Natural Transition Orbitals Research Articles

Heteroleptic Cu(I) bis-diimine complexes as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs): on some factors affecting intramolecular charge transfer.

A set of eight heteroleptic bis-diimine copper dye complexes with two different ancillary ligands (functionalised 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (dmp) and functionalised 6,6'-diphenyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dpbpy)) are investigated for their potential use as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), using first principles density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent DFT (TDDFT). A detailed analysis of the structural properties, projected density of electronic states and Kohn-Sham energy levels, and optical absorption spectra in the UV-visible region reveals that substituting the thiophene group in the ancillary ligand, and enhancing conjugation in the anchoring ligand, lead to increase in the light harvesting efficiency (LHE). However, a natural transition orbital (NTO) analysis, shows that the nature of charge transfer depends mainly on the nature of the parent ancillary group and is not significantly affected by the structural modifications. Importantly, the lower energy excitations lead to favourable mixed metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) and ligand to ligand charge transfer (LLCT), as well as good electron injection. The best charge transfer directionality is found in the dmp-based dyes, particularly thiophene substituted dyes, thus making these the more effective sensitizers in DSSCs.

Theoretical probe of absorption and fluorescence emission characteristics of highly luminescent ReL(CO)3X (L = 12H-indazolo[5,6-f][1,10]phenanthroline and X = F, Cl, Br, I): a DFT/TD-DFT study

Four novel rhenium (Re) tricarbonyl complexes (ReL(CO)3X; X = F, Cl, Br, I and L = 12H-indazolo[5,6-f][1,10]phenanthroline) with promising luminescent properties were investigated using a DFT/TD-DFT approach at the ωB97X-D3/6-31 + G(d,p)//LANL2DZ level of theory. The effects of halogen co-ligands (F, Cl, Br and I) and solvents (acetonitrile (ACN), dichloromethane (DCM) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)) on luminescent properties of the complexes were examined. The studied Re(I) tricarbonyl complexes assumed distorted octahedral geometry with an N–Re–N bite angle of ca. 75°, and showed possible p–π interactions between the halogen (X) atom and the N-donor ligand (L) ring. Prominent electronic excitations (with high oscillator strengths) are S0→S3, attributed to the hole–electron orbital transition based on the natural transition orbitals analyses, and characterised as MLCT/LMCT. The complexes exhibited prominent Stokes fluorescence with Stokes shifts ranging from 9204 to 19490 cm−1. ReL(CO)3Cl in ACN showed the largest Stokes shift, whereas ReL(CO)3I in ACN displayed the smallest Stokes shift. Fluorescence emission wavelengths varied with X and solvent, though the four complexes emit in the cyan/blue range in DCM. ReL(CO)3F (in ACN) exhibited the highest fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield. The study demonstrates the tunability of photophysical properties and promotes the theoretical probe of optical characteristics of materials as corroborative efforts to experimental findings.

Synthesis and optical properties of a fluorene-benzothiadiazole anthracene copolymer

A novel green-emitting terpolymer of Poly[2,7-(9,9-dihexylfluorene)-co-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-co-9,10-(anthracene)] (PFABT), containing 9,9-dihexylfluorene and anthracene as electron-pushing unit and benzothiadiazole as electron-pulling unit, was synthesized via Suzuki coupling reaction. Poly[2,7-(9,9-dihexylfluorene)-co-9,10-(anthracene)] (PFA) and Poly[2,7-(9,9-dihexylfluorene)-co-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PFBT) copolymers were also synthesized for comparative purposes. These copolymers were characterized by GPC, FTIR and 13C NMR and computational calculations were performed using density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent version (TDDFT) at CAM-B3LYP/6–311 +G(d,p) level. Natural transition orbitals (NTO) and vertical excitation energies were obtained from oligomer models that represent the PFA, PFBT and PFABT polymers. The NTO densities showed that the excitation of the anthracene moiety is responsible for the S1 state on both PFA and PFABT, and that the S2 state of PFBT and PFABT is a consequence of the excitation of the benzothiadiazole-anthracene moiety. We also studied polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) of blends of poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) as a host matrix with PFA, PFBT or PFABT as guests. The concentrations of the copolymers in the PVK were varied at 5, 25 and 50 wt%. The PL spectra for all blends exhibited one band at 400 nm attributed to PVK and another centered at 535 nm assigned to the PFO derivatives emission. We observed an increase in energy transfer efficiency, E < FRET> , with an increase in the weight ratio of the copolymer (PFA, PFBT or PFABT) into the PVK matrix. All the PLEDs emitted a greenish color, and the concentration of the polymer guest impacted on the performance of the diode.

