Crucial effect of transverse vibrations on the transport through polymer chains

Unidirectional coherent energy transport via conjugated oligo(p-phenylene) chains

We discovered a way to funnel high-frequency vibrational quanta rapidly and unidirectionally over large distances using oligo(p-phenylene) chains. After mid-IR photon photoexcitation of a -COOH end group, the excess energy is injected efficiently into the chain, forming vibrational wavepackets that propagate freely along the chain. The transport delivers high-energy vibrational quanta with a range of transport speeds reaching 8.6 km/s, which exceeds the speed of sound in common metals (∼5 km/s) and polymers (∼2 km/s). Efficiencies of energy injection into the chain and transport along the chain are found to be very high and dependent on the extent of conjugation across the structure. By tuning the degree of conjugation via electronic doping of the chain, the transport speed and efficiency can be controlled. The study opens avenues for developing materials with controllable energy transport properties for heat management, schemes with efficient energy delivery to hard-to-reach regions, including transport against thermal gradients, and ways for initiating chemical reactions remotely.