Aromatic triazoles have been frequently used as π-conjugated linkers in intramolecular electron transfer processes. To gain a deeper understanding of the electron mediating function of triazoles, we have synthesized a family of new triazole-based electron donor-acceptor conjugates. We have connected porphyrins and fullerenes through a central triazole moiety – (ZnP-Tri-C60) – each with a single change in their connection through the linker. An extensive photophysical and computational investigation reveals that the electron transfer dynamics – charge separation and charge recombination – in the different ZnP-Tri-C60 conjugates reflect a significant influence of the connectivity at the triazole linker. Except for m4m-ZnP-Tri-C60 17, the conjugates exhibit through-bond electron transfer with varying rate constants. Since the through-bond distance is nearly equal in the ZnP-Tri-C60 conjugates, the variation in charge separation and charge recombination dynamics is mainly associated with the electronic properties of the conjugates, including orbital energies, electron affinity, and the energies of the excited states. The changes of the electronic couplings are, in turn, a consequence of the different connectivity patterns at the triazole moieties.

The synthesis and electrochemical and photophysical studies of a series of alkyne-linked zinc-porphyrin-[60]fullerene dyads are described. These dyads represent a new class of fully conjugated donor-acceptor systems. An alkynyl-fullerene synthon was synthesized by a nucleophilic addition reaction, and was then oxidatively coupled with a series of alkynyl tetra-aryl zinc-porphyrins with 1-3 alkyne units. Cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry studies confirmed that the porphyrin and fullerene are electronically coupled and that the degree of electronic interaction decreases with increasing length of the alkyne bridge. In toluene, energy transfer from the excited zinc-porphyrin singlet to the fullerene moiety occurs, affording fullerene triplet quantum yields of greater than 90 %. These dyads exhibit very rapid photoinduced electron transfer in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and benzonitrile (PhCN), which is consistent with normal Marcus behavior. Slower rates for charge recombination in THF versus PhCN clearly indicate that charge-recombination events are occurring in the Marcus inverted region. Exceptionally small attenuation factors (beta) of 0.06+/-0.005 A(-1) demonstrate that the triple bond is an effective mediator of electronic interaction in zinc-porphyrin-alkyne-fullerene molecular wires.

A general procedure for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole-linked porphyrin-fullerene dyads is described. Four of these compounds have been prepared and characterized.

The synthesis of a porphyrin-fullerene dyad with "parachute" topology is reported. To determine whether the dyad is "flexing" at room temperature, low-temperature NMR experiments were used. Computational modeling has shown the low-energy conformation of the dyad to be nonsymmetric. Although, (1)H NMR spectroscopy at room temperature is consistent with a molecule with C(2v) symmetry, the spectrum changes on lowering the temperature consistent with "windshield wiper"-like motion, in which the porphyrin moiety rotates from one side of the C(60) sphere to the other. Nanosecond and picosecond fluorescence lifetime experiments show two components contribute to the fluorescence decay, also consistent with the presence of more than one conformer.

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