Synthesis of perylene-porphyrin dyads for light-harvesting studies

The spectral coverage of porphyrin-based light-harvesting arrays can be enhanced through the use of suitable accessory pigments. Perylene-monoimide dyes can serve as valuable accessory pigments with porphyrins. To investigate the choice of perylene-monoimide and the effects of molecular architecture on light-harvesting efficacy, five perylene-porphyrin dyads were prepared. Each dyad employs a diphenylethyne linker that bridges the perylene N-imide site and the porphyrin meso-position. Three dyads incorporate a mono-phenoxy perylene at the o-, m-, or p-position of the meso-aryl group on the porphyrin. The two remaining dyads incorporate a perylene-monoimide (bearing zero or three phenoxy substituents) at the p-position of the meso-aryl group on the porphyrin. The introduction of phenoxy groups on the perylenes increases the solubility, a key requirement for use in light-harvesting arrays. The long-wavelength absorption band of the perylene shifts from 506 nm to 532 or 533 nm upon substitution with one or three phenoxy groups, respectively. The synthesis of the dyads entails Pd -mediated coupling of a bromo-perylene and an ethynyl porphyrin, or the mixed-aldehyde condensation with a perylene-aldehyde, mesitaldehyde, and pyrrole. Five perylene-monoimide dyes bearing an ethyne or bromo substituent at the p-position of the N-aryl unit were developed for this modular chemistry. Each perylene-porphyrin dyad exhibits efficient energy transfer from the excited perylene to the ground-state porphyrin.