Free and Self-Trapped Charge-Transfer Excitons in Crystals of Dipolar Molecules of N,N-Dimethylaminobenzylidene 1,3-Indandione

Nonlinear plexcitons: excitons coupled with plasmons in two-photon absorption

The nonlinear optical properties of a D-A (donor-acceptor) conjugated organic molecule with polythiophene (PT) as the donor and indene-C₆₀ bisadduct (IC₆₀BA) as the acceptor are theoretically investigated, which exhibits a large two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-section up to 8000 GM at the wavelength of 780 nm. Combining surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) with nonlinear optics, nonlinear properties can be strongly enhanced. In this paper, an appropriate nonlinear plexciton method by the coupling of Au@Ag nanorods and an Ag film is designed, in which the TPA properties of the PT:IC₆₀BA complex can be increased by 10⁶ times. The angle dependence on polarization and incidence is investigated to obtain the maximum of plasmonic enhancement. Our results emphasize the physical mechanism of nonlinear plexcitons and provide a feasible method to improve the nonlinear properties of organic solar cell materials.

Lone-Pair-Induced Structural Ordering in the Mixed-Valent 0D Metal-Halides Rb23BiIII x SbIII 7-x SbV 2Cl54 (0 ≤ x ≤ 7)

Mixed-valent metal-halides containing ns² lone pairs may exhibit intense visible absorption, while zero-dimensional (0D) ns²-based metal-chlorides are generally colorless but have demonstrated promising optoelectronic properties suitable for thermometry and radiation detection. Here, we report solvothermally synthesized mixed-valent 0D metal-halides Rb₂₃Bi^III _x Sb^III _7-x Sb^V ₂Cl₅₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 7). Rb₂₃Sb^III ₇Sb^V ₂Cl₅₄ crystallizes in an orthorhombic space group (Cmcm) with a unique, layered 0D structure driven by the arrangement of the 5s² lone pairs of the Sb^IIICl₆ octahedra. This red material is likely the true structure of a previously reported monoclinic "Rb_2.67SbCl₆" phase, the structure of which was not determined. Partially or fully substituting Sb^III with isoelectronic Bi^III yields the series Rb₂₃Bi^III _x Sb^III _7-x Sb^V ₂Cl₅₄ (0 < x ≤ 7), which exhibits a similar layered 0D structure but with additional disorder that yields a trigonal crystal system with an enantiomorphic space group (R32). Second harmonic generation of 532 nm light from a 1064 nm laser using Rb₂₃Bi^III ₇Sb^V ₂Cl₅₄ powder confirms the noncentrosymmetry of this space group. As with the prototypical mixed-valent pnictogen halides, the visible absorption bands of the Rb₂₃Bi^III _x Sb^III _7-x Sb^V ₂Cl₅₄ family are the result of intervalent Sb^III-Sb^V and mixed-valent Bi^III-Sb^V charge transfer bands (CTB), with a blueshift of the absorption edge as Bi^III substitution increases. No PL is observed from this family of semiconductors, but a crystal of Rb₂₃Bi^III ₇Sb^V ₂Cl₅₄ exhibits a high resistivity of 1.0 × 10¹⁰ Ω·cm and X-ray photoconductivity with a promising μτ product of 8.0 × 10^-5 cm² s^-1 V^-1. The unique 0D layered structures of the Rb₂₃Bi^III _x Sb^III _7-x Sb^V ₂Cl₅₄ family highlight the versatility of the ns² lone pair in semiconducting metal-halides, pointing the way toward new functional 0D metal-halide compounds.

Excitons in Carbonic Nanostructures

Unexpectedly bright photoluminescence emission can be observed in materials incorporating inorganic carbon when their size is reduced from macro–micro to nano. At present, there is no consensus in its understanding, and many suggested explanations are not consistent with the broad range of experimental data. In this Review, I discuss the possible role of collective excitations (excitons) generated by resonance electronic interactions among the chromophore elements within these nanoparticles. The Förster-type resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism of energy migration within nanoparticles operates when the composing fluorophores are the localized electronic systems interacting at a distance. Meanwhile, the resonance interactions among closely located fluorophores may lead to delocalization of the excited states over many molecules resulting in Frenkel excitons. The H-aggregate-type quantum coherence originating from strong coupling among the transition dipoles of adjacent chromophores in a co-facial stacking arrangement and exciton transport to emissive traps are the basis of the presented model. It can explain most of the hitherto known experimental observations and must stimulate the progress towards their versatile applications.

