Investigation of photophysical properties of new branched compounds with triazine and benzimidazole units

Three new acceptor-donor-acceptor branched compounds with triazine and benzimidazole units (M1, M2, and M3) were synthesized and characterized by infrared, hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance, carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. Their photophysical properties were investigated including linear absorption, single-photon excited fluorescence, fluorescence quantum yield, two-photon absorption, and frequency up-converted fluorescence. When the number of branches increases, the spectral positions of the linear absorption and the single-photon excited fluorescence show red shifts, while the fluorescence quantum yields decrease. When the polarity of solvents increases, the spectral positions of the single-photon excited fluorescence and the Stokes shifts also show red shifts, while the fluorescence quantum yields of the two-branched compound (M2) and three-branched compound (M3) decrease. Under the excitation of an 800 nm laser with a pulse width of 80 fs, all these compounds emit intense green frequency up-converted fluorescence, and the two-photon absorption cross-sections are 210, 968, and 1613 GM for M1, M2, and M3, respectively. This result shows that significant enhancement of the two-photon absorption cross-section can be achieved by sufficient electronic coupling between the strong charge transfer acceptor-donor-acceptor quadrupolar branches through the s-triazine core.