Photophysics of Metal-Organic and Organometallic pi-Conjugated Oligomers

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

This award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports research by Professor Kirk S. Schanze of the University of Florida to pursue studies on the "Photophysics of Metal-Organic and Organometallic pi-Conjugated Oligomers". Pi-conjugated polymers and oligomers comprise a new generation of molecular materials with technologically useful optical, electronic, and opto-electronic properties. Research is underway to investigate the excited state properties of mono-disperse pi-conjugated oligomers that contain transition metal chromophores to gain a molecular level understanding of their excited state properties. Objectives include an understanding of how transition metal chromophores modify the excited state properties of the pi-conjugated organic systems and how the pi-conjugated molecules modify the excited state properties of the metal complexes, particularly the properties of the triplet-pi, pi* manifold of the conjugated oligomer. Metal ion complexes involved in metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited states include Ru(II), Os(II) and Rh(III) with alpha-thiophene oligomers that modulate the energy gap between the MLCT and triplet-pi,pi* manifolds in both mono- and polynuclear complexes. The excited state properties of platinum-acetylide oligomers will be examined to provide clear information concerning the spatial extent of the singlet-pi,pi* and triplet-pi,pi* excitons and to understand how inter-chain interactions modify the excited state properties of the pi-conjugated Pt-acetylides. The photochemistry of pi-conjugated molecules attached to transition metal ions are being investigated as to their basic photophysical properties with applications that include novel electronic light-emitting devices, light-to electrical energy conversion, laser light protection, and plastic electronic circuits.