Time-Dependent Density Functional Study of the Electronic Excited States of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Radical Ions

Impact of doping with organic dopants and mixed doping with alkali metals and organic dopants on the absorption, electronic, optoelectronic, thermodynamic and nonlinear optical properties of dibenzo[b,def]chrysene in gaseous media: DFT and TD-DFT studies

CONTEXT

In this study, we evaluate the geometrical, absorption, optoelectronic, electronic, nonlinear optical (NLO) and thermodynamic properties of dibenzo[b,def]chrysene molecule derivatives by means of DFT and TD-DFT simulations. In view of the aim of producing new high-performance materials for non-linear optics (NLO) by doping test, two types of doping were used. We obtained six derivatives by doping with organic dopants (Nitro, amide and ticyanoethenyl) and mixed alkali metal (potassium) and organic dopants. Doping with organic dopants produced molecules A, B and C, respectively when substituting one hydrogen with nitro (NO2), amide (CONH2) and tricyanoethenyl (C5N3) groups, while mixed doping involved considering A, B and C and then substituting two hydrogens with two potassiums to obtain compounds D, E and F respectively. The negative values of the various interaction energies calculated for all the doped molecules show that they are all stable, but also that molecules C and F are the most stable in the case of both dopings. The gap energies calculated at the B3LYP level of theory are all below 3 eV, which means that all the molecules obtained are semiconductors. Better still, compounds C and F, with gap energies of 1.852 eV and 1.204 eV, respectively, corresponding to decreases of 35.67% and 58.18% in gap energy compared with the pristine molecule, are more reactive than the other doped molecules. Mixed doping is therefore a highly effective way of narrowing the energy gap and boosting the semiconducting character and reactivity of organic materials. Optoelectronic properties have also been improved, with refractive index values higher than those of the reference material, glass. This shows that our compounds could be used under very high electric field conditions of the order of 4.164 × 109 V.m-1 for C and 7.410 × 109 V.m-1 for F the highest values at the B3LYP level of theory. The maximum first-order hyperpolarizability values for both types of doping are obtained at the CAM-B3LYP level of theory by C:β mol = 92.088 × 10-30esu and by F:β mol = 129.449 × 10-30esu, and second-order values are also given by these same compounds. These values are higher than the reference value, which is urea, making our compounds potential candidates for high-performance NLO applications. In dynamic mode and at a frequency of 1064 nm, at the CAM-B3LYP level of theory, the highest dynamic hyperpolarizability coefficients were obtained by C and F. Hyper-Rayleigh scattering β HRS , coefficients of the electro-optical Pockel effect (EOPE), EFISHG, third-order NLO-response degree four-wave mixingγ DFWM , quadratic nonlinear refractive index n2 were also calculated. The maximum values of n2 are obtained by C (6.13 × 10-20 m2/W) and F (6.60 × 10-20 m2/W), these values are 2.24 times higher than that of fused silica which is the reference for degenerate four-wave mixing so our molecules could also have applications in optoelectronics as wavelength converters, optical pulse modulators and optical switches.

METHODS

Using the DFT method, we were able to determine the optimized and stable electronic structures of doped dibenzo[b,def]chrysene derivatives in the gas phase. We limited ourselves to using the proven B3LYP and CAMB3LYP levels of theory for calculating electronic properties, and non-linear optics with the 6-311G +  + (d,p) basis set, which is a large basis set frequently used for these types of compound. Gaussian 09 software was used to run our calculations, and Gauss View 6.0.16 was used to visualize the output files. TD-DFT was also used to determine absorption properties at the B3LYP level of theory, using the same basis set.

Two-photon absorption properties of simple neutral Ir(III) complexes

A series of neutral Ir(2-phenylpyridine)3 derivatives substituted on the para-position of the pyridyl ligands with a π-conjugated substituent possessing different donor abilities has been prepared. Their two-photon absorption properties have been determined using the Z-scan technique. Such simple iridium(III) neutral complexes, which are easy to synthesize, show good two-photon absorption activity, with relevant TPA cross sections (the best is 750 GM), giving rise to multifunctional chromophores, since they present also high second-order NLO properties.

