Triplet Photosensitisers: From Molecular Designto Light-Driven Applications

Abstract

Transition metal complexes, particularly Ir(III) and Ru(II), exhibit attractive photophysical properties and have long been the subject of scientific research owing to their use in various light-driven applications. This thesis, entitled Triplet Photosensitisers: From Molecular Design to Light-Driven Applications , focuses on exploring the molecular design of triplet photosensitisers to have a more comprehensive understanding of the opto-electronic behaviour with modified architectures. The core focus of this thesis was to explore the molecular design of triplet photosensitisers with a view of optimising their behaviour. The transition metal complex has three major components that define the functionality of the molecule. These components are the metal centre, the auxiliary ligand and the ancillary ligand. Modification of three fundamental components that influence the optical behaviour of a triplet photosensitiser was systematically explored: (i) the chromophore/fluorophore, (ii) the ancillary/auxiliary ligand, and (iii) the metal centre. To achieve this, a family of novel transition metal complexes capturing such modifications were synthesised, characterised, and their photophysical properties were investigated using both experimental and computational techniques with the aim of contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of photosensitisers with modified architectures.