Carrier generation and electronic properties of a single-component pure organic metal

Metallic conduction generally requires high carrier concentration and wide bandwidth derived from strong orbital interaction between atoms or molecules. These requisites are especially important in organic compounds because a molecule is fundamentally an insulator; only multi-component salts with strong intermolecular interaction-namely, only charge transfer complexes and conducting polymers-have demonstrated intrinsic metallic behaviour. Herein we report a single-component electroactive molecule, zwitterionic tetrathiafulvalene(TTF)-extended dicarboxylate radical (TED), exhibiting metallic conduction even at low temperatures. TED exhibits d.c. conductivities of 530 S cm^-1 at 300 K and 1,000 S cm^-1 at 50 K with copper-like electronic properties. Spectroscopic and theoretical investigations of the carrier-generation mechanism and the electronic states of this single molecular species reveal a unique electronic structure with a spin-density gradient in the extended TTF moieties that becomes, in itself, a metallic state.

Dynamics of exciton-polaron transition in molecular assemblies: the variational approach

Dynamics of excitonic polaron formation in molecular systems coupled to an overdamped bath are investigated using the Dirac-Frenkel variational principle and Davydov D1 Ansatz. Using a two-site model system we show that a few qualitatively distinct relaxation regimes of an optically created exciton are possible, depending on the timescale of bath fluctuations. A slow bath always leads to adiabatic polaron formation. Non-adiabatic exciton self-trapping occurs when the system is strongly coupled to a fast bath. Weak coupling to such bath does not perturb the excitonic picture. The complex system-bath dynamics can then be mapped to an effective model where the resonant coupling between sites is quenched during relaxation. The timescale of the polaron formation can be defined by the timescale of resonant coupling quenching, and is found to directly correlate with the bath relaxation time.

Forbidden singlet exciton transitions induced by localization in polymer light-emitting diodes in a strong electric field

Through combining the electron transition process and dipole moment evolution as well as electron-phonon coupling, molecular dynamics calculations show that the radiative decay of singlet excitons in a conjugated polymer, such as a polymer light-emitting diode (PLED), is largely determined by the evolution of the dipole moment. Without an electric field, the decay life of a singlet exciton is about 1 ns. Once an electric field is applied and exceeds a critical value, with electron-phonon coupling, the original lattice structure evolves into two new localized lattice distortions, consistent with the experimental results. Owing to the new lattice structure and self-trapping, the dipole moment rapidly decreases to zero within 5 fs, eliminating the radiative decay of the singlet exciton.

Synthesis, characterization and spectroscopic properties of some 2-substituted 1,3-indandiones and their metal complexes

New 2-acyl-1,3-indandione derivatives, compounds 1–4, were obtained by condensation of 2-acetyl-1,3-indandione with benzaldehyde, thiophene-2-aldehyde, thiophene-3-aldehyde and furane-2-aldehyde, respectively. The structures of the newly synthesized 2-substituted 1,3-indandiones were characterized by means of spectroscopic methods (FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR, UV-Vis and MS). Based on the obtained results it is suggested that the compounds exist in the exocyclic enolic form. Mass spectral fragmentation paths are also proposed. In order to verify the possibility for tautomerization processes of the newly synthesized compounds their absorption spectra were recorded in various solvents. Furthermore, the complexation properties of the compounds with metal(II) ions were also studied. A series of non-charged complexes with Cu(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) was isolated and analyzed by elemental analyses and IR. The paramagnetic Cu(II) complexes were studied by EPR and distorted, flattened tetrahedral structures are predicted. The other metal complexes show the presence of water molecules, most probably coordinated to the metal ion, thus forming octahedral geometry. Ultimately, the studied properties of the newly synthesized compounds, 1–4, suggest that they may find application as extracting agents for metal ions, rather than as optical sensors.

Photoluminescence and Conductivity of Self-Assembled π–π Stacks of Perylene Bisimide Dyes

The self-assembly of a new, highly fluorescent perylene bisimide dye 2 into pi stacks, both in solution and condensed phase, has been studied in detail by NMR spectroscopy, vapor pressure osmometry (VPO), UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical polarizing microscopy (OPM) and X-ray diffraction. The NMR and VPO measurements revealed the formation of extended pi-pi stacks of the dye molecules in solution. The aggregate size determined from VPO and DOSY NMR measurements agree well with that obtained from the concentration and temperature-dependent UV/Vis spectral data by employing the isodesmic model (equal K model). In the condensed state, dye 2 possesses a hexagonal columnar liquid crystalline (LC) phase as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The columnar stacking of this dye has been further explored by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Well-resolved columnar nanostructures of the compound are observed on graphite surface. A color-tunable luminescence from green to red has been observed upon aggregation which is accompanied by an increase of the fluorescence lifetime and depolarization. The observed absorption properties can be explained in terms of molecular exciton theory. The charge transport properties of dye 2 have been investigated by pulse radiolysis-time resolved microwave conductivity measurements and a 1D charge carrier mobility up to 0.42 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) is obtained. Considering the promising self-assembly, semiconducting, and luminescence properties of this dye, it might serve as a useful functional material for nano(opto)electronics.