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Hassan AU, Sumrra SH. Structure-based screening of sp 2 hybridized small donor bridges as donor: acceptor switches for optical and photovoltaic applications: DFT way. J Mol Model 2024; 30:36. [PMID: 38206469 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-024-05836-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT This research aims to investigate the potential of pyrazine-based small donor moieties as donor-acceptor switches for optical and photovoltaic applications. The designed organic dyes have a high light harvesting efficiency (LHE) and can potentially generate significant electrical energy. METHODS The study focuses on understanding the structural and electronic properties of these dyes through the analysis of dihedral angles, bond lengths, and energies of frontier molecular orbitals The UV-Vis spectroscopy parameters of the designed organic dyes revealed their absorption characteristics, including transition energies, wavelengths (λmax), and oscillator strengths (f). The photovoltaic properties of the developed organic dyes show a range of values: a range of 0.95-0.99 for LHE and a range of 1.77-33.02 W for maximum power output (Pmax) with the highest value for dye DDP5. For their stabilization energies, their natural bond orbitals had values ranging from 0.56 to 128.48 kcal/mol, their E(j)E(i) values from 0.22 to 1.29 a.u, and their Fi,j values from 0.024 to 0.213 kcal/mol. Out of all dyes, the DDP5 produced highest push-pull effect and can be good choice for further studies. The design of these novel organic materials for effective and economical solar energy conversion will be aided by evaluating the potential of 5,10-diphenyl-5,10-dihydrophenazine as a donor moiety and determining the structure-property correlations controlling the photovoltaic performance of the compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abrar U Hassan
- Lunan Research Institute, Beijing Institute of Technology, 888 Zhengtai Road, Tengzhou, 277599, China.
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China.
| | - Sajjad H Sumrra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, 50700, Punjab, Pakistan.
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2
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Balzer D, Kassal I. Even a little delocalization produces large kinetic enhancements of charge-separation efficiency in organic photovoltaics. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl9692. [PMID: 35960797 PMCID: PMC9374333 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl9692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
In organic photovoltaics, charges can separate efficiently even if their Coulomb attraction is an order of magnitude greater than the available thermal energy. Delocalization has been suggested to explain this fact, because it could increase the initial separation of charges in the charge-transfer (CT) state, reducing their attraction. However, understanding the mechanism requires a kinetic model of delocalized charge separation, which has proven difficult because it involves tracking the correlated quantum-mechanical motion of the electron and the hole in large simulation boxes required for disordered materials. Here, we report the first three-dimensional simulations of charge-separation dynamics in the presence of disorder, delocalization, and polaron formation, finding that even slight delocalization, across less than two molecules, can substantially enhance the charge-separation efficiency, even starting with thermalized CT states. Delocalization does not enhance efficiency by reducing the Coulomb attraction; instead, the enhancement is a kinetic effect produced by the increased overlap of electronic states.
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3
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Sneyd A, Beljonne D, Rao A. A New Frontier in Exciton Transport: Transient Delocalization. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:6820-6830. [PMID: 35857739 PMCID: PMC9340810 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Efficient exciton transport is crucial to the application of organic semiconductors (OSCs) in light-harvesting devices. While the physics of exciton transport in highly disordered media is well-explored, the description of transport in structurally and energetically ordered OSCs is less established, despite such materials being favorable for devices. In this Perspective we describe and highlight recent research pointing toward a highly efficient exciton transport mechanism which occurs in ordered OSCs, transient delocalization. Here, exciton-phonon couplings play a critical role in allowing localized exciton states to temporarily access higher-energy delocalized states whereupon they move large distances. The mechanism shows great promise for facilitating long-range exciton transport and may allow for improved device efficiencies and new device architectures. However, many fundamental questions on transient delocalization remain to be answered. These questions and suggested next steps are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander
J. Sneyd
- Department
of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - David Beljonne
- Laboratory
for Chemistry of Novel Materials, University
of Mons, Mons 7000, Belgium
| | - Akshay Rao
- Department
of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
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4
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Dunnett AJ, Chin AW. Matrix Product State Simulations of Non-Equilibrium Steady States and Transient Heat Flows in the Two-Bath Spin-Boson Model at Finite Temperatures. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 23:E77. [PMID: 33419175 PMCID: PMC7825558 DOI: 10.3390/e23010077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Simulating the non-perturbative and non-Markovian dynamics of open quantum systems is a very challenging many body problem, due to the need to evolve both the system and its environments on an equal footing. Tensor network and matrix product states (MPS) have emerged as powerful tools for open system models, but the numerical resources required to treat finite-temperature environments grow extremely rapidly and limit their applications. In this study we use time-dependent variational evolution of MPS to explore the striking theory of Tamascelli et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2019, 123, 090402.) that shows how finite-temperature open dynamics can be obtained from zero temperature, i.e., pure wave function, simulations. Using this approach, we produce a benchmark dataset for the dynamics of the Ohmic spin-boson model across a wide range of coupling strengths and temperatures, and also present a detailed analysis of the numerical costs of simulating non-equilibrium steady states, such as those emerging from the non-perturbative coupling of a qubit to baths at different temperatures. Despite ever-growing resource requirements, we find that converged non-perturbative results can be obtained, and we discuss a number of recent ideas and numerical techniques that should allow wide application of MPS to complex open quantum systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angus J. Dunnett
- Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France;
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5
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Kelly A. Exciton dissociation and charge separation at donor–acceptor interfaces from quantum-classical dynamics simulations. Faraday Discuss 2020; 221:547-563. [DOI: 10.1039/c9fd00069k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Nonadiabatic dynamics simulations based on the quantum-classical Liouville equation are employed to study the real-time dynamics of exciton dissociation and charge separation at a model donor–acceptor interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Kelly
- Department of Chemistry
- Dalhousie University
- Halifax
- Canada
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6
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Kato A, Ishizaki A. Non-Markovian Quantum-Classical Ratchet for Ultrafast Long-Range Electron-Hole Separation in Condensed Phases. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 121:026001. [PMID: 30085757 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.121.026001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In organic photovoltaic systems, a photogenerated molecular exciton in the donor domain dissociates into a hole and an electron at the donor-acceptor heterojunction, and subsequently separates into free charge carriers that can be extracted as photocurrents. The recombination of the once-separated electron and hole is a major loss mechanism in photovoltaic systems, which controls their performance. Hence, efficient photovoltaic systems need built-in ratchet mechanisms, namely, ultrafast charge separation and retarded charge recombination. In order to obtain insight into the internal working of the experimentally observed ultrafast long-range charge separation and protection against charge recombination, we theoretically investigate a potential ratchet mechanism arising from the combination of quantum delocalization and its destruction by performing numerically accurate quantum-dynamics calculations on a model system. We demonstrate that the non-Markovian effect originating from the slow polaron formation strongly suppresses the electron-transfer reaction back to the interfacial charge-transfer state stabilized at the donor-accepter interface and that it plays a critical role in maintaining the long-range electron-hole separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihito Kato
- Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Akihito Ishizaki
- Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
- School of Physical Sciences, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
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7
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Geng Y, Lee MH, Troisi A. Effect of Infrared Pulse Excitation on the Bound Charge-Transfer State of Photovoltaic Interfaces. J Phys Chem Lett 2017; 8:4872-4877. [PMID: 28927273 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b02088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The nature and dynamics of the bound charge-transfer (CT) state in the exciton dissociation process in organic solar cells are of critical importance for the understanding of these devices. It was recently demonstrated that this state can be probed by a new experiment in which an infrared (IR) push-pulse is used to dissociate charges from the bound excited state. Here we proposed a simple quantum dynamics model to simulate the excitation of the IR pulse on the bound CT state with model parameters extracted from quantum chemical calculations. We show that the pulse dissociates the CT state following two different mechanisms: one, fairly expected, is the direct excitation of higher energy CT states leading to charge separation; the other, proposed here for the first time, is a rebound mechanism in which the negative charge is transferred in the opposite direction to form the neutral Frenkel exciton state from where it dissociates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Geng
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick , Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K
- Institute of Functional Material Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University , Changchun 130024, P.R. China
| | - Myeong H Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick , Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool , Liverpool L69 7ZD, U.K
| | - Alessandro Troisi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool , Liverpool L69 7ZD, U.K
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8
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Mangaud E, Meier C, Desouter-Lecomte M. Analysis of the non-Markovianity for electron transfer reactions in an oligothiophene-fullerene heterojunction. Chem Phys 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2017.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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9
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Oviedo-Casado S, Urbina A, Prior J. Magnetic field enhancement of organic photovoltaic cells performance. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4297. [PMID: 28655910 PMCID: PMC5487363 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04621-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Charge separation is a critical process for achieving high efficiencies in organic photovoltaic cells. The initial tightly bound excitonic electron-hole pair has to dissociate fast enough in order to avoid photocurrent generation and thus power conversion efficiency loss via geminate recombination. Such process takes place assisted by transitional states that lie between the initial exciton and the free charge state. Due to spin conservation rules these intermediate charge transfer states typically have singlet character. Here we propose a donor-acceptor model for a generic organic photovoltaic cell in which the process of charge separation is modulated by a magnetic field which tunes the energy levels. The impact of a magnetic field is to intensify the generation of charge transfer states with triplet character via inter-system crossing. As the ground state of the system has singlet character, triplet states are recombination-protected, thus leading to a higher probability of successful charge separation. Using the open quantum systems formalism we demonstrate that the population of triplet charge transfer states grows in the presence of a magnetic field, and discuss the impact on carrier population and hence photocurrent, highlighting its potential as a tool for research on charge transfer kinetics in this complex systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Oviedo-Casado
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Cartagena, 30202, Spain
| | - A Urbina
- Departamento de Electrónica, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Cartagena, 30202, Spain
| | - J Prior
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Cartagena, 30202, Spain.
