Nonadiabatic Effects on Proton Transfer Rate Constants in a Nanoconfined Solvent

Theory of vibrational polariton chemistry in the collective coupling regime

We theoretically demonstrate that the chemical reaction rate constant can be significantly suppressed by coupling molecular vibrations with an optical cavity, exhibiting both the collective coupling effect and the cavity frequency modification of the rate constant. When a reaction coordinate is strongly coupled to the solvent molecules, the reaction rate constant is reduced due to the dynamical caging effect. We demonstrate that collectively coupling the solvent to the cavity can further enhance this dynamical caging effect, leading to additional suppression of the chemical kinetics. This effect is further amplified when cavity loss is considered.

Solvation dynamics and proton transfer in nanoconfined liquids

Nanoconfined liquids are of interest because of both their fundamental properties and their potential utility in an array of applications. The structure and dynamics of the liquid can be dramatically impacted by the geometrical constraints and the interactions with the interface. Understanding the molecular-level origins of these changes and how they are determined by the characteristics of the confining framework is the subject of ongoing experimental and theoretical studies. The progress and remaining challenges in these efforts are reviewed in the context of solvation dynamics and proton transfer reactions, processes that are strongly affected by nanoscale confinement.