Understanding and controlling short- and long-range electron/charge transfer processes in electron donor-acceptor conjugates
We have probed a series of multicomponent electron donor2-donor1-acceptor1 conjugates, both experimentally and computationally. The conjugates are based on the light harvester and primary electron-donor zinc-porphyrin (ZnP, donor1), to whose β-positions a secondary electron-donor ferrocene (Fc, donor2) and the primary electron-acceptor C60-fullerene (C60, acceptor1) are linked via p-phenylene-acetylene bridges of different lengths. This modular approach makes full control over shuttling electrons and holes between C60, ZnP, and Fc possible.