A tightly coupled linear array of perylene, bis(porphyrin), and phthalocyanine units that functions as a photoinduced energy-transfer cascade.

We have prepared a linear array of chromophores consisting of a perylene input unit, a bis(free base porphyrin) transmission unit, and a free base phthalocyanine output unit for studies in artificial photosynthesis and molecular photonics. The synthesis involved four stages: (1) a rational synthesis of trans-AB2C-porphyrin building blocks each bearing one meso-unsubstituted position, (2) oxidative, meso,meso coupling of the zinc porphyrin monomers to afford a bis(zinc porphyrin) bearing one phthalonitrile group and one iodophenyl group, (3) preparation of a bis(porphyrin)-phthalocyanine array via a mixed cyclization involving the bis(free base porphyrin) and 4-tert-butylphthalonitrile, and (4) Pd-mediated coupling of an ethynylperylene to afford a perylene-bis(porphyrin)-phthalocyanine linear array. The perylene-bis(porphyrin)-phthalocyanine array absorbs strongly across the visible spectrum. Excitation at 490 nm, where the perylene absorbs preferentially, results in fluorescence almost exclusively from the phthalocyanine (phi(f) = 0.78). The excited phthalocyanine forms with time constants of 2 ps (90%) and 13 ps (10%). The observed time constants resemble those of corresponding phenylethyne-linked dyads, including a perylene-porphyrin (< or = 0.5 ps) and a porphyrin-phthalocyanine (1.1 ps (70%) and 8 ps (30%)). The perylene-bis(porphyrin)-phthalocyanine architecture exhibits efficient light-harvesting properties and rapid funneling of energy in a cascade from perylene to bis(porphyrin) to phthalocyanine.