Transient Optical Absorption Research Articles

Energy Transfer from Antenna Ligand to Europium(III) Followed Using Ultrafast Optical and X-ray Spectroscopy.

A series of highly luminescent europium(III) complexes which exhibit photoluminescence from the Eu(III) center following energy transfer from the UV absorbing organic sensitizer have been investigated using a combination of ultrafast optical transient absorption and Eu L3 X-ray transient absorption techniques. We have previously demonstrated that the latter can be used as a signature of 4f-4f excitation responsible for the photoluminescence in these Eu(III) coordination complexes, but the long time scale of the earlier measurements did not allow direct observation of the ligand-to-metal energy transfer step, preventing a determination of the sensitization mechanism. Here, we provide the first direct experimental verification that Dexter electron exchange from the ligand triplet state is the dominant energy transfer mechanism in these photoluminescent systems. Moreover, the optical transient absorption results obtained herein imply that energy transfer for all three compounds has near unity yield, regardless of differences in the sensitization efficiencies, suggesting that the variations in the sensitization efficiencies are determined almost entirely by differences in the ligand-centered intersystem crossing rates. The implications for the rational design of more effective photoluminescent lanthanide complexes are discussed.

Self-Saturable Absorption and Reverse-Saturable Absorption Effects in Diamond-Like Carbon Films with Embedded Copper Nanoparticles

Nonlinear optical properties (self-saturable absorption and reverse-saturable absorption) of diamond-like carbon films with variable amounts of embedded copper nanoparticle (DLC:Cu) films deposited by high power pulse magnetron sputtering were studied in dependence on deposition conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study elemental composition and He ion microscopy to study changes of the size, shape, and concentration of the Cu nanoparticles deposited using different pulse currents as well as argon and acetylene gas ratios. Raman scattering spectra of DLC:Cu films studied were typical of diamond-like carbon (including the films with a high Cu atomic concentration where it was up to 60 atom % and carbon atomic concentration was less than 20 atom %). In all cases, in the absorption spectra of DLC:Cu films, the surface plasmon resonance-related peak was recorded. The position of the plasmonic peak for all the deposited nanocomposite films was in a 590–620 nm range. For the samples containing lower amounts of copper, reverse-saturable absorption was found. Transient optical absorption measurements have shown that the reverse-saturable absorption is typical for the samples with a lower relaxation time. The longer relaxation times recorded during transient optical absorption measurements correlated with the presence of the saturable absorption effect. For DLC:Cu samples containing 58–62 atom % Cu, some optical inhomogeneities were observed. The samples in different places demonstrated either saturable absorption or reverse-saturable absorption. The presence of both saturable and reverse-saturable absorption effects in the same sample is explained by the lateral inhomogeneities of the DLC:Cu films.

Investigation of the photoinduced axial ligation process in the excited state of nickel(II) phthalocyanine

Photoinduced axial ligation process in the excited state of nickel(II) octabutoxyphthalocyanine (NiPcOBu8) in pyridine solvent has been investigated by ultrafast optical transient absorption and X-ray transient absorption spectroscopies. Although Ni phthalocyanine complexes have been reported to have no tendency to form six-coordinate structure, the (dz2,dx2-y2) state of NiPcOBu8 generated by photoexcitation of Q-band was discovered to axially ligate with the pyridine molecule very rapidly, on a timescale of ˜100 ps. Although the presence of an excited unligated (d,d) state cannot be confirmed due to the time resolution limit of the synchrotron X-ray probe pulse with ˜80 ps FWHM, the biexponential kinetics of the ground state recovery detected by the 1s → 4pz feature suggests the decay of the unligated (d,d) species with an 82 ps time constant, while that of the ligated NiPcOBu8 species is 3–5 ns. The photoinduced ligation dynamics of NiPcOBu8 is vastly different compared to that of Ni porphyrin complexes. This study provides a structural basis on the ligation chemistry in both the ground and excited states of nickel complexes based on their electronic and nuclear structures.

Measurement of ultrafast dynamics of photoexcited carriers in β-Ga2O3 by two-color optical pump-probe spectroscopy

We report results from ultrafast two-color optical pump-probe spectroscopy on bulk β-Ga2O3. A two-photon absorption scheme is used to photoexcite carriers with the pump pulse and free-carrier absorption of the probe pulse is used to record the subsequent dynamics of the photoexcited carriers. Our results are consistent with carrier recombination via defect-assisted processes. We also observe transient polarization-selective optical absorption of the probe pulse by defect states under nonequilibrium conditions. A rate equation model for electron and hole capture by defects is proposed and used to explain the data. Whereas the rate constants for electron capture by defects are found to be temperature-independent, they are measured to be strongly temperature-dependent for hole capture and point to a lattice deformation/relaxation process accompanying hole capture. Our results shed light on the mechanisms and rates associated with carrier capture by defects in β-Ga2O3.

