Theoretical calculation of reorganization energy for electron self-exchange reaction by constrained density functional theory and constrained equilibrium thermodynamics

Pulse-Induced Dynamics of a Charge-Transfer Complex from First Principles

The ultrafast dynamics of charge carriers in organic donor-acceptor interfaces are of primary importance to understanding the fundamental properties of these systems. In this work, we focus on a charge-transfer complex formed by quaterthiophene p-doped by tetrafluoro-tetracyanoquinodimethane and investigate electron dynamics and vibronic interactions also at finite temperatures by applying a femtosecond pulse in resonance with the two lowest energy excitations of the system with perpendicular and parallel polarization with respect to the interface. The adopted ab initio formalism based on real-time time-dependent density-functional theory coupled to Ehrenfest dynamics enables monitoring the dynamical charge transfer across the interface and assessing the role played by the nuclear motion. Our results show that the strong intermolecular interactions binding the complex already in the ground state influence the dynamics, too. The analysis of the nuclear motion involved in these processes reveals the participation of different vibrational modes depending on the electronic states stimulated by the resonant pulse. Coupled donor-acceptor modes mostly influence the excited state polarized across the interface, while intramolecular vibrations in the donor molecule dominate the excitation in the orthogonal direction. The results obtained at finite temperatures are overall consistent with this picture, although thermal disorder contributes to slightly decreasing interfacial charge transfer.

Highly Substituted 10-RO-(hetero)acenes-Electric Properties of Vacuum-Deposited Molecular Films

The functionalization of the aromatic backbone allows the improvement of the electrical properties of acene molecules in the amorphous layered structures of organic thin films. In the present work, we discuss the electric properties of the stable, amorphous, vacuum-deposited films prepared from five highly substituted 10-RO-acenes of various electronic properties, i.e., two extreme electron-donor (1,3-dioxa-cyclopenta[b]) anthracenes with all RO substituents, two anthracene carbaldehydes and one benzo[b]carbazole carbaldehyde possessing both electron-donor and acceptor substituents. The hole mobility data were obtained using subsequent steady state space charge limited currents (SCLC) and Time of Flight (TOF) measurements, performed on the same sample and these were then compared with the results of theoretical hole mobility calculations obtained using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) quantum-chemical calculations using the Marcus-Hush theory. The study shows a good agreement between the theoretical and experimental values which allows for the quick and quantitative estimation of Einstein's mobility values for highly substituted 10-RO anthracene and benzo[b]carbazole based on chemical calculations. This agreement also proves that the transport of holes follows the hopping mechanism. The theoretical calculations indicate that the reorganization energy plays a decisive role in the transport of holes in the amorphous layers of highly substituted hetero(acenes).

Rational Design of Asymmetric Polymethines to Attain NIR(II) Bioimaging at >1100 nm

Organic molecules having emission in the NIR(II) region are emergent and receiving enormous attention. Unfortunately, attaining accountable organic emission intensity around the NIR(II) region is hampered by the dominant internal conversion operated by the energy gap law, where the emission energy gap and the associated internal reorganization energy λ_int play key roles. Up to the current stage, the majority of the reported organic NIR(II) emitters belong to those polymethines terminated by two symmetric chromophores. Such a design has proved to have a small λ_int that greatly suppresses the internal conversion. However, the imposition of symmetric chromophores is stringent, limiting further development of organic NIR(II) dyes in diversity and versatility. Here, we propose a new concept where as far as the emissive state of the any asymmetric polymethines contains more or less equally transition density between two terminated chromophores, λ_int can be as small as that of the symmetric polymethines. To prove the concept, we synthesize a series of new polymethines terminated by xanthen-9-yl-benzoic acid and 2,4-diphenylthiopyrylium derivatives, yielding AJBF1112 and AEBF1119 that reveal emission peak wavelength at 1112 and 1119 nm, respectively. The quantum yield is higher than all synthesized symmetric polymethines of 2,4-diphenylthiopyrylium derivatives (SC1162, 1182, 1185, and 1230) in this study. λ_int were calculated to be as small as 6.2 and 7.3 kcal/mol for AJBF1112 and AEBF1119, respectively, proving the concept. AEBF1119 was further prepared as a polymer dot to demonstrate its in vitro specific cellular imaging and in vivo tumor/bone targeting in the NIR(II) region.

