Photophysical Properties of a Post-Self-Assembly Host/Guest Coordination Cage: Visible Light Driven Core-to-Cage Charge Transfer

Supramolecular systems are capable of unique photophysical properties due to possible interactions between subcomponents, such as between an encapsulated molecule and its cage in a host/guest environment. Here, we report that the encapsulation of a chromophore by a metallacage dramatically enhances its photophysical properties. In the visible region, the encapsulated photosensitizer achieves a 6.5-fold enhancement to its absorptivity. The triplet lifetime of the encapsulated photosensitizer is three times longer than that of its free analogue. These enhancements are attributed to two key factors: (i) encapsulation-induced core-to-cage charge transfer (CCCT) generates new visible-light absorbing states, accounting for the enhanced absorption, and (ii) the microenvironment inside the metallacage inhibits nonradiative decay processes, resulting in prolonged triplet lifetime. The CCCT arises from the electrostatic interaction between the delocalized electrons of the guest coronene and the positive charge associated with the metallacage host. The work herein provides insight into the CCCT phenomenon.