alkyl ammonium fiuictionalized fullerenes. J Phys Chem B 110 5905-5913... 

Nierengarten JF, Oswald L, Nicoud JF (1998) Dynamic cis/trans isomerisation in a porphyrin-fullerene conjugate. Chem Commun 15 1545-1546... 

Fullerenes have shown particular promise as acceptors in molecular electronics, and numerous interesting TTF/Cgo ensembles have been reported.42 For example, Orduna and co-workers75,76 prepared the TTF/C60 dyad 13 and observed photoinduced electron-transfer from the TTF to the fullerene. Martin et al 1 observed two separate one-electron transfer events in their conjugated dyads 14 (where n = 2). The TTF-porphyrin-fullerene triad 15, prepared by Carbonera et al.7 showed long-lived photoinduced charge separation. 

Novel triads that contained tetrathiafulvalenes as electron donors and porphyrin chromophores (refer to previous section for porphyrin-fullerene dyads) as donor units have been recently reported [246] (Scheme 12). Improved analogs of the latter triads were soon considered by connecting the tetrathiafulvalene unit to a 7r-extended conjugated network [247]. 

A methanofullerene derivative possessing an ammonium subunit has been prepared and subsequently shown to form a supramolecular complex with a porphyrin-crown ether conjugate <06T1979>. The synthesis and study of these fullerene-containing supramolecular photoactive devices have also been reported <06CRC1022>. 

The conjugation in the molecular wire may be disrupted or modulated to create systems with different properties. For example, a porphyrin Ceo donor-acceptor system linked with a conjugated binaphthyl unit, has a preference for the atropi-somer where the fullerene unit is closer to the porphyrin system, thus increasing the through space interactions [82]. The charge transfer process on a dyad containing a crown ether in the linker structure can be modulated by complexation/ decomplexation of sodium cations [83] but even more interesting is the construction of supramolecular systems where the donor and acceptor moieties are... 

The Fullerenes form particularly strong complexes with porphyrins as exemplified by the X-ray crystal structure of the covalent Fullerene-porphyrin conjugate 15.8 (Figure 15.29).48 This property allows fullerenes and porphyrins to form extended supramolecular arrays (even when not covalently linked) and has been used to engineer host-guest complexes in which a Fullerene is sandwiched in between a pair of porphyrins, and ordered arrays involving interleaved porphyrins and Fullerenes. Applications include the use of porphyrin solid phases in the chromatographic separation of Fullerenes and potential applications in porous frameworks and photovoltaic devices.49... 

Within the large number of multiredox arrays containing metalloporphyrins/covalently bound (conjugate) fullerene-metalloporphyrin dyads have gained enormous interest in the last ten years, mainly due to their potential application as artificial antennae Due to the multiredox behaviour of the fullerenes (up to six reversible one-electron reductions and at least one reversible one-electron oxidation), the porphyrin ligands and the incorporated metals, the assignment of electron-transfer steps in such systems is difficult. Recently, spectroelectrochemical characterisation has been carried out on a number of fullerene-[(TPP)Co] dyads shown in Scheme 4.3, which exhibit rather complex redox behaviour (Figure 4.19). 

A significant research effort has been devoted to the design and application of various supramolecular self-assembled systems in photoelectrochemical solar cells. Fullerenes, fullerene derivatives, and carbon nanotubes are typically used as electron acceptor components of such systems. Porphyrins, phthalocyanines, ruthenium complexes, conjugated oligomers, and polymers are applied as electron donor counterparts. 

Other examples include aromatics, heterocycles, highly conjugated molecules (dyes), porphyrins, pthalocyanines, fullerenes, polymers and biological compounds (phosphohpids, pigments, peptides, and proteins). 

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