| Triplet state pre-equilibration by reversible energy transfer has been observed by transient-absorption spectroscopy in mixed toluene solutions of C70 and C60 and of C70 and C60(CH 3)2. The equilibrium constants governing the asymptotic partitioning of triplet energy in these mixtures were determined as a function of temperature. The enthalpies of these excited states were found from van't Hoff plots of the equilibrium constant data to be −0.1 ± 0.2 and −3.4 ± 0.3 kJ mol−1 for C60 and C60 (CH3)2 respectively relative to a C70 triplet energy exchange partner. The corresponding relative entropies are 5.8 ± 0.5 and −4.0 ± 1.0 kJ mol−1 K−1 respectively. Transient spectra from high temperature C70/C60(CH3)2 mixed samples revealed evidence of a third, unidentified transient absorber that exhibited different kinetics from the pre-equilibrated triplet pool.; Triplet state transient difference spectra and intrinsic decay kinetics were measured and compared for C60 and several derivatives of C 60. These derivatives were C60H2, C60(CH 3)2, ortho-xylyl-C60, N,N′-dimethyl-1,2-ethylenediamine-C 60, C60C(COOCH2CH3)2, and C60O. The spectral locations of the main triplet-triplet absorption peak for these compounds correlates linearly with the observed intrinsic intersystem crossing rate constant.; The triplet state persistence of C60 was measured in toluene solution as a function of both ground state concentration and solution temperature. The unimolecular intersystem crossing deactivation channel shows very little thermal activation, whereas the observed bimolecular self-quenching decay channel is found to be highly activated. At room temperature, the deduced exponential lifetime of the solvent-caged encounter complex between triplet and ground state molecules is three orders of magnitude shorter than that of the isolated monomer triplet state. This suggests that the self-quenching process is not a simple perturbation of an isolated molecule's intersystem crossing, but rather occurs through a qualitatively different mechanism. The kinetic data are examined in light of the proposed excimer mechanism for triplet self-quenching. Finally, the self-quenching process is interpreted as a low-probability “mis-step” during energy transfer. |
