Antenna effects in truxene-bridged BODIPY triarylzinc(ii)porphyrin dyads: evidence for a dual Dexter–Förster mechanism

The antenna process from an energy donor (BODIPY; 4′,4′-difluoro-1′,3′,5′,7′-tetramethyl-4′-bora-3a′,4a′-diaza-s-indacene) in its singlet state to two acceptors (two zinc(II) 5,15-p-tolyl-10-phenylporphyrin) bridged by a central truxene residue (5′,5′′,10′,10′′,15′,15′′-hexabutyltruxene), 5, has been analysed by means of comparison of the energy transfer rates with those of a structurally similar β-substituted BODIPY-(zinc(II) 5,10,15-p-tolyl-porphyrin), 6, where no conjugation is present between the donor and the two acceptors using the Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) approximation. It is estimated that the energy transfer in 5 operates mostly via a Dexter mechanism (>99%), and th…