Tailoring Panchromatic Absorption and Excited-State Dynamics of Tetrapyrrole–Chromophore (Bodipy, Rylene) Arrays—Interplay of Orbital Mixing and Configuration Interaction

Three sets of tetrapyrrole–chromophore arrays have been examined that exhibit panchromatic absorption across large portions of the near-ultraviolet (NUV) to near-infrared (NIR) spectrum along with favorable excited-state properties for use in solar-energy conversion. The arrays vary the tetrapyrrole (porphyrin, chlorin, bacteriochlorin), chromophore (boron-dipyrrin, perylene, terrylene), and attachment sites (meso-position, β-pyrrole position). In all, seven dyads, one triad, and nine benchmarks in toluene and benzonitrile were studied using steady-state and time-resolved absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results were analyzed with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations. Natural transition orbitals (NTOs) were constructed to assess the net change in electron density associated with each NUV–NIR absorption transition. The porphyrin–perylene dyad P-PMI displays the most even spectral coverage from 400 to 700 nm, with an average e ∼ 43 000 M–1 cm–1. A signi...