Accurate Electronic and Optical Properties of Organic Doublet Radicals Using Machine Learned Range-Separated Functionals

Luminescent organic semiconducting doublet-spin radicals are unique and emergent optical materials because their fluorescent quantum yields (Φfl) are not compromised by the spin-flipping intersystem crossing (ISC) into a dark high-spin state. The multiconfigurational nature of these radicals challenges their electronic structure calculations in the framework of single-reference density functional theory (DFT) and introduces room for method improvement. In the present study, we extended our earlier development of ML-ωPBE [J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2021, 12, 9516-9524], a range-separated hybrid (RSH) exchange-correlation (XC) functional constructed using the stacked ensemble machine learning (SEML) algorithm, from closed-shell organic semiconducting molecules to doublet-spin organic semiconducting radicals. We assessed its performance for a new test set of 64 doublet-spin radicals from five categories while placing all previously compiled 3926 closed-shell molecules in the new training set. Interestingly, ML-ωPBE agrees with the nonempirical OT-ωPBE functional regarding the prediction of the molecule-dependent range-separation parameter (ω), with a small mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.0197 a0-1, but saves the computational cost by 2.46 orders of magnitude. This result demonstrates an outstanding domain adaptation capacity of ML-ωPBE for diverse organic semiconducting species. To further assess the predictive power of ML-ωPBE in experimental observables, we also applied it to evaluate absorption and fluorescence energies (Eabs and Efl) using linear-response time-dependent DFT (TDDFT), and we compared its behavior with nine popular XC functionals. For most radicals, ML-ωPBE reproduces experimental measurements of Eabs and Efl with small MAEs of 0.299 and 0.254 eV, only marginally different from those of OT-ωPBE. Our work illustrates a successful extension of the SEML framework from closed-shell molecules to doublet-spin radicals and will open the venue for calculating optical properties for organic semiconductors using single-reference TDDFT.

Direct Investigation of Excited C60 Dianion and Its Intramolecular Electron Transfer Behaviors

For the first time, the dynamics of excited fullerene dianions and associated intramolecular electron transfer (ET) were directly investigated by using femtosecond pump-probe laser flash photolysis on selectively reduced C60, pyrrolidino[60]fullerene (C60H), and dyads including C60-naphthalenediimide (NDI) and C60-pyromellitimide (PI). Upon near-infrared laser excitation, the excited dianion of C60 or C60H displayed two states with lifetimes of less than one and several tens of ps, attributed to prompt internal conversion from the theoretically predicted Sn state. Furthermore, the ET processes from the excited C602- in dyad molecules, including C602--NDI•- and C602--PI•-, were confirmed with varied ET rate constants due to the difference in the driving force for ET. The current findings provide a clear description of the hitherto uncharted excited-state and photoinduced ET characteristics of fullerene dianions, paving the way for photochemical studies of excited multi-ions (excited multi-polarons) and their application in organic semiconducting materials.

Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy of Anthracene, 9-Methylanthracene, and 2-Methylanthracene in Supersonic Expansion

The S₀-S₁ absorption spectra of anthracene (C₁₄H₁₀), 9-methylanthracene (C₁₅H₁₂), and 2-methylanthracene (C₁₅H₁₂) are measured in the ultraviolet region between 330 and 375 nm (26,666 to 30,303 cm^-1) with cavity ring-down spectroscopy in supersonic free-jet expansions of argon. The associated vibronic band systems and their spectroscopic assignments are discussed and compared to previous studies performed using fluorescence excitation and dispersed fluorescence techniques. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to study the structures and evaluate the vibrational transitions of the ground and excited states. Time-dependent DFT calculations of the first electronic excited states and Franck-Condon factor calculations were carried out to assist in the assignment of the experimentally measured vibronic bands. The vibronic spectra obtained in absorption agree well with fluorescence excitation spectra in terms of peak positions but exhibit different relative band intensities. We find a very good match between experimentally obtained vibronic line positions and the peak positions of the quantum chemically calculated Franck-Condon excitation lines.

