Ruthenium-Phenothiazine Electron Transfer Dyads with a Photoswitchable Dithienylethene Bridge

A molecular ensemble composed of a phenothiazine (PTZ) electron donor, a photoisomerizable dithienylethene (DTE) bridge, and a Ru(bpy)32+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) electron acceptor was synthesized and investigated by optical spectroscopic and electrochemical means. Our initial intention was to perform flash-quench transient absorption studies in which the Ru(bpy)32+ unit is excited selectively (“flash”) and its 3MLCT excited state is quenched oxidatively (“quench”) by excess methylviologen prior to intramolecular electron transfer from phenothiazine to Ru(III) across the dithienylethene bridge. However, after selective Ru(bpy)32+1MLCT excitation of the dyad with the DTE bridge in its open form, 1MLCT → 3MLCT intersystem crossing on the metal complex is followed by triplet–triplet energy transfer to a 3π–π* state localized on the DTE unit. This energy transfer process is faster than bimolecular oxidative quenching with methylviologen at the ruthenium site (Ru(III) is not observed); only the triplet-excited DTE then undergoes rapid (10 ns, instrumentally limited) bimolecular electron transfer with methylviologen. Subsequently, there is intramolecular electron transfer with PTZ. The time constant for formation of the phenothiazine radical cation via intramolecular electron transfer occurring over two p-xylene units is 41 ns. When the DTE bridge is photoisomerized to the closed form, PTZ+ cannot be observed any more. Irrespective of the wavelength at which the closed isomer is irradiated, most of the excitation energy appears to be funneled rapidly into a DTE-localized singlet excited state from which photoisomerization to the open form occurs within picoseconds.