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Science 3 July 1992:
Vol. 257. no. 5066, pp. 63 - 65
DOI: 10.1126/science.257.5066.63

Articles

Picosecond Optical Switching Based on Biphotonic Excitation of an Electron Donor-Acceptor-Donor Molecule

Michael P. O'Neil 1, Mark P. Niemczyk 1, Walter A. Svec 1, David Gosztola 1, George L. Gaines III 1, and Michael R. Wasielewski 1

1 Chemistry Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439

An electron donor-acceptor-donor molecule consisting of two porphyrin donors rigidly attached to the two-electron acceptor N,N'-diphenyl-3,4,9,10-perylenebis(dicarboximide) acts as a light intensity—dependent molecular switch on a picosecond time scale. Excitation of the porphyrins within this molecule with subpicosecond laser pulses results in single or double reduction of the acceptor depending on the light intensity. The singly and doubly reduced electron acceptors absorb light strongly at 713 and 546 nanometers, respectively. Because these absorption changes are produced solely by electron transfers, this molecular switch effectively has no moving parts and switches significantly faster than photochromic molecules that must undergo changes in molecular structure.

Submitted on January 21, 1992
Accepted on May 1, 1992


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Highly conjugated, acetylenyl bridged porphyrins: new models for light-harvesting antenna systems.
V. Lin, S. DiMagno, and M. Therien (1994)
Science 264, 1105-1111
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Photoinduced Electron Transfer from a Conducting Polymer to Buckminsterfullerene.
N. S. Sariciftci, L. Smilowitz, A. J. Heeger, and F. Wudl (1992)
Science 258, 1474-1476
   Abstract »    PDF »



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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)