Highly conjugated (polypyridyl)metal-(porphinato)zinc(II) compounds: long-lived, high oscillator strength, excited-state absorbers having exceptional spectral coverage of the near-infrared.

Transient dynamical studies of ruthenium(II) [5-(4'-ethynyl-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridinyl))-10,20-bis(2',6'-bis(3,3-dimethyl-1-butyloxy)phenyl)porphinato]zinc(II)-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridine)2+ bis-hexafluorophosphate (Ru-PZn), osmium(II) [5-(4'-ethynyl-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridinyl))-10,20-bis(2',6'-bis(3,3-dimethyl-1-butyloxy)phenyl)porphinato]zinc(II)-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridine)2+ bis-hexafluorophosphate (Os-PZn), ruthenium(II) [5-(4'-ethynyl-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridinyl))-15-(4'-nitrophenyl)ethynyl-10,20-bis(2',6'-bis(3,3-dimethyl-1-butyloxy)phenyl)porphinato]zinc(II)-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridine)2+ bis-hexafluorophosphate (Ru-PZn-A), osmium(II) [5-(4'-ethynyl-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridinyl))-15-(4'-nitrophenyl)ethynyl-10,20-bis(2',6'-bis(3,3-dimethyl-1-butyloxy)phenyl)porphinato]zinc(II)-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridine)2+ bis-hexafluorophosphate (Os-PZn-A), and ruthenium(II) [5-(4'-ethynyl-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridinyl))-ruthenium(II)-15-(4'-ethynyl-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridinyl))-10,20-bis(2',6'-bis(3,3-dimethyl-1-butyloxy)phenyl)porphinato]zinc(II)-bis(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridine)4+ tetrakis-hexafluorophosphate (Ru-PZn-Ru), and ruthenium(II) [5-(4'-ethynyl-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridinyl))-osmium(II)-15-(4'-ethynyl-(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridinyl))-10,20-bis(2',6'-bis(3,3-dimethyl-1-butyloxy)phenyl)porphinato]zinc(II)-bis(2,2';6',2' '-terpyridine) tetrakis-hexafluorophosphate (Ru-PZn-Os) show that these highly conjugated supermolecular chromophores feature electronically excited states that absorb over broad NIR spectral windows with considerable oscillator strength and manifest lifetimes (1-50 mus) that are extraordinarily long relative to those of classic low band-gap organic materials. The excited-state absorptive domains of these strongly coupled multipigment ensembles can be extensively modulated. For sequential one-photon absorptive processes, these compounds evince large sigmae, sigmae/sigmag, and sigmae - sigmag values. As the combination of all these properties within single chromophoric entities have heretofore lacked precedent within the NIR, these and closely related structures may find particular utility in a variety of technologically important optical-limiting applications.