Insightful understanding of charge transfer processes in metalated phthalocyanines

Marcus electron transfer theory coupling with quantum-mechanics (QM) calculations was applied to study the hole mobilities of a series of metalated phthalocyanine molecular crystals. The effect of metal on the...

Reducing the internal reorganization energy via symmetry controlled π-electron delocalization

The magnitude of the reorganization energy is closely related to the nonradiative relaxation rate, which affects the photoemission quantum efficiency, particularly for the emission with a lower energy gap toward the near IR (NIR) region. In this study, we explore the relationship between the reorganization energy and the molecular geometry, and hence the transition density by computational methods using two popular models of NIR luminescent materials: (1) linearly conjugated cyanine dyes and (2) electron donor–acceptor (D–A) composites with various degrees of charge transfer (CT) character. We find that in some cases, reorganization energies can be significantly reduced to 50% despite slight structural modifications. Detailed analyses indicate that the reflection symmetry plays an important role in linear cyanine systems. As for electron donor–acceptor systems, both the donor strength and the substitution position affect the relative magnitude of reorganization energies. If CT is dominant and creates large spatial separation between HOMO and LUMO density distributions, the reorganization energy is effectively increased due to the large electron density variation between S₀ and S₁ states. Mixing a certain degree of local excitation (LE) with CT in the S₁ state reduces the reorganization energy. The principles proposed in this study are also translated into various pathways of canonically equivalent π-conjugation resonances to represent intramolecular π-delocalization, the concept of which may be applicable, in a facile manner, to improve the emission efficiency especially in the NIR region.

The reorganization energies may be significantly reduced by molecular symmetry effect.

The effect of asymmetric external reorganization energy on electron and hole transport in organic semiconductors

Understanding the relationship between charge mobilities and the molecular stacking structures of π-conjugated organic semiconducting materials is essential for their development. In this study, a quantum mechanics (QM)-derived state-specific polarizable force field (SS-PFF) is applied to explicitly estimate the external reorganization energies (λ_ext) during electron transfer (ET) or hole transfer (HT) processes using our recently proposed two-point model (J. Phys. Chem. A, 2018, 122, 8957-8964). Different from the Marcus two-sphere model, the application of the explicit two-point model produces a notably asymmetric λ_ext for ET and HT processes in oligoacene crystals. For the same charge transfer channels, the λ_ext of ET is 7-10 times higher than that of HT, which results in a larger intrinsic hole mobility. This successfully rationalizes why acenes are prone to be p-type conducting materials. Perfluorination can change the polarity of the molecular surface electrostatic potential (ESP). Thus, perfluorination is a possible approach to reduce the external reorganization energies for ET reactions, which can be used to tune the order of λ_ext of ET and HT processes. The two-point model with the SS-PFF, therefore, opens the door to revisit the intrinsic mobilities of electrons and holes in organic semiconductors.

OctaDist: a tool for calculating distortion parameters in spin crossover and coordination complexes

OctaDist is an interactive and visual program for determination of structural distortion in octahedral coordination complexes such as spin crossover complexes, single-ion magnets, perovskites or metal-organic frameworks. OctaDist computes the octahedral distortion parameters initially designed in the context of the spin-crossover phenomenon and denoted ζ, Σ, and Θ from standard structural files. The program also provides additional tools for molecular analyses and visualization. It emphasizes performance, flexibility, ease of use, application programming interface (API) consistency, and clear documentation. The modules and classes in OctaDist can be easily customized to include new algorithms or analytical tools. OctaDist is cross-platform supported for modern operating systems and is available as open-source distributed under the GNU General Public License version 3.

