Unveiling the Ultrafast Excitation Energy Transfer in Tetraarylpyrrolo[3,2‐b]pyrrole‐BODIPY Dyads

Abstract

We have synthesized two dyads (dyad 1 and 2) comprising of tetraarylpyrrolo[3,2‐b]pyrrole (TAPP) and BODIPY. In dyad 1, two BODIPYs are directly connected with TAPP moiety whereas in dyad 2, BODIPYs are connected through phenylethynyl linkers. TAPP is a blue energy donor which is easy to synthesize and functionalize as compared to other well‐known blue energy donors like pyrene, perylene etc. This is the first report of using TAPP as an energy donor in BODIPY based dyad molecules. Complete quenching of TAPP fluorescence in the dyads suggests fast energy transfer from TAPP to BODIPY unit (ETE ~ 99.9%). Ultrafast fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopic studies of dyad 1 showed TAPP to BODIPY energy transfer in 125 fs (kET = 8.0 x 1012 s‐1) which is one of the fastest energy transfer events in BODIPY based dyad reported so far. Whereas, in dyad 2, energy transfer is almost four times slower (480 fs, kET = 2.1 x 1012 s‐1). These results were rationalized by theoretical Förster formulations. This study shows that suitably matched optical properties of TAPP and BODIPY dyes along with their easy syntheses will be the key to develop highly efficient energy transfer systems in future for multiple applications.