Photophysical Study of New Versatile Multichromophoric Diads and Triads with BODIPY and Polyphenylene Groups

• Published in: The journal of physical chemistry. A, Molecules, spectroscopy, kinetics, environment, & general theory Molecules, spectroscopy, kinetics, environment, & general theory, 2008-10, Vol.112 (43), p.10816-10822
• Main Authors: Bañuelos, J, López Arbeloa, F, Arbeloa, T, Salleres, S, Amat-Guerri, F, Liras, M, López Arbeloa, I
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: A: Kinetics, Spectroscopy; Boron Compounds - chemistry; Computer Simulation; Cycloparaffins - chemistry; Energy Transfer; Fluorescent Dyes - chemical synthesis; Fluorescent Dyes - chemistry; Models, Chemical; Molecular Structure; Photochemistry; Quantum Theory
• ISSN: 1089-5639; 1520-5215
• DOI: 10.1021/jp8051592

The photophysical properties of multichromophoric dyes with borondipyrromethene (BODIPY) and poly-p-phenylene (di-p-phenylene and tri-p-phenylene) groups in the same molecule are studied in detail. The excitation of the polyphenylene moiety in the UV region leads to a strong visible fluorescent emission of the BODIPY chromophore, via intramolecular excitation energy transfer between both groups. Consequently, these multichromophoric dyes are characterized by a large “virtual” Stokes shift, with a high fluorescence capacity and an efficient laser emission. On the other hand, the photophysical properties of a related dichromophoric dye with a hydroxy end group at the di-p-phenylene moiety show an important decrease in the fluorescent emission due to a photoinduced electron transfer process in basic media. Therefore, its photophysical properties are sensitive to the environmental acidity/basicity and could be applied as a proton sensor.