Highly Selective Relaxation of the OH Stretching Overtones in Isolated HDO Molecules Observed by Infrared Pump-Repump-Probe Spectroscopy

Icelike Vibrational Properties of Strong Hydrogen Bonds in Hydrated Lithium Nitrate

The hydrogen bond network accounts for many of the extraordinary physical properties of liquid water and ice. Its vibrational dynamics are quite complex in their entirety but can be accessed in detail by investigating small groups of only a few water molecules. Here, aqueous salt hydrates turned out to be an exceptional model system for water molecules arranged in well-defined geometrical structures that can be accessed by means of femtosecond spectroscopy of the OH stretching vibration. In this study, we find striking resemblance between the vibrational properties of three water molecules connected via strong hydrogen bonds in the trihydrate of LiNO₃ and those of ordinary ice I_h. As in ice, the vibrations of the hydrate water molecules show ultrafast excited state dynamics that are strongly accelerated when proceeding from deuterated to neat H₂O samples. The latter is analyzed by means of an additional relaxation channel that is due to Fermi resonance between the OH stretching vibration and the bend overtone accompanied by delocalization of the vibration over neighboring water molecules in the H₂O species. Moreover, in the hydrate and ice samples severe spectral broadening is examined when comparing fundamental and excited state absorption bands. Here, proton delocalization along the strong hydrogen bonds is given as a possible underlying mechanism.

Slow thermal equilibration in methylammonium lead iodide revealed by transient mid-infrared spectroscopy

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites are emerging semiconductors for cheap and efficient photovoltaics and light-emitting devices. Different from conventional inorganic semiconductors, hybrid perovskites consist of coexisting organic and inorganic sub-lattices, which present disparate atomic masses and bond strengths. The nanoscopic interpenetration of these disparate components, which lack strong electronic and vibrational coupling, presents fundamental challenges to the understanding of charge and heat dissipation. Here we study phonon population and equilibration processes in methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) by transiently probing the vibrational modes of the organic sub-lattice following above-bandgap optical excitation. We observe inter-sub-lattice thermal equilibration on timescales ranging from hundreds of picoseconds to a couple of nanoseconds. As supported by a two-temperature model based on first-principles calculations, the slow thermal equilibration is attributable to the sequential phonon populations of the inorganic and organic sub-lattices, respectively. The observed long-lasting thermal non-equilibrium offers insights into thermal transport and heat management of the emergent hybrid material class.

Dynamics of the OH stretching mode in crystalline Ba(ClO4)2·3H2O

The vibrational dynamics of the OH stretching mode in Ba(ClO₄)₂ trihydrate are investigated by means of femtosecond infrared spectroscopy. The sample offers plane cyclic water trimers in the solid phase that feature virtually no hydrogen bond interaction between the water molecules. Selective excitation of the symmetric and asymmetric stretching leads to fast population redistribution, while simultaneous excitation yields quantum beats, which are monitored via a combination tone that dominates the overtone spectrum. The combination of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy with quantum chemical simulations and general theoretical considerations gives indication of various aspects of symmetry breakage. The system shows a joint population lifetime of 8 ps and a long-lived coherence between symmetric and asymmetric stretching, which decays with a time constant of 0.6 ps.