Push-Pull Effect of Terpyridine Substituted by Triphenylamine Motive—Impact of Viscosity, Polarity and Protonation on Molecular Optical Properties

The introduction of an electron-donating triphenylamine motive into a 2,2′,6′,2′′-terpyridine (terpy) moiety, a cornerstone molecular unit in coordination chemistry, opens new ways for a rational design of photophysical properties of organic and inorganic compounds. A push-pull compound, 4′-(4-(di(4-tert-butylphenyl)amine)phenyl)-2,2′,6′,2′′-terpyridine (tBuTPAterpy), was thoroughly investigated with the use of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopies and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Our results demonstrate that solvent parameters have an enormous influence on the optical properties of this molecule, acting as knobs for external control of its photophysics. The Intramolecular Charge Transfer (ICT) process introduces a remarkable solvent polarity effect on the emission spectra without affecting the lowest absorption band, as confirmed by DFT simulations, including solvation effects. The calculations ascribe the lowest absorption transitions to two singlet ICT excited states, S(1) and S(2), with S(1) having several orders of magnitude higher oscillator strength than the “dark” S(2) state. Temperature and viscosity investigations suggest the existence of two emitting excited states with different structural conformations. The phosphorescence emission band observed at 77 K is assigned to a localized (3)terpy state. Finally, protonation studies show that tBuTPAterpy undergoes a reversible process, making it a promising probe of the pH level in the context of acidity determination.