Photosensitizing

Organometallic

Organometallic photosensitizers contain a metal atom chelated to at least one organic ligand. The photosensitizing capacities of these molecules result from electronic interactions between the metal and ligand(s). Popular electron-rich metal centers for these complexes include Iridium, Ruthenium, and Rhodium. These metals, as well as others, are common metal centers for photosensitizers due to their highly filled d-orbitals, or high d-electron counts, to promote metal to ligand charge transfer from pi-electron accepting ligands. This interaction between the metal center and the ligand leads to a large continuum of orbitals within both the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) which allows for excited electrons to switch multiplicities via intersystem crossing.