In this dissertation, we investigate two emerging strategies for enhancing the performance of organic photovoltaics. The first takes advantage of a process called singlet exciton fission, and the second embodies an exodus from the fullerene electron acceptors prominent in organic solar cells. Indeed, this versatile class of tunable small molecules are aptly termed nonfullerene acceptors. However, both strategies would benefit from a greater understanding of underlying principles. Singlet exciton fission is a photon-multiplying process in which a singlet exciton from a high-energy absorbed photon splits into two triplet excitons. The process could significantly reduce energy lost to heat in photovoltaic devices, but its mechanisms are still misunderstood. One model involves direct coupling between the singlet and triplet states, and another model involves an intermediate charge transfer state. Transient absorption spectroscopy allowed us to examine singlet fission in films of pentacene, fluorinated pentacene, and coevaporated blends of various mixing ratios. We directly observe an intermolecular charge transfer state during singlet fission in solid films of coevaporated pentacene and peruoropentacene, which supports the model of charge transfer state-mediated singlet fission. Furthermore, we successfully induced singlet fission in one blend by directly exciting the charge transfer state below the bandgap. We use various types of steady state and time-resolved spectroscopy to characterize two types of nonfullerene electron acceptors. The first type is a group of tetraazabenzodiuoranthene diimide (BFI) dimers and a BFI monomer. The BFI dimers were designed to have twisted, nonplanar 3-dimensional structures and have helped achieve power conversion efficiencies of over 8% in organic solar cells. The other type of nonfullerene acceptor is a calamitic small molecule, and we consider the BAF-4CN electron acceptor, which has also been used in a solar cell whose efficiency exceeded 8%. Spectroscopic studies give insight into the performances of these nonfullerene devices in relation to fullerene-derivative counterparts. We find that the nonfullerene blends suffer from more geminate charge recombination. However, despite this drawback, in some cases, slower rates of nongeminate recombination may lead to successful power conversion efficiencies in nonfullerene solar cells.

En utilisant les spectroscopies d'absorption UV-vis et d'émission stationnaire et résolue dans le temps (femto- et sub–nanoseconde, caméra à balayage de fente), nous avons étudié, au cours de cette thèse, les processus photophysiques au sein de différentes molécules et supramolécules. Les propriétés photophysiques de nouveaux complexes de Ru(II) polypyridine et de Ir(III) cyclométallé présentant un transfert d'énergie électronique réversible entre le noyau métallique et les chromophores organiques auxiliaires énergétiquement appariés (anthracène et pyrène) ont été analysées en détail. Les caractéristiques de la séparation de charge entre un donneur d'électron (OPV) et un accepteur (PB) à travers un pont d'oligoquinoline au sein de foldamères de longueurs croissantes ont été précisées dans une échelle de temps inférieure à la nanoseconde. De nouvelles sondes luminescentes à base de lanthanides ont été réalisées pour la détection en temps réel de l’ion Cu(I), leurs propriétés optiques étant modulées par effet «d’antenne» par le biais d'interactions cations-nuagePi. L'étude de sondes fluorescentes off-on en proche IR formées de colorantsBF2-AzaBODIPY fixés de manière covalente sur des nanoparticules (100 nm) polymériques a été réalisée, et étendue à de nouvelles sondes sensibles au pH émettant dans le proche IR. Des études de photoisomérisation ont été effectuées sur deux systèmes azobenzéniques capables de libérer/capturer des ions Ca(II) (azobenzène-éther«lasso», azobenzène-BAPTA) – l'impact de l'eau sur la photoisomérisation cis-trans d’hydroxychalcones a été mis en évidence dans CH3CN et H2O/CH3OH (v/v=1/1). / In the present work photophysical processes of different molecular and supramolecular systems were studied using steady-state and time-resolved femto- and sub-nanosecond (streak-camera detection) UV-vis absorption and emission spectroscopies. Detailed photophysical studies of novel Ru(II) polypyridine and cyclometalatedIr(III) complexes showing reversible electronic energy transfer between metallic core and auxiliary organic energetically-matched chromophores anthracene and pyrene, respectively were performed. Time-resolved characterization of charge separation between electron donor (OPV) and acceptor (PB) in the sub-nanosecond timescale through an oligoquinoline bridge in foldamers of increasing oligomeric length was carried out. Novel lanthanide-based luminescent probes were investigated for time-gated detection of Cu(I) ion, being modulated by an antenna effect through cation-pi interactions.The study on NIR fluorescent off-on probes, based on BF2-aza-BODIPY dyes, covalently attached to the surface of polystyrene 100 nm nanoparticles, along with related novel NIR pH-responsive fluorescence probes were conducted. Photoisomerization studies focused on azobenzene-based (azobenzene-lariat ether, azobenzene-BAPTA)Ca(II)-ion release/capture systems, while the impact of water on the cis−trans photoisomerizationof hydroxychalcones was studied in CH3CN and H2O/CH3OH (v/v=1/1).

Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is one of the elementary reactions occurring in many chemical and biological systems, such as photosystem II where the oxidation of tyrosine (TyrZ) is coupled to deprotonation of the phenolic proton. This reaction is here modelled by the oxidation of a phenol covalently linked to a Ru(bpy)32+-moitey, which is photo-oxidized by a laser flash-quench method. This model system is unusual as mechanism of PCET is studied in a unimolecular system in water solution. Here we address the question how the nature of the proton accepting base and its hydrogen bond to phenol influence the PCET reaction. In the first part we investigate the effect of an internal hydrogen bond PCET from. Two similar phenols are compared. For both these the proton accepting base is a carboxylate group linked to the phenol on the ortho-position directly or via a methylene group. On the basis of kinetic and thermodynamic arguments it is suggested that the PCET from these occurs via a concerted electron proton transfer (CEP). Moreover, numerical modelling of the kinetic data provides an in-depth analysis of this CEP reaction, including promoting  vibrations  along the O–H–O coordinate that are required to explain the data. The second part describes the study on oxidation of phenol where either water or an external base the proton acceptor. The pH-dependence of the kinetics reveals four mechanistic regions for PCET within the same molecule when water is the base. It is shown that the competition between the mechanisms can be tuned by the strength of the oxidant. Moreover, these studies reveal the conditions that may favour a buffer-assisted PCET over that with deprotonation to water solution.

In light of its rapidly growing energy demand, human society has an urgent need to become much more strongly reliant on renewable and sustainable energy carriers. Molecular hydrogen made from water with solar energy could provide an ideal case. The development of inexpensive, robust and rare element free catalysts is crucial for this technology to succeed. Enzymes in nature can give us ideas about what such catalysts could look like, but for the directed adjustment of any natural or synthetic catalyst to the requirements of large scale catalysis, its capabilities and limitations need to be understood on the level of individual reaction steps. This thesis deals with kinetic and mechanistic investigations of photo- and electrocatalytic hydrogen production with natural and synthetic molecular catalysts. Photochemical hydrogen production can be achieved with both E. coli Hyd-2 [NiFe] hydrogenase and a synthetic dinuclear [FeFe] hydrogenase active site model by ruthenium polypyridyl photosensitization. The overall quantum yields are on the order of several percent. Transient UV-Vis absorption experiments reveal that these yields are strongly controlled by the competition of charge recombination reactions with catalysis. With the hydrogenase major electron losses occur at the stage of enzyme reduction by the reduced photosensitizer. In contrast, catalyst reduction is very efficient in case of the synthetic dinuclear active site model. Here, losses presumably occur at the stage of reduced catalyst intermediates. Moreover, the synthetic catalyst is prone to structural changes induced by competing ligands such as secondary amines or DMF, which lead to catalytically active, potentially mononuclear, species. Investigations of electrocatalytic hydrogen production with a mononuclear catalyst by cyclic voltammetry provide detailed kinetic and mechanistic information on the catalyst itself. By extension of existing theory, it is possible to distinguish between alternative catalytic pathways and to extract rate constants for individual steps of catalysis. The equilibrium constant for catalyst protonation can be determined, and limits can be set on both the protonation and deprotonation rate constant. Hydrogen bond formation likely involves two catalyst molecules, and even the second order rate constant characterizing hydrogen bond formation and/or release can be determined.

Femtosecond electron diffraction experiments were performed on solid state iron(II) tris(2,2'-bipyridine) bis(hexafluorophosphate). The cation is known to undergo a spin crossover process when solvated in water and irradiated with 400 nm coherent light which results in a transition from a low spin to high spin state within a picosecond which is accompanied by a uniform 0.2 Å Fe-N bond elongation. A femtosecond diffraction experiment was performed on the solid sample and was unable to find evidence of a fast spin crossover transition. Suspecting this may be due to limitations of the apparatus, an ultrafast transient absorption experiment was performed. Emulating the liquid study by Gawelda et al, the pump probe experiment found evidence of spin crossover in the solid state sample. This result awaits verification by an improved transient absorption apparatus and has inspired efforts to perform an improved femtosecond electron diffraction experiment.

