Photoinduced Energy and Electron Transfer in Phenylethynyl‐Bridged Zinc Porphyrin–Oligothienylenevinylene–C 60 Ensembles

Donor–bridge–acceptor triad (Por‐2TV‐C 60 ) and tetrad molecules ((Por) 2 ‐2TV‐C 60 ), which incorporated C 60 and one or two porphyrin molecules that were covalently linked through a phenylethynyl‐oligothienylenevinylene bridge, were synthesized. Their photodynamics were investigated by fluorescence measurements, and by femto‐ and nanosecond laser flash photolysis. First, photoinduced energy transfer from the porphyrin to the C 60 moiety occurred rather than electron transfer, followed by electron transfer from the oligothienylenevinylene to the singlet excited state of the C 60 moiety to produce the radical cation of oligothienylenevinylene and the radical anion of C 60 . Then, back‐electron transfer occurred to afford the triplet excited state of the oligothienylenevinylene moiety rather than the ground state. Thus, the porphyrin units in (Por)‐2TV‐C 60 and (Por) 2 ‐2TV‐C 60 acted as efficient photosensitizers for the charge separation between oligothienylenevinylene and C 60 .