2D Covalent Organic Frameworks as Intrinsic Photocatalysts for Visible Light-Driven CO2 Reduction.

Covalent organic framework (COF) represents an emerging class of porous materials that have exhibited great potential in various applications, particularly in catalysis. In this work, we report a newly designed 2D COF with incorporated Re complex, which exhibits intrinsic light absorption and charge separation (CS) properties. We show that this hybrid catalyst can efficiently reduce CO2 to form CO under visible light illumination with high electivity (98%) and better activity than its homogeneous Re counterpart. More importantly, using advanced transient optical and X-ray absorption spectroscopy and in situ diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, we unraveled three key intermediates that are responsible for CS, the induction period, and rate limiting step in catalysis. This work not only demonstrates the potential of COFs as next generation photocatalysts for solar fuel conversion but also provide unprecedented insight into the mechanistic origins for light-driven CO2 reduction.

Concept of the Time-Dependent Diffusion Coefficient of Polarons in Organic Semiconductors and Its Determination from Time-Resolved Spectroscopy

The population of photogenerated species in organic semiconductors may decay due to their mutual annihilation upon collisions during their diffusive motion. The standard kinetic models for the population decay, n(t), assume a time-invariant diffusion coefficient, i.e., D(t) ≡ constant. This leads to a failure in predicting the experimentally observed temporal evolution of photogenerated species if it asymptotically approaches a power-law decay n(t) ∼ t–x, with x < 0.5. We have used a concept of the time-dependent diffusion coefficient and developed a novel mathematical method of its determination from decay collision rates obtained by transient optical absorption spectroscopy. We tested the applicability of this method on the interpretation of data of the decay of polaron population obtained experimentally by time-resolved transient absorption measurements on thin films of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene), where we recently reported a power-law asymptote with x = 0.24. While we do not assume any micros...

Heterobinuclear Light Absorber Coupled to Molecular Wire for Charge Transport across Ultrathin Silica Membrane for Artificial Photosynthesis.

Coupling of robust, all-inorganic heterobinuclear light absorbers to metal oxide catalysts for water oxidation across an ultrathin product-separating silica membrane requires charge transfer through organic molecular wires embedded in the silica. A synthetic approach for assembling the bimetallic units on the silica surface is introduced that is compatible with the presence of encapsulated organic molecules. Accurate selection and fine tuning of the concentration of embedded conducting wires are enabled by a two-step method consisting of surface attachment of a tripodal anchor, trimethoxysilyl aniline, followed by attachment of p-oligo(phenylene vinylene) through amide linkage. Each step of the assembly process was monitored and characterized by a combination of Fourier transform infrared, Fourier transform-Raman, and UV-vis spectroscopy techniques. Hole transfer was observed from transient CoIII, formed by TiIVOCoII → TiIIIOCoIII charge transfer excitation of the chromophore, to p-oligo(phenylene vinylene) molecule within the 8 ns width of the photolysis laser pulse by transient optical absorption spectroscopy of the wire radical cation. The rectifying property of the light absorber-wire assembly enabled by appropriate selection of redox potentials of metals and embedded wire obviates the need for a molecularly defined linkage between the components. Combined with the previously observed ultrafast hole injection from the embedded wires to Co oxide catalyst, the result implies visible-light-induced hole transfer from visible-light-excited binuclear light absorber to water oxidation catalyst across the silica separation membrane in a few nanoseconds or faster. Demonstration and understanding of this interfacial charge-transfer step is critical for developing nanoscale core-shell architectures for complete photosynthetic cycles.

Photoinduced Electron Transfer from ZrOCo Binuclear Light Absorber to Pyridine Elucidated by Transient Optical and Infrared Spectroscopy

All-inorganic heterobinculear units can be excited to a metal-to-metal charge transfer (MMCT) state by visible and ultraviolet light and form the core of multicomponent artificial photosystems that rely on conjugated molecular wires to transmit electrons and holes across ultrathin silica separation membranes to catalytic sites. To understand electron transfer from a heterobinuclear unit to an organic molecule, model systems consisting of pyridine interacting with ZrIVOCoII or TiIVOCoII sites on silica nanoparticles were assembled and spectroscopically characterized. Transient optical absorption spectroscopy combined with infrared analysis revealed that visible light excitation of assemblies in which pyridine interacts with the Zr center of the ZrOCo unit results in sub-10 ns separation by electron transfer to the organic moiety. Rapid-scan FT-IR spectroscopy supported by density functional theory confirmed the identity of the pyridine radical anion charge-separated state. This state shows a lifetime of 22...