Spin-Orbit Natural Transition Orbitals and Spin-Forbidden Transitions.

Natural transition orbitals (NTOs) are in widespread use for visualizing and analyzing electronic transitions. The present work introduces the analysis of formally spin-forbidden transitions with the help of complex-valued spin-orbit (SO) NTOs. The analysis specifically focuses on the components in such transitions that cause their intensity to be nonzero because of SO coupling. Transition properties such as transition dipole moments are partitioned into SO-NTO hole-particle pairs, such that contributions to the intensity from specific occupied and unoccupied orbitals are obtained. The method has been implemented within the restricted active space (RAS) self-consistent field wave function theory framework, with SO coupling treated by RAS state interaction. SO-NTOs have a broad range of potential applications, which is illustrated by the T2-S1 state mixing in pyrazine, spin-forbidden versus spin-allowed 4f-5d transitions in the Tb3+ ion, and the phosphorescence of tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium [Ir(ppy)3].

DFT-based theoretical simulation on electronic transition for graphene oxides in solvent media

Electron absorption spectra of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets in solvents could provide a unique measure of the GO-solvent interaction, which is also important to the GOs-based optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications. In this work, the effects of solvent polarity and solvent-GO hydrogen bonding (HB) interaction on the electron absorption for GO nanosheets in liquid-phase solvents have been investigated by density functional theory. At first, we adopted various types of implicit solvent modes to study the polarity influence on the GO absorption spectra, including non-polar and polar solvents. Then, two representative explicit solvent molecules (NMP and water) have been considered to study the effect of HB interaction on the electronic excitation of GOs. The natural transition orbital (NTO) analysis elucidates that the hole-electron pair transition mechanism for GO electronic excitation is mainly featured by the charge transfer over GO surfaces. The solvatochromic effects were further elucidated by the correlation of the typical excitation energies with the solvent-induced GO dipole and the HB strength. The simulation results provide a new understanding of the influence of solvents on the electronic excitation of nanoscale GOs.

Direct orange 26 dye environmental degradation: experimental studies (UV, mass, and thermal) in comparison with computational exploration hydrogen bonding analysis of TD-DFT calculations.

The importance of this study stems from, it concentrates on new approach applying both practical and theoretical aspects to study structure stability of direct orange dye 26 (DO26) as an important dye widely used for dyeing of cotton or viscose for red orange direct printing. The stable dyes are so difficult to remove, decolorized and/or degrade, in pure solution or in wastewater samples, without using powerful removal environmental techniques electrochemical oxidations suggest and efficiently used in our Lab. Therefore, it is very important to compare between practical thermal and mass results as efficient techniques in studying dye stability, in comparison with theoretical results using Gaussian program for structural stability identification of DO26 dye, via careful inspection of various phenomena detected in its two symmetrical arms around urea center. Direct orange dye 26 (DO26) structure has been studied applying both practical spectroscopic and theoretical investigations. DFT-B3LYP/6-311 + + G(d,p) calculations and the electronic vibrational properties are performed to investigate its structure stability and consequently its degradation and removal from its environmental media. Correlation is found between experimental and calculated data. An intra-molecular hydrogen bonding interaction had been detected and characterized in dye skeleton. The hydrogen bonding present in the dye structure affecting its vibrational properties had been discussed. Natural population analysis like HOMO and LUMO and high-quality molecular electrostatic potential plots along with various electronics had been presented at the same level of theory. Chemical reactivity descriptors from conceptual density functional theory point of view and structure activity relationship descriptor were obtained. The experimental UV/visible, FT-IR, mass and GC-mass spectral data of the dye DO26 (D1) had been presented. These data had been supported by TD-DFT calculations to simulate the experimental spectra with computing the natural transition orbitals (NTO) and the orbital composition. Actually there is a problem that the degradation of this dye in wastewater by different techniques leads to various unknown fragments, but on using theoretical possibilities, it can be expected what happened in practical work.