Efficient stabilization of cyanonaphthalene by fast radiative cooling and implications for the resilience of small PAHs in interstellar clouds

After decades of searching, astronomers have recently identified specific Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in space. Remarkably, the observed abundance of cyanonaphthalene (CNN, C10H7CN) in the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC-1) is six orders of magnitude higher than expected from astrophysical modeling. Here, we report unimolecular dissociation and radiative cooling rate coefficients of the 1-CNN isomer in its cationic form. These results are based on measurements of the time-dependent neutral product emission rate and kinetic energy release distributions produced from an ensemble of internally excited 1-CNN+ studied in an environment similar to that in interstellar clouds. We find that Recurrent Fluorescence - radiative relaxation via thermally populated electronic excited states - efficiently stabilizes 1-CNN+, owing to a large enhancement of the electronic transition probability by vibronic coupling. Our results help explain the anomalous abundance of CNN in TMC-1 and challenge the widely accepted picture of rapid destruction of small PAHs in space.

Experimental and theoretical study of photo-dissociation spectroscopy of pyrene dimer radical cations stored in a compact electrostatic ion storage ring

In this paper, we present an experimental and theoretical study of the photo-dissociation of free-flying dimer radical cations of pyrene (C16H10)2+. Experimentally, the dimers were produced in the plasma of an electron cyclotron resonance ion source and stored in an electrostatic ion storage ring, the Mini-Ring for times up to 10 ms and the photo-dissociation spectrum was recorded in the 400 to 2000 nm range. Two broad absorption bands were observed at 550 (2.25 eV) and 1560 nm (0.79 eV), respectively. Theoretical simulations of the absorption spectrum as a function of the temperature were performed using the Density Functional based Tight Binding approach within the Extended Configuration Interaction scheme (DFTB-EXCI) to determine the electronic structure. The simulation involved all excited electronic states correlated asymptotically with the five lowest excited states D1-D5 of the monomer cation and a Monte Carlo exploration of the electronic ground state potential energy surface. The simulations exhibit three major bands at 1.0, 2.1 and 2.8 eV respectively. They allow assigning the experimental band at 1560 nm to absorption by the charge resonance (CR) excited state correlated with the ground state of the monomer D0. The band at 550 nm is tentatively attributed to dimer states correlated with excited states D2-D4, in the monomer cation. Simulations also show that the CR band broadens and shifts towards longer wavelength with increasing temperature. It results from the dependence on the geometry of the energy gap between the ground state and the lowest excited state. The comparison of the experimental spectrum with theoretical spectra at various temperatures allows us to estimate the temperature of the stored (C16H10)2+ in the 300-400 K range, which is also in line with the expected temperatures of the ions deduced from the analysis of the natural decay curve.

Unimolecular fragmentation and radiative cooling of isolated PAH ions: A quantitative study

Time-resolved spontaneous and laser-induced unimolecular fragmentation of perylene cations (C₂₀H₁₂ ⁺) has been measured on timescales up to 2 s in a cryogenic electrostatic ion beam storage ring. We elaborate a quantitative model, which includes fragmentation in competition with radiative cooling via both vibrational and electronic (recurrent fluorescence) de-excitation. Excellent agreement with experimental results is found when sequential fragmentation of daughter ions co-stored with the parent perylene ions is included in the model. Based on the comparison of the model to experiment, we constrain the oscillator strength of the D₁ → D₀ emissive electronic transition in perylene (f^RF = 0.055 ± 0.011), as well as the absolute absorption cross section of the D₅ ← D₀ excitation transition (σ_abs > 670 Mb). The former transition is responsible for the laser-induced and recurrent fluorescence of perylene, and the latter is the most prominent in the absorption spectrum. The vibrational cooling rate is found to be consistent with the simple harmonic cascade approximation. Quantitative experimental benchmarks of unimolecular processes in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon ions like perylene are important for refining astrochemical models.