Switching Competition between Electron and Energy Transfers in Porphyrin-Fullerene Dyads

Porphyrin-fullerene dyads were intensively studied as molecular donor-acceptor systems providing efficient photoinduced charge separation (CS). A practical advantage of the dyads is the possibility to tune its CS process by the porphyrin periphery modification, which allows one to optimize the dyad for particular applications. However, this tuning process is typically composed of a series of trial stages involving the development of complex synthetic schemes. To address the issue, we synthesized a series of dyads with properties switching between electron and energy transfer in both polar (benzonitrile) and nonpolar (toluene) media and developed a computation procedure with sufficient reliability by which we can predict the CS properties of the dyad in different media and design new dyads. The dyads photochemistry was established by conducting ultrafast transient absorption studies in toluene, anisole, and benzonitrile. The most crucial step in computational modeling was to establish a procedure for correction of the electronic-state energies obtained by DFT so that the effects of the electron correlation and the long-range interactions are properly incorporated. We also carried out standard electrochemical measurements and show that our computation approach predicts better thermodynamics of the dyads in different solvents.

Chain propagation determines the chemo- and regioselectivity of alkyl radical additions to C-O vs. C-C double bonds

Investigations into the selectivity of intermolecular alkyl radical additions to C-O- vs. C-C-double bonds in α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds are described. Therefore, a photoredox-initiated radical chain reaction is explored, where the activation of the carbonyl-group through an in situ generated Lewis acid - originating from the substrate - enables the formation of either C-O or the C-C-addition products. α,β-Unsaturated aldehydes form selectively 1,2-, while esters and ketones form the corresponding 1,4-addition products exclusively. Computational studies lead to reason that this chemo- and regioselectivity is determined by the consecutive step, i.e. an electron transfer, after reversible radical addition, which eventually propagates the radical chain.

2'-Deoxy-2'-fluoro-arabinonucleic acid: a valid alternative to DNA for biotechnological applications using charge transport

The non-biological 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-arabinonucleic acid (2'F-ANA) may be used as a valid alternative to DNA in biomedical and electronic applications because of its higher resistance to hydrolysis and nuclease degradation. However, the advantage of using 2'F-ANA in such applications also depends on its charge-transfer properties compared to DNA. In this study, we compare the charge conduction properties of model 2'F-ANA and DNA double-strands, using structural snapshots from MD simulations to calculate the electronic couplings and reorganization energies associated with the hole transfer steps between adjacent nucleobase pairs. Inserting these charge-transfer parameters into a kinetic model for charge conduction, we find similar conductive properties for DNA and 2'F-ANA. Moreover, we find that 2'F-ANA's enhanced chemical stability does not correspond to a reduction in the nucleobase π-stack structural flexibility relevant to both electronic couplings and reorganization free energies. Our results promote the use of 2'F-ANA in applications that can be based on charge transport, such as biosensing and chip technology, where its chemical stability and conductivity can advantageously combine.

Higher activation barriers can lift exothermic rate restrictions in electron transfer and enable faster reactions

Electron transfer reactions are arguably the simplest chemical reactions but they have not yet ceased to intrigue chemists. Charge-separation and charge-recombination reactions are at the core of life-sustaining processes, molecular electronics and solar cells. Intramolecular electron donor-acceptor systems capture the essential features of these reactions and enable their fundamental understanding. Here, we report intramolecular electron transfers covering a range of 100 kcal mol^-1 in exothermicities that show an increase, then a decrease, and finally an increase in rates with the driving force of the reactions. Concomitantly, apparent activation energies change from positive, to negative and finally to positive. Reactions with positive activation energies are found to be faster than analogous reactions with negative effective activation energies. The increase of the reorganization energy with the driving force of the reactions can explain the peculiar free-energy relationship observed in this work.