A Density Matrix Renormalization Group Study of the Low-Lying Excited States of a Molybdenum Carbonyl-Nitrosyl Complex.

A density matrix renormalization group‐self consistent field (DMRG‐SCF) study has been carried out to calculate the low‐lying excited states of CpMo(CO)2NO, a molybdenum complex containing NO and CO ligands. In order to automatically select an appropriate active space, a novel procedure employing the maximum single‐orbital entropy for several states has been introduced and shown to be efficient and easy‐to‐implement when several electronic states are simultaneously considered. The analysis of the resulting natural transition orbitals and charge‐transfer numbers shows that the lowest five excited electronic states are excitation into metal‐NO antibonding orbitals, which offer the possibility for nitric oxide (NO) photorelease after excitation with visible light. Higher excited states are metal‐centered excitations with contributions of metal‐CO antibonding orbitals, which may serve as a gateway for carbon monoxide (CO) delivery. Time‐dependent density functional theory calculations done for comparison, show that the state characters agree remarkably well with those from DMRG‐SCF, while excitation energies are 0.4–1.0 eV red‐shifted with respect to the DMRG‐SCF ones.

Exploring Dyson's Orbitals and Their Electron Binding Energies for Conceptualizing Excited States from Response Methodology.

The molecular orbital (MO) concept is a useful tool, which relates the molecular ground-state energy with the energies (and occupations) of the individual orbitals. However, analysis of the excited states from linear response computations is performed in terms of the initial state MOs or some other forms of orbitals, e.g., natural or natural transition orbitals. Because these orbitals lack the respective energies, they do not allow developing a consistent orbital picture of the excited states. Herein, we argue that Dyson's orbitals enable description of the response states compatible with the concepts of molecular orbital theory. The Dyson orbitals and their energies obtained by mixed-reference spin-flip time-dependent density functional theory (MRSF-TDDFT) for the response ground state are remarkably similar to the canonical MOs obtained by the usual DFT calculation. For excited states, the Dyson orbitals provide a chemically sensible picture of the electronic transitions, thus bridging the chasm between orbital theory and response computations.

A mononuclear zinc complex with a diamine: Synthesis, characterization, self assembly, luminescence property and DFT calculations

A zinc complex with a N2O2 donor diamine is synthesized and its fluorescence property is explored. The hydrogen bonding environment in its solid state structure is well supported qualitatively and quantitatively with the help of Reduced Density Gradient (RDG) based NCI (non-covalent interactions) index calculation and AIM analyses. Also, the physical nature of other weak non-covalent interactions in the complex is examined. The absorption and emission properties of the complex are explained using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Analysis of the natural transition orbitals (NTO) shows that the excited state can be mainly characterized by an intra-ligand charge transfer (ILCT) transition within a diamine from the highest-occupied NTO (hole) to the lowest-unoccupied NTO (electron).

Dissociative electron attachment in C2H via electronic resonances

Investigation of microwave-activated CH/H plasma used in chemical vapour deposition of diamond revealed the presence of electronically excited C (B). Using high-level electronic structure methods, we investigate electronic structure of CH and suggest possible routes for the formation of C in the ground (X) and excited (B) states via electronic resonances. To describe electronically metastable states, we employ the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method augmented by the complex absorbing potential. The resonance wavefunctions are analysed using natural transition orbitals. We identified several resonances in CH, including the state that may lead to C (B).

