Photophysical properties of an alkyne-bridged bis(zinc porphyrin)-perylene bis(dicarboximide) derivative.

We report the synthesis, electrochemistry, and photophysical properties of a new donor−acceptor−donor molecule in which the meso carbon atoms of two zinc porphyrin (POR) units are linked through ethynylene bridges to the 1,7-positions of a central perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (PDI). In contrast to previously studied systems incorporating POR and PDI groups, this alkyne-based derivative shows evidence of through-bond electronic coupling in the ground state; the new chromophore exhibits absorption features similar to those of its constituent parts as well as lower energy features (at wavelengths up to ca. 1000 nm), presumably arising from donor−acceptor interactions. Transient absorption measurements show that excitation at several visible and near-IR wavelengths results in the formation of an excited-state species with a lifetime of 290 ps in 1% (v/v) pyridine in toluene. The absorption spectrum of this species resembles the sum of the spectra for the chemically generated radical cation and radical...