Theoretical investigation of the electronic relaxation in highly excited chrysene and tetracene: The effect of armchair vs zigzag edge

Non-adiabatic molecular dynamics of neutral chrysene and tetracene molecules is investigated using Tully's fewest switches surface hopping algorithm coupled to the time-dependent density functional based tight-binding (TD-DFTB) method for electronic structure calculations. We first assess the performance of two DFTB parameter sets based on the computed TD-DFTB absorption spectra. The main focus is given to the analysis of the electronic relaxation from the brightest excited state following absorption of a UV photon. We determine the dynamical relaxation times and discuss the underlying mechanisms. Our results show that the electronic population of the brightest excited singlet state in armchair-edge chrysene decays an order-of-magnitude faster than the one in zigzag-edge tetracene. This is correlated with a qualitatively similar difference of energy gaps between the brightest state and the state lying just below in energy, which is also consistent with our previous study on polyacenes.

Study on fluorescence spectroscopy of PAHs with different molecular structures using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) measurement and TD-DFT calculation

Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is an effective technique for non-intrusive and on-line measurement of PAHs in sooting flames but it is still need further investigation due to the complexity of PAH fluorescence characteristics. Therefore, in-depth investigations on the fluorescence spectroscopy of PAHs with different molecular structures are relevant. In this study, we investigated the fluorescence spectrum characteristics of 13 gas-phase PAHs using LIF measurement and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculation. The experimental results showed that the fluorescence emission wavelengths increased with more aromatic (benzenoid) rings, but this relationship no longer existed when the PAH molecules contain the five-membered ring structures. The TD-DFT calculation showed that the fluorescence emission wavelength ranges of PAHs with different molecular structures were dominantly determined by the electronic structures of highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and their energy gaps. It was found that the saturated aliphatic branched chains (methyl and ethyl) only slightly influenced the LIF spectra, while the unsaturated aliphatic branched chains (ethenyl and ethynyl) caused remarkable redshifts. The TD-DFT results indicated that the aliphatic branched chains changed the electric structures of HOMO and LUMO of the core aromatic rings, and then influence the fluorescence emission wavelength ranges.

Photoelectron spectroscopic study of I-·ICF3: a frontside attack SN2 pre-reaction complex

Photodetachment and 2D photoelectron spectra of the mass-selected I-·CF3I complex are presented together with electronic structure calculations. Calculations show that the I- is located at the iodine side of CF3I. Vertical and adiabatic detachment energies were measured at 4.03 and approximately 3.8 eV, respectively. The photoelectron spectra and molecular orbitals show a significant covalent bonding character in the cluster. The presence of electronic excited states is observed. Below threshold, iodide is generated which can be assigned to the photoexcitation of degenerate charge-transfer bands from the off-axis p-orbitals localised on iodide. Near the onset of two spin-orbit thresholds, bright excited states are seen in the experiment and calculations. Excitation of these leads to the formation of slow electrons. The spectroscopy of I-·CF3I is compared to the well-studied I-·CH3I cluster, a pre-reaction complex in the text-book I- + CH3I SN2 reaction. Despite the reversed stereodynamics (i.e. inversion of the CX3 between X = H and F) of the SN2 reaction, striking similarities are seen. Both complexes possess charge transfer excited states near their respective vertical detachment energies and exhibit vibrational structure in their photoelectron spectra. The strong binding is consistent with observations in crossed molecular beam studies and molecular dynamics simulations that suggest that iodine as a leaving group in an SN2 reaction affects the reaction dynamics.