Donor-Acceptor Pairs in Covalent Organic Frameworks Promoting Electron Transfer for Metal-Free Photocatalytic Organic Synthesis.

The donor-acceptor-type covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have recently gained increasing interest in photocatalysis, but the photoinduced electron-transfer regimes in the COFs are underexplored. Herein, we demonstrate a designed porphyrinic COF possessing a donor-acceptor structure together with its photocatalytic performance in aerobic coupling of primary amines. The COF could be photoexcited by the full range of visible light to generate electron-hole pairs that could be separated by donor-acceptor pairs. Electron transfer as the mechanism of the reaction from anthracene unit to porphyrin unit was revealed by natural transition orbitals analyses. The electrons migrate to the adsorbed O2 to generate reactive oxidative species. The COF displays remarkable photocatalytic activities in the coupling of amines to imines, which can be explained mainly by the sufficient charge separation and mobility, benefiting from the donor-acceptor pairs in the COF and their interactions to the reactants and intermediates.

Theoretical study on pentiptycene molecular brake: photoinduced isomerization and photoinduced electron transfer.

The isomerization of the double bond plays an important role in the braking and de-braking of the light-controlled molecular brake. Therefore, the pentiptycene-type (Pp-type) light-controlled molecular brake system ((E)- and (Z)-4'-pentiptycyl vinyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-carbonitrile) containing the C = C double bond was theoretically studied. Combining the 6-31G(d) basis set, the ωB97XD functional with dispersion correction was applied to implement the (E)-configuration and (Z)-configuration initial optimization. Next, using the 6-311G(d,p) basis set, the relaxed potential energy surface scans of the rotation angle were operated, and then the optimization calculations of the transition states at the extremum high points. Analyzing the stagnation points and the rotational transition states on the potential energy profiles, the rotation mechanism and basic energy parameters of the molecular brake were obtained. Then, the DFT computations at ground states and the TD-DFT computations of vertical excitation energy were put into practice at the accuracy of the def-TZVP basis set for the two configurations, and using the natural transition orbital (NTO) analyses combining the excitation energies and absorption spectra, the electronic transition characteristics and electron transfer properties of light-controlled molecular brake were studied. Afterwards, in order to investigate the photoinduced isomerization reaction, the C = C double bond was scanned on the relaxed potential energy surface, and the intermediates of the isomerization reaction were searched and analyzed; thus, the braking mechanism of the light-controlled molecular brake was proposed.

Electronic Structure of Liquid Alkanes: A Representative Case of Liquid Hexanes and Cyclohexane Studied Using Polarization-Dependent Two-Photon Absorption Spectroscopy.

Two-photon absorption (2PA) spectra of liquid cyclohexane and hexanes are reported for the energy range 6.4-8.5 eV (177-145 nm), providing detailed information about their electronic structures in bulk liquid. Using a broadband pump-probe fashion, we measured the continuous 2PA spectra by simultaneous absorption of a 266 nm (4.6 eV) pump photon and one UV-vis probe photon from the white-light continuum (1.8-3.9 eV). Theoretical one-photon absorption (1PA) and 2PA cross sections of isolated gas phase molecules are computed by the equation of motion coupled-cluster method with single and double substitutions (EOM-CCSD) to substantiate the assignment of the experimental spectra, and the natural transition orbital (NTO) analysis provides visualization of the participating orbitals in a transition. Our analysis suggests that upon solvation transitions at the lowest excitation energy involving promotion of electron to the 3s Rydberg orbitals are blue-shifted (∼0.55 eV for cyclohexane and ∼0.18 eV for hexanes) to a greater extent as compared to those involving other Rydberg orbitals, which is similar to the behavior observed for water and alcohols. All other transitions experience negligible (cyclohexane) or minor red-shift by ∼0.15-0.2 eV (hexane) upon solvation. In both alkanes, the spectra are entirely dominated by Rydberg transitions: the most intense bands in 1PA and 2PA spectra are due to the excitation of electrons to the Rydberg "p" and "d" type orbitals, respectively, although one transition terminating in the 3s Rydberg has significant 2PA strength. This work demonstrates that the gas phase electronic transition properties in alkanes are not significantly altered upon solvation. In addition, electronic structure calculations using an isolated-molecule framework appear to provide a reasonable starting point for a semiquantitative picture for spectral assignment and also to analyze the solvatochromic shifts for liquid phase absorption spectra.

