Enhanced Triplet Sensitizing Ability of an Iridium Complex by Intramolecular Energy-Transfer Mechanism.

The photodynamic properties involving both intra- and intermolecular triplet energy transfers (ET) of a bichromophoric photosensitizer having a tris-cyclometalated Ir(III) tethered with a pyrene derivative are studied. Due to the triplet energy gap of the two chromophores, a reversible intramolecular triplet ET equilibrium is quickly established upon photoexcitation, with the triplet exciton mainly residing on the acceptor side in the photostationary state. By virtue of the very small decay rate of triplet pyrene, a considerably extended triplet lifetime (2 ms) is observed. Next, the intermolecular triplet-triplet ET properties are investigated. Using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy, the ET rate constants from the Ir complex and pyrene unit in the sensitizer to an external triplet acceptor (unattached, free pyrene derivative) in solution are found to be around 109 s-1 and 108 M -1 s-1, respectively. In spite of a lower ET rate constant, the tethered pyrene serves as the main intermolecular ET channel because of the large, favorable intramolecular ET equilibrium ( K ∼ 103). Importantly, this cascade ET process, from Ir complex to linked pyrene, and then to free pyrene, offers an overall improved ET efficiency than a direct ET from Ir complex to free pyrene, by virtue of the much smaller spontaneous decay rate compared to that of the metal complex. Finally, the more efficient ET ability is demonstrated experimentally by applying the molecule as sensitizer in a triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion. The bichromophoric sensitizer achieved upconverted emission intensity 5 times higher than a monochromophoric Ir-complex analogue.