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Yao Y, Xie X, Ma H. Ultrafast Long-Range Charge Separation in Organic Photovoltaics: Promotion by Off-Diagonal Vibronic Couplings and Entropy Increase. J Phys Chem Lett 2016; 7:4830-4835. [PMID: 27934051 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b02400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The exciton dissociation in a model donor/acceptor heterojunction with electron-phonon couplings is simulated by a full quantum dynamical method, in which ultrafast long-range charge separation is observed. Such a novel scenario does not undergo short-range interfacial (pinned) charge transfer states, but can be mainly ascribed to the quantum resonance between local Frenkel excited states and a broad array of long-range charge transfer (LRCT) states assisted by the moderate off-diagonal vibronic couplings. The entropy-increasing effect associated with the very dense density of states for LRCT states is also found to be beneficial for lowering the free energy barrier for charge generation in organic solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Yao
- Department of Physics, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Xiaoyu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Haibo Ma
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210023, China
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11
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Volpi R, Nassau R, Nørby MS, Linares M. Theoretical Study of the Charge-Transfer State Separation within Marcus Theory: The C60-Anthracene Case Study. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:24722-24736. [PMID: 27561228 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b06645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We study, within Marcus theory, the possibility of the charge-transfer (CT) state splitting at organic interfaces and a subsequent transport of the free charge carriers to the electrodes. As a case study we analyze model anthracene-C60 interfaces. Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations on the cold CT state were performed at a range of applied electric fields, and with the fields applied at a range of angles to the interface to simulate the action of the electric field in a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) interface. The results show that the inclusion of polarization in our model increases CT state dissociation and charge collection. The effect of the electric field on CT state splitting and free charge carrier conduction is analyzed in detail with and without polarization. Also, depending on the relative orientation of the anthracene and C60 molecules at the interface, CT state splitting shows different behavior with respect to both applied field strength and applied field angle. The importance of the hot CT in helping the charge carrier dissociation is also analyzed in our scheme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Volpi
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University , SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Swedish e-Science Research Centre (SeRC), Linköping University , SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Racine Nassau
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University , SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Morten Steen Nørby
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University , SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark , DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Mathieu Linares
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University , SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Swedish e-Science Research Centre (SeRC), Linköping University , SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
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12
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Lee MH, Troisi A. Quantum dynamics of a vibronically coupled linear chain using a surrogate Hamiltonian approach. J Chem Phys 2016; 144:214106. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4953043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Myeong H. Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Scientific Computing, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandro Troisi
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Scientific Computing, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
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13
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Poelking C, Andrienko D. Design rules for organic donor-acceptor heterojunctions: pathway for charge splitting and detrapping. J Am Chem Soc 2015; 137:6320-6. [PMID: 25902037 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b02130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Organic solar cells rely on the conversion of a Frenkel exciton into free charges via a charge-transfer state formed on a molecular donor-acceptor pair. These charge-transfer states are strongly bound by Coulomb interactions and yet efficiently converted into charge-separated states. A microscopic understanding of this process, though crucial to the functionality of any solar cell, has not yet been achieved. Here we show how long-range molecular order and interfacial mixing generate homogeneous electrostatic forces that can drive charge separation and prevent minority carrier trapping across a donor-acceptor interphase. Comparing a variety of small-molecule donor-fullerene combinations, we illustrate how tuning of molecular orientation and interfacial mixing leads to a trade-off between photovoltaic gap and charge-splitting and detrapping forces, with consequences for the design of efficient photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Poelking
- †Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,‡Heidelberg Graduate School of Fundamental Physics, INF 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Denis Andrienko
- †Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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