Marcus model-based analysis of the photo-quenching mechanism of a boronic acid fluorophore: water concentration dependence of electron transfer rate

The photo-quenching mechanism of 2-(4-phenylboronic acid)-1-pyrenemethamide (C1-APB), which has potential application as a saccharide-recognition sensor, was investigated. By performing temperature-dependent time-resolved photoluminescence measurements, we determined the mechanism responsible for the photo-quenching properties of C1-APB to be a photoinduced electron transfer (PET). Moreover, the dependence of the electron transfer rate ( k PET ) on the solvent water concentration was explored in detail, and it was found that k PET increased by many orders of magnitude with increasing water concentrations. This phenomenon was analyzed using the Marcus model, in which the electron transfer can be represented by a potential diagram involving the potential barrier (Δ G a ) and frequency factor ( A ). With the aid of temperature-dependent measurements, the contribution of Δ G a and A to the increase in k PET was successfully analyzed independently, which allowed us to discuss the effect of water molecule orientation and change in molecular structure of C1-APB. The temperature-dependence measurements performed in this study offer a powerful research tool for investigating the PET process, and will contribute to the development of molecular recognition fluorescent sensors. Graphical abstract