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Photochemistry and Photophysics of Coordination Compounds

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32 V. Balzani et al.<br />

Fig. 19 Schematic representation <strong>of</strong> the operation <strong>of</strong> rotaxane D 6+ as a four-stroke linear<br />

nanomotor powered by sunlight [94]<br />

(c) Electronic reset: a back electron-transfer process from the “free” reduced<br />

station A – 1 to P+ (step 6) restores the electron-acceptor power to the A1<br />

station.<br />

(d) Nuclear reset: as a consequence <strong>of</strong> the electronic reset, back movement <strong>of</strong><br />

the ring from A2 to A1 takes place (step 7).<br />

The crucial point is the competion between ring displacement (step 4) <strong>and</strong><br />

back electron transfer (step 5). The results revealed that in acetonitrile solution<br />

at room temperature the ring shuttling rate is one order <strong>of</strong> magnitude<br />

slower than the back electron transfer. Hence, the absorption <strong>of</strong><br />

light can cause the occurrence <strong>of</strong> a forward <strong>and</strong> back ring movement (i.e.,<br />

afullcycle)witha2% quantum yield. The low efficiency is compensated<br />

by the following features: (1) the operation <strong>of</strong> the system relies exclusively<br />

on intramolecular processes, without generation <strong>of</strong> any waste product; <strong>and</strong><br />

(2) since [Ru(bpy)3] 2+ shows an intense absorption b<strong>and</strong> in the visible region,<br />

the system works simply upon exposure to sunlight. A much higher efficiency

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