Femtosecond electron diffraction experiments were performed on solid state iron(II) tris(2,2'-bipyridine) bis(hexafluorophosphate). The cation is known to undergo a spin crossover process when solvated in water and irradiated with 400 nm coherent light which results in a transition from a low spin to high spin state within a picosecond which is accompanied by a uniform 0.2 Å Fe-N bond elongation. A femtosecond diffraction experiment was performed on the solid sample and was unable to find evidence of a fast spin crossover transition. Suspecting this may be due to limitations of the apparatus, an ultrafast transient absorption experiment was performed. Emulating the liquid study by Gawelda et al, the pump probe experiment found evidence of spin crossover in the solid state sample. This result awaits verification by an improved transient absorption apparatus and has inspired efforts to perform an improved femtosecond electron diffraction experiment.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Photoinduced electron transfer is a fundamentally interesting process; it occurs everywhere in the natural world. Studies on electron transfer shed light on questions about the interaction between molecules and how the dynamics of these can be utilized to steer the electron transfer processes to achieve a desired goal. The goal may be to get electrons to the electrode of a solar cell, or to make the electrons form an energy rich fuel such as hydrogen, and it may also be an input or output for molecular switches. The importance of electron transfer reactions will be highlighted in this thesis, however, the main motivation is to gain a better understanding of the fundamental processes that affect the rate and direction of the electron transfer. A study of photoinduced electron transfer (ET) in a series of metallophorphyrin/bipyridinium complexes in aqueous solution provided fresh insight concerning the intimate relationship between vibrational relaxation and electron transfer. The forward electron transfer from porphyrin to bipyridinium as well as the following back electron transfer to the ground state could be observed by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Both the reactant and the product states of the ET processes were vibrationally unrelaxed, in contrary to what is assumed for most expressions of the ET rates. This could be understood from the observation of unrelaxed ground states. The excess energy given by the initial excitation of the porphyrin does not relax completely during the two steps of electron transfer. This is an unusual observation, not reported in the literature prior the studies presented in this thesis. This study also gave the first clear evidence of electronically excited radical pairs formed as products of intramolecular electron transfer. Signs of electronically excited radical pairs were seen in transient spectra, and were further verified by the observation that the rates followed a Marcus normal region behavior for all excitation wavelengths, despite the relatively large excess energy of the second excited state. This thesis also concerns electron transfer in solar cell dyes and mixed valence complexes. In the ruthenium polypyridyl complex Ru(dcb)2(NCS)2, where dcb = 4,4’-dicarboxy-2,2’-bipyridine, inter-ligand electron transfer (ILET) in the 3MLCT state was followed by means of femtosecond transient absorption anisotropy that was probed in the mid-IR region. Unexpectedly, ILET was not observed because electron density was localized on the same bpy during the time-window allowed by the rotational lifetime.

This Ph.D. thesis is an exploration of carotenoids by ultrafast, time-resolved absorption spectroscopy to investigate their complicated relaxation processes, means of energy transfer, and dependence on structure. The introduction begins with an overview of carotenoids, intended for the reader to appreciate their importance and their complexity as revealed by decades of research in carotenoid photophysics. To understand the primary concerns of this research field, the reader is guided through basic theory of energetic processes, the experimental method, and methods of analysis. The main body of the text is the Research Chapter, containing four sections, each describing research using varied ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopies on carotenoids in solution and when bound to a host protein. Section 2.1 concerns an equilibration phenomenon in the lowest excited state of the carotenoid fucoxanthin in various solutions and temperatures by a multi-pulse transient absorption method. The same method is applied to fucoxanthin in a host antennae protein of the pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to investigate the function of the equilibration in energy transfer to Chlorophyll a in Section 2.2. The next two sections regard the effect of carotenoid structure on its relaxation dynamics. Section 2.3 investigates the effect of the non-conjugated acyloxy group of two fucoxanthin derivatives in various solvents. Here, one of the energetic states involved in the equilibrium mentioned above is seen drastically affected. Lastly, Section 2.4 investigates alloxanthin, a carotenoid with an unusual pair of carbon-carbon triple bonds. Their effect on the conjugation is evaluated based upon the molecules' decay dynamics. A general summary and conclusion is provided at the end.