A critical evaluation of [ML(ONO)]n+ (M = Fe, Ru, Os) as nitric oxide precursor influenced by spin multiplicity and geometrical parameters (M-O-NO and MO-N-O) for the NO release: A theoretical study

In cell biology, the physiological functions control blood pressure by the production of nitric oxide, and the exploitation of metal complexes such as [ML-ONO] (M = Fe2+, Ru2+, Os2+) has been motivated to study the photolytic liability of NO. The structural and electronic properties of the complexes of 1,4,8,11-tetrakis-(1-methyl-pyridyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane were analyzed theoretically. The results show that β-cleavage of nitrito group in the complex [ML-ONO]n+ (M = Fe, Ru, Os; n = 1 or 2) favors the NO release, and observed the role of spin multiplicity. The M(II)-O-NO angle is associated with the degree of activation of the M(II)O—NO bond, relying on the excitations (S = 1 or S = 2), and it is corelated to the reduction of the bond angle ONO (~133° at S = 0) to ~ 105° at S = 1 or 2, favoring the nitrito β-cleavage for the complexes. This is consistent with orbital energy (dx2-y2) stabilizing the axial M(III)-O bond greater than that in M(II)-O [Fe < Ru ~ Os] as the excitation of singlet to triplet or to quintet prompts the NO delivery according to Gibbs free energy, agreeing with the transition state energy. However, at high spin state like 3/2 or 5/2, irrespective of bond angle M(III)-O-NO or ONO, the bond O-NO was broken spontaneously, resulting relatively a greater bond distance. Natural Transition Orbitals (NTOs), Molecular orbital (MO) Electron density contour on molecular orbital surface were also studied to understand the M-ONO bonding nature, and observed its performance in the TD-DFT electronic spectra.

Tetradentate Platinum(II) and Palladium(II) Complexes Containing Fused 6/6/6 or 6/6/5 Metallocycles with Azacarbazolylcarbazole-Based Ligands.

A series of novel tetradentate Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes containing fused 6/6/6 or 6/6/5 metallocycles employing azacarbazolylcarbazole (ACzCz)-based ligands was developed. Systematic experimental and theoretical studies suggest that both the ligand structures and the central metal ions have great influences on the electrochemical and photophysical properties of the complexes. The time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations and natural transition orbital (NTO) analyses reveal that the Pt(II) complexes possess 10.8-15.2% metal-to-ligand charge transfer (3MLCT) mixed with ligand-centered (3LC) characters, by contrast, the Pd(II) complexes exhibit significantly decreased 4.2-7.1% 3MLCT characters and enhanced 3LC compositions. All of the Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes possess various channels for the intersystem crossing (ISC) on the basis of small energy gaps ΔES1-Tn and matching transition orbital compositions; moreover, Pd(ACzCz-1) and Pd(ACzCz-2) also possess efficient reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) to show both delayed fluorescence (DF) and phosphorescence in PMMA films at room temperature (RT). Pt(ACzCz-3) has ΦPL values of 57% with a τ of 5.1 μs in dichloromethane at RT and 50% with 3.9 μs in PMMA at RT. Notably, Pd(ACzCz-1) exhibits ultralong low-temperature phosphorescence with a τ of 1307 μs. Pt(ACzCz-2)-based green OLED employing 26mCPy as the host demonstrated a peak EQE of 8.2% and a Lmax of 24065 cd/m2.

Driving the Emission Towards Blue by Controlling the HOMO-LUMO Energy Gap in BF2 -Functionalized 2-(Imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-3-yl)phenols.

Several boron compounds with 2‐(imidazo[1,5‐a]pyridin‐3‐yl)phenols, differentiated by the nature of the substituent (R) in the para position of the hydroxy group, have been synthesized and thoroughly characterized both in solution (1H, 13C, 11B, 19F NMR) and in the solid state (X‐ray). All derivatives displayed attractive photophysical properties like very high Stokes shift, high fluorescence quantum yields and a good photostability in solution. Time‐Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD‐DFT) calculations allowed to define the main electronic transitions as intra ligand transitions (1ILT), which was corroborated by the Natural Transition Orbitals (NTOs) shapes. The homo‐lumo energy gap was correlated to the electronic properties of the substituent R on the phenolic ring, as quantified by its σp Hammett constant.

Embedded equation-of-motion coupled-cluster theory for electronic excitation, ionisation, electron attachment, and electronic resonances

The projection-based quantum embedding method is applied to a comprehensive set of electronic states. We embed different variants of equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) theory in density functional theory and investigate electronically excited states of valence, Rydberg, and charge-transfer character, valence- and core-ionised states, as well as bound and temporary radical anions. The latter states, which are unstable towards electron loss, are treated by means of a complex-absorbing potential. Besides transition energies, we present Dyson orbitals and natural transition orbitals for embedded EOM-CCSD. We benchmark the performance of the embedded EOM-CCSD methods against full EOM-CCSD using small organic molecules microsolvated by a varying number of water molecules as test cases. Our results illustrate that embedded EOM-CCSD describes ionisation and valence excitation very well and that these transitions are quite insensitive towards technical details of the embedding procedure. On the contrary, more care is required when dealing with Rydberg excitations or electron attachment. For the latter type of transition in particular, the use of long-range corrected density functionals is mandatory and truncation of the virtual orbital space proves to be difficult.

Dual-Responsive Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence of Spiropyran Derivatives

Dual-Responsive Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence of Spiropyran Derivatives

Exploitation of Baird Aromaticity and Clar’s Rule for Tuning the Triplet Energies of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a prominent substance class with a variety of applications in molecular materials science. Their electronic properties crucially depend on the bond topology in ways that are often highly non-intuitive. Here, we study, using density functional theory, the triplet states of four biphenylene-derived PAHs finding dramatically different triplet excitation energies for closely related isomeric structures. These differences are rationalised using a qualitative description of Clar sextets and Baird quartets, quantified in terms of nucleus independent chemical shifts, and represented graphically through a recently developed method for visualising chemical shielding tensors (VIST). The results are further interpreted in terms of a 2D rigid rotor model of aromaticity and through an analysis of the natural transition orbitals involved in the triplet excited states showing good consistency between the different viewpoints. We believe that this work constitutes an important step in consolidating these varying viewpoints of electronically excited states.

A theoretical study of the photophysical properties of coumarin-carbohydrazone and coumarin-thiocarbohydrazone

Absorption and fluorescence properties of the Bis[[7-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-2H- chromene]methylene]-carbonic dihydrazide (CC) and Bis[[7-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-2H-chromene]methyl- ene]-carbonothioic dihydrazide (CTC) have been studied by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The results indicate that B3LYP/6-311G(d) is the most appropriate method for the current system. The solvent effects are included by the polarizable continuum model (PCM). The absorption wavelengths of CC and CTC in solvents are bathochromic-shift to some extent compared with that in the gas phase. The analysis of molecular orbital transition indicates that the electronic transitions occur mainly in the whole molecule for CC and CTC. The strong absorptions of CC and CTC correspond to a S0 → S1 transition with a π-π* transition characteristic, which is confirmed by natural transition orbital (NTO) analysis. The fluorescence emission is attributed to a S1 → S0 transition, which certifies that Kasha’s rule is followed.