Solvent effects on excitation energies obtained using the state-specific TD-DFT method with a polarizable continuum model based on constrained equilibrium thermodynamics

Nonequilibrium solvation effects need to be treated properly in the study of electronic absorption processes of solutes since solvent polarization is not in equilibrium with the excited-state charge density of the solute. In this work, we developed a state specific (SS) method based on the novel nonequilibrium solvation model with constrained equilibrium manipulation to account for solvation effects in electronic absorption processes. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) is adopted to calculate electronic excitation energies and a polarizable continuum model is employed in the treatment of bulk solvent effects on both the ground and excited electronic states. The equations based on this novel nonequilibrium solvation model in the framework of TDDFT to calculate vertical excitation energy are presented and implemented in the Q-Chem package. The implementation is validated by comparing reorganization energies for charge transfer excitations between two atoms obtained from Q-Chem and those obtained using a two-sphere model. Solvent effects on electronic transitions of coumarin 153 (C153), acetone, pyridine, (2E)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (DMHP), and uracil in different solvents are investigated using the newly developed code. Our results show that the obtained vertical excitation energies as well as spectral shifts generally agree better with the available experimental values than those obtained using the traditional nonequlibrium solvation model. This new model is thus appropriate to study nonequilibrium excitation processes in solution.

Are the current theories of electron transfer applicable to reactions in ionic liquids? An ESR-study on the TCNE/TCNE−˙ couple

Electron transfer reactions in ionic liquids are profoundly affected by solvent properties. The activation barriers cannot be generally accounted for by Marcus' theory.

Rates and Routes of Electron Transfer of [NiFe]-Hydrogenase in an Enzymatic Fuel Cell

Hydrogenase enzymes are being used in enzymatic fuel cells immobilized on a graphite or carbon electrode surface, for example. The enzyme is used for the anodic oxidation of molecular hydrogen (H2) to produce protons and electrons. The association and orientation of the enzyme at the anode electrode for a direct electron transfer is not completely resolved. The distal FeS-cluster in [NiFe]-hydrogenases contains a histidine residue which is known to play a critical role in the intermolecular electron transfer between the enzyme and the electrode surface. The [NiFe]-hydrogenase graphite electrode association was investigated using Brownian Dynamics simulations. Residues that were shown to be in proximity to the electrode surface were identified (His184, Ser196, Glu461, Glu464), and electron transfer routes connecting the distal FeS-cluster with the surface residues were investigated. Several possible pathways for electron transfer between the distal FeS-cluster and the terminal amino acid residues were probed in terms of their rates of electron transfer using DFT methods. The reorganization energies λ of the distal iron-sulfur cluster and coronene as a molecular model for graphite were calculated. The reorganization energy of the distal (His)(Cys)3 cluster was found to be not very different from that of a standard cubane clusters with a (Cys)4 coordination. Electronic coupling matrix elements and rates of electron transfer for the different pathways were calculated according to the Marcus equation. The rates for glutamate-mediated electrode binding were found to be incompatible with experimental data. A direct electron transfer from the histidine ligand of the distal FeS-cluster to the electrode yielded rates of electron transfer in excellent agreement with experiment. A second pathway, however, from the distal FeS-cluster to the Ser196 residue was found to be equally efficient and feasible.

Dynamics of Radical Ion Pairs following Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Solvents with Low and Intermediate Polarities

Fluorescence quenching of p-xylene, naphthalene, or pyrene by fumaronitrile in apolar solvents and in solvents of intermediate polarities leads to weakly fluorescent radical ion pairs. This emission is assigned to ion pairs in close contact on the basis of their solvent polarity dependence, kinetics, and thermodynamics. The temperature-dependence of the intensity and fluorescence emission maxima of ion pairs in methyl acetate reveals that they have decay channels competitive with their thermal equilibration. The results presented in this work are consistent with the direct formation of contact ion pairs in weakly polar solvents and in solvents of intermediate polarities as the result of bimolecular photoinduced electron transfer reactions between aromatic hydrocarbons and nitriles. The implications of these findings in free-energy relationships of electron transfer reactions are discussed.