Shedding Light on the Nature of Photoinduced States Formed in a Hydrogen-Generating Supramolecular RuPt Photocatalyst by Ultrafast Spectroscopy

Photoinduced electronic and structural changes of a hydrogen-generating supramolecular RuPt photocatalyst are studied by a combination of time-resolved photoluminescence, optical transient absorption, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. This work uses the element specificity of X-ray techniques to focus on the interplay between the photophysical and -chemical processes and the associated time scales at the catalytic Pt moiety. We observe very fast (<30 ps) photoreduction of the Pt catalytic site, followed by an ∼600 ps step into a strongly oxidized Pt center. The latter process is likely induced by oxidative addition of reactive iodine species. The oxidized Pt species is long-lived and fully recovers to the original ground state complex on a >10 μs time scale. However, the photosensitizing Ru moiety is fully restored on a much shorter ∼300 ns time scale. This reaction scheme implies that we may withdraw two electrons from a catalyst that is activated by a single photon.

Ligand Mediation of Vectorial Charge Transfer in Cu(I)diimine Chromophore-Acceptor Dyads.

In this work, we present the photoinduced charge separation dynamics of four molecular dyads composed of heteroleptic Cu(I)bis(phenanthroline) chromophores linked directly to the common electron acceptor naphthalene diimide. The dyads were designed to allow us to (1) detect any kinetic preference for directionality during photoinduced electron transfer across the heteroleptic complex and (2) probe the influence of excited-state flattening on intramolecular charge separation. Singular value decomposition of ultrafast optical transient absorption spectra demonstrates that charge transfer occurs with strong directional preference, and charge separation occurs up to 35 times faster when the acceptor is linked to the sterically blocking ligand. Further, the charge-separated state in these dyads is stabilized by polar solvents, resulting in dramatically longer lifetimes for dyads with minimal substitution about the Cu(I) center. This unexpected but exciting observation suggests a new approach to the design of Cu(I)bis(phenanthroline) chromophores that can support long-lived vectorial charge separation.

Real-Time Visualization of Active Species in a Single-Site Metal–Organic Framework Photocatalyst

In this work, we report a new single-site photocatalyst (Co-Ru-UIO-67(bpy)) based on a metal–organic framework platform with incorporated molecular photosensitizer and catalyst. We show that this catalyst not only demonstrates exceptional activity for light-driven H2 production but also can be recycled without loss of activity. Using the combination of optical transient absorption spectroscopy and in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we not only captured the key CoI intermediate species formed after ultrafast charge transfer from the incorporated photosensitizer but also identified the rate-limiting step in the catalytic cycle, providing insight into the catalysis mechanism of these single-site metal–organic framework photocatalysts.

Elucidating Charge Separation Dynamics in a Hybrid Metal–Organic Framework Photocatalyst for Light-Driven H2 Evolution

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as novel scaffolds for artificial photosynthesis due to their unique capability in incorporating homogeneous photosensitizer and catalyst to their robust heterogeneous matrix. In this work, we report the charge separation dynamics between molecular Ru-photosensitizer and Pt-catalyst, both of which were successfully incorporated into a Zr-MOF that demonstrates excellent activity and stability for light-driven H2 generation from water. Using optical transient absorption (OTA) spectroscopy, we show that charge separation in this hybrid MOF occurs via electron transfer (ET) from Ru-photosensitizer to Pt-catalyst. Using Pt L3-edge X-ray transient absorption (XTA) spectroscopy, we observed the intermediate reduced Pt site, directly confirming the formation of charge separated state due to ET from Ru-photosensitizer and unraveling their key roles in photocatalysis.

Excited state electron and energy relays in supramolecular dinuclear complexes revealed by ultrafast optical and X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy.

The kinetics of photoinduced electron and energy transfer in a family of tetrapyridophenazine-bridged heteroleptic homo- and heterodinuclear copper(i) bis(phenanthroline)/ruthenium(ii) polypyridyl complexes were studied using ultrafast optical and multi-edge X-ray transient absorption spectroscopies. This work combines the synthesis of heterodinuclear Cu(i)-Ru(ii) analogs of the homodinuclear Cu(i)-Cu(i) targets with spectroscopic analysis and electronic structure calculations to first disentangle the dynamics at individual metal sites by taking advantage of the element and site specificity of X-ray absorption and theoretical methods. The excited state dynamical models developed for the heterodinuclear complexes are then applied to model the more challenging homodinuclear complexes. These results suggest that both intermetallic charge and energy transfer can be observed in an asymmetric dinuclear copper complex in which the ground state redox potentials of the copper sites are offset by only 310 meV. We also demonstrate the ability of several of these complexes to effectively and unidirectionally shuttle energy between different metal centers, a property that could be of great use in the design of broadly absorbing and multifunctional multimetallic photocatalysts. This work provides an important step toward developing both a fundamental conceptual picture and a practical experimental handle with