title: Effects of metal cation coordination on fluorescence properties of a diethylenetriamine bearing two end pyrene fragments.
abstract: Fluorescence properties of a diethylenetriamine bearing two end pyrene fragments (L) have been studied in water, where effects of adding metal cations (Zn2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, Hg2+, Ag+) on the emission properties of L have been studied. Without metal cations, L shows dual-mode fluorescence consisting of monomer and excimer emissions. The monomer emission intensity (I(M)) is strong at acidic pH but decreases with a pH increase because of an electron transfer (ET) from the unprotonated nitrogen atoms to the excited pyrene fragment. The excimer emission is due to the static excimer formed via a direct photoexcitation of the intramolecular ground-state dimer (GSD) of the end pyrene fragments. The excimer emission intensity (I(E)) is weak at acidic pH but increases with a pH increase because of the GSD stability increase associated with the deprotonation of the polyamine chain. Addition of metal cations leads to I(M) decrease, where chelation-driven I(M) enhancement does not occur even with diamagnetic Zn2+ and Cd2+ at any pH. This is because a pyrene-metal cation pi-complex, formed via a donation of pi-electron of the pyrene fragment to the adjacent metal center, suppresses the monomer photoexcitation. I(E) also decreases upon addition of metal cations because the pyrene-metal cation pi-complex weakens pi-stacking interaction of the end pyrene fragments, leading to GSD stability decrease. The emission properties of L-Zn2+ complexes were studied by means of time-resolved fluorescence decay measurements, and the effects of adding a less-polar organic solvent were also studied to clarify the detailed emission properties.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry and Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan. shiraish@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shiraishi
authors.forename: Katsutake
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishizumi
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirai