Photoinduced Dynamics of 13,13'-Diphenylpropyl-β-carotene.

Carotenoids are ubiquitous pigment systems in nature which are relevant to a range of processes, such as photosynthesis, but the detailed influence of substitutions at the polyene backbone on their photophysics is still underexplored. Here, we present a detailed experimental and theoretical investigation of the carotenoid 13,13'-diphenylpropyl-β-carotene using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy and steady-state absorption experiments in -hexane and -hexadecane, complemented by DFT/TDDFT calculations. In spite of their bulkiness and their potential capability to "fold back" onto the polyene system, which could result in π-stacking effects, the phenylpropyl residues have only a minor impact on the photophysical properties compared with the parent compound β-carotene.

Ultrafast Excited-State Dynamics of all-trans-Capsanthin in Organic Solvents.

The C carotenoid capsanthin is of photophysical interest because it belongs to the family of terminally carbonyl-substituted apocarotenes. These have the potential to exhibit intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character in the excited state. We studied its ultrafast dynamics in different solvents using broadband transient absorption spectroscopy in the 260-1600 nm range.

Ultrafast electron and hole transfer dynamics of a solar cell dye containing hole acceptors on mesoporous TiO and AlO.

The stability of dye cations against recombination with conduction band electrons in mesoporous TiO electrodes is a key property for improving light harvesting in dye-sensitised solar cells. Using ultrafast transient broadband absorption spectroscopy, we monitor efficient intramolecular hole transfer in the solar cell dye E6 having two peripheral triarylamine acceptors. After photoexcitation, two hole transfer mechanisms are identified: a concerted mechanism for electron injection and hole transfer (2.

Excited-state relaxation of the solar cell dye D49 in organic solvents and on mesoporous AlO and TiO thin films.

We present an ultrafast UV-Vis-NIR transient absorption study of the donor-acceptor solar-cell dye D49 in diisopropyl ether, THF and acetonitrile, as well as on mesoporous AlO and TiO thin films. Photoexcitation at 505 nm initially populates the first electronically excited state of the dye having significant intramolecular charge transfer character ("S/ICT"). On AlO and in the three organic solvents, the dynamics are fully explained in terms of S/ICT stabilisation (by reorientation of adjacent solvent or D49 molecules and collisional cooling), intramolecular vibrational redistribution and S/ICT → S electronic decay.

A comprehensive picture of the ultrafast excited-state dynamics of retinal.

All-trans retinal is the chromophore of microbial rhodopsins initiating energy conversion and cellular signalling by subpicosecond photoinduced switching. Here, we provide detailed UV-Vis transient absorption experiments to disentangle the complex photochemistry of this polyene, which is governed by its terminal aldehyde group. After photoexcitation to the S2((1)Bu(+)) state, the system exhibits polarity-dependent branching, populating separate S1((1)Ag(-)) and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) species.

Charge carrier dynamics of methylammonium lead iodide: from PbI₂-rich to low-dimensional broadly emitting perovskites.

We provide an investigation of the charge carrier dynamics of the (MAI)(x)(PbI2)(1-x) system in the range x = 0.32-0.90 following the recently published "pseudobinary phase-composition processing diagram" of Song et al.

Ultrafast photoinduced dynamics of the organolead trihalide perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 on mesoporous TiO2 scaffolds in the 320-920 nm range.

We present femtosecond broadband transient absorption experiments for the investigation of the carrier dynamics in the organolead trihalide perovskite CH3NH3PbI3. The perovskite was prepared on a mesoporous TiO2 scaffold either by 1-step deposition from solution or by 2-step methods employing deposition of lead iodide followed by an on-surface reaction with methylammonium iodide. The thin films were characterized by XRD and FTIR chemical mapping.

Electron and hole transfer dynamics of a triarylamine-based dye with peripheral hole acceptors on TiO2 in the absence and presence of solvent.

We investigated photoinduced primary charge transfer processes of the sensitizer E6 on TiO2 without solvent and in contact with the organic solvent acetonitrile and the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetracyanoborate [C2mim](+)[B(CN)4](-) using transient absorption spectroscopy, spectroelectrochemistry, and DFT/TDDFT calculations. E6, which belongs to a family of triarylamine dyes for solar cell applications, features two peripheral triarylamine units which are connected via diether spacer groups to the core chromophore and are designed to act as hole traps. This function was confirmed by spectroelectrochemistry, where the E6˙(+) radical cation shows a considerably blue-shifted absorption compared to dyes without these two substituents.

Photoinduced ultrafast dynamics of the triphenylamine-based organic sensitizer D35 on TiO2, ZrO2 and in acetonitrile.

The relaxation dynamics of the dye D35 has been characterized by transient absorption spectroscopy in acetonitrile and on TiO(2) and ZrO(2) thin films. In acetonitrile, upon photoexcitation of the dye via the S(0) → S(1) transition, we observed ultrafast solvation dynamics with subpicosecond time constants. Subsequent decay of the S(1) excited state absorption (ESA) band with a 7.

Ultrafast photoinduced dynamics of the 3,6-diaminoacridinium derivative ATTO 465 in solution.

The excited state dynamics of the dye ATTO 465, a well-known fluorescence marker for biological applications, have been characterized in various solvents including THF, ethanol, methanol, water and the highly polar protic ionic liquid 2-hydroxyethylammonium formate (2-OH-EAF) by combining results from time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) and ultrafast pump-supercontinuum probe (PSCP) spectroscopy as well as steady-state absorption and fluorescence. In water, 2-OH-EAF and two fluorinated alcohols, there is a pronounced blue-shift and broadening of the S(0) → S(1) absorption band and also a larger Stokes shift than in the other solvents, indicating a particular influence of hydrogen-bonding interactions. S(1) lifetimes from TCSPC at 25 °C range from 3.

Ultrafast dynamics of the indoline dye D149 on electrodeposited ZnO and sintered ZrO2 and TiO2 thin films.

The ultrafast photoinjection and subsequent relaxation steps of the indoline dye D149 were investigated in detail for a mesoporous electrodeposited ZnO thin film and compared with experiments on sintered TiO(2) and ZrO(2) thin films, all in contact with air, using pump-supercontinuum probe (PSCP) transient absorption spectroscopy in the range 370-770 nm. D149 efficiently injects electrons into the ZnO surface with time constants from ≤70 fs (time-resolution-limited) up to 250 fs, without the presence of slower components. Subsequent spectral dynamics with a time constant of 20 ps and no accompanying change in the oscillator strength are assigned to a transient Stark shift of the electronic absorption spectrum of D149 molecules in the electronic ground state due to the local electric field exerted by the D149˙(+) radical cations and conduction band electrons in ZnO.