Insight into the charge transfer behavior of an electrochemiluminescence sensor based on porphyrin-coumarin derivatives with a donor-acceptor configuration.

The excellent photophysical and electrochemical properties of porphyrins have inspired widespread interest in the realm of electrochemiluminescence (ECL). The aggregation-caused deficiency of ECL emission in aqueous solution, however, still severely impedes further applications. Herein, a molecule with a donor-acceptor (D-A) configuration, ATPP-Cou, consisting of monoaminoporphyrin as an electron donor and coumarin as an electron acceptor, was designed as an ECL luminophore to address the susceptibility of the porphyrin to aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) in aqueous solution.