Radical cations of twisted acenes: chiroptical properties and spin delocalization

We introduce the first series of enantiopure twistacene radical cations, which form reversibly upon chemical or electrochemical oxidation. Their vis-NIR chiroptical properties (Cotton effect and anisotropy factor) increase systematically with the backbone twist. The hyperfine constants observed by EPR demonstrate significant spin delocalization even for large backbone twist angles.

An extended DFTB-CI model for charge-transfer excited states in cationic molecular clusters: model studies versus ab initio calculations in small PAH clusters

We present an extension of the constrained density functional tight binding scheme combined with configuration interaction (DFTB-CI) to efficiently compute excited states of molecular cluster cations.

Cationic Methylene-Pyrene Isomers and Isomerization Pathways: Finite Temperature Theoretical Studies

This paper provides spectral characterizations of the two isomers of the 1-methylenepyrene cation, namely, the 1-pyrenemethylium and a pyrene-like isomer owing a tropylium cycle. Both are possible photodissociation products of the 1-methylpyrene cation and were proposed as potential contributors to the diffuse interstellar bands. In that respect, vibrational and electronic spectra are computed for the optimized structures at the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent (TD-)DFT levels. Finite temperature effects on these spectra are estimated from molecular dynamics simulations within the density functional-based tight-binding (DFTB) and TD-DFTB frameworks, these methods being first benchmarked against DFT and TD-DFT calculations. The computed spectra allow discrimination of the two isomers. When the temperature increases, bands are observed to redshift and merge. The isomerization mechanism is investigated with the metadynamics technique, a biased dynamics scheme allowing to probe reaction mechanisms with high energy barriers by investigating the free energy surface at various temperatures. Four pathways with similar barrier heights (3.5-4 eV) are found, showing that the interconversion process would only occur in interstellar clouds under photoactivation. The present study opens the way to simulations on larger methyl- and methylenePAHs of astrophysical interest and their experimental investigation.

Electronically excited states of PANH anions

The singly deprotonated anion derivatives of nitrogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are shown likely to possess dipole-bound and even valence excited states for the larger systems.

Electronic excitation spectra of radical anions of cyanoethylenes and cyanobenzenes: symmetry adapted cluster-configuration interaction study

Electronic excitation spectra of the radical anions of cyanoethylenes (trans-dicyanoethylene and tetracyanoethylene) and cyanobenzenes (1,2-dicyanobenzene: o-DCNB, 1,3-dicyanobenzene: m-DCNB, and 1,4-dicyanobenzene: p-DCNB) were studied by the symmetry adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method. Theoretical calculations predicted positive electron affinities for all the molecules in good agreement with the experimental observations. Electronic excitation spectra of open-shell radicals is a topic that has not been studied as much as such spectra of closed-shell molecules, but this can be easily addressed using SAC-CI theory. The present paper systematically describes the calculation procedures for radical anions by investigating several basis sets, including anion diffuse and Rydberg functions. The calculated excitation energies were in good agreement with the experimental UV∕NIR (near infrared region) spectra, which had been observed by one of the present authors in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran matrix frozen to transparent glassy solids at 77 K. For p-DCNB, the SAC-CI theoretical spectrum agreed particularly well with the experimental spectrum. An extremely weak π*(SOMO) - π* excitation at 1.41 eV predicted in the present work, but had been overlooked in the previous experimental spectrum published in 1988, was confirmed to be real by a careful re-examination of the old spectrum.

INVESTIGATION OF DOMINANT ELECTRON CONFIGURATIONS IN TIME-DEPENDENT DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY

We investigated the electron configurations that are dominant in excited states of molecules in time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). By taking advantage of the discussion on off-diagonal elements in the TDDFT response matrix (Appel et al., Phys Rev Lett, 90, 043005, 2003), we can pick up electron transitions that contribute to an excitation of interest by making use of the diagonal elements of the TDDFT matrix. We can obtain approximate excitation energies by calculating a TDDFT submatrix, which is contracted for a list of collected transitions. This contracted TDDFT was applied to the calculation of excitation energies of the CO molecule adsorbing Pt 10 cluster and some prototype small molecules. Calculated results showed that a TDDFT excitation energy is dominated by a few electron configurations, unless severe degeneracy is involved.

A general measure of conjugation in biphenyls and their radical cations

Changes in the amount of conjugation in the biphenyl system upon torsion have been investigated with quantum chemistry computations. For the unsubstituted biphenyl and its radical cation, the change in the energy for the first electronic transition as determined from time-dependent density functional theory, specifically TD-B3LYP, upon an imposed change in torsion angle appears to provide a good general measure of the delocalization of the π-electrons. Upon substitution, though, a relationship could not be established between the excitation energy and the twist across the C–C bond connecting the two phenyl rings. In contrast, the π-interaction energy, i.e., the π–π interaction across the central C–C bond, determined from a natural bond orbital analysis, provides a uniform description of conjugation in the electronically different systems, for an imposed twist as well as upon substitution. Substituent effects are found to be larger and more varied for the biphenyl radical cations. Of particular interest is the introduction of the oxidizable substituents OCH3 (methoxyl) and SCH3 (methylthio), as this leads to the smallest changes in torsion angle in the biphenyl unit upon removal of an electron from the molecule. The findings of this work could ultimately prove useful for the rational design of conductive polymer materials.

Role of excited states in low-energy electron (LEE) induced strand breaks in DNA model systems: influence of aqueous environment

Low-energy electrons (LEEs) interact with a DNA model system to create a variety of excited states. In the gas phase, dissociative (sigma*) states are accessible by LEEs with energy <4 eV (see picture) and cause facile strand breaks through a dissociative electron attachment mechanism. However, under solvation these dissociative (sigma*) states are blue-shifted and are less accessible to LEEs.

Prevention of PCDD/F formation and minimization of their emission at the stack of a secondary aluminum casting plant

Results of an extensive 5 year study on a full-scale plant with the specific aim to investigate polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzo furan (PCDF) formation and release in a secondary aluminum casting plant are reported. PCDD and PCDF concentrations were evaluated for all the gaseous and solid streams (no liquid stream was present) as well as for the flue gas upstream and downstream of every single unit of the flue gas cleaning system. The study highlights PCDD and PCDF formation particularly in the narrow 320-360 degrees C range. To prevent formation reactions and/or minimize PCDD and PCDF concentration at the stack, effects of the fabric filter substitution, a quenching chamber and a postcombustor installation together with working conditions are investigated. The flue gas cleaning system results in PCDD and PCDF emission at stack of 0.1-0.2 ng I-TEQ/N m3 and in a mass flow of 250-550 nmol/h. The total PCDD and PCDF release into the environment is 0.06 g I-TEQ/yr and the corresponding emission factor, 0.35 microg I-TEQ/ton. It is shown that the global effects of the technological innovation on the reaction mechanisms are the prevention of PCDD/F formation by de novo synthesis and the minimization of their emission.

Canonical transformation theory from extended normal ordering

The canonical transformation theory of Yanai and Chan [J. Chem. Phys. 124, 194106 (2006)] provides a rigorously size-extensive description of dynamical correlation in multireference problems. Here we describe a new formulation of the theory based on the extended normal ordering procedure of Mukherjee and Kutzelnigg [J. Chem. Phys. 107, 432 (1997)]. On studies of the water, nitrogen, and iron oxide potential energy curves, the linearized canonical transformation singles and doubles theory is competitive in accuracy with some of the best multireference methods, such as the multireference averaged coupled pair functional, while computational timings (in the case of the iron oxide molecule) are two to three orders of magnitude faster and comparable to those of the complete active space second-order perturbation theory. The results presented here are greatly improved both in accuracy and in cost over our earlier study as the result of a new numerical algorithm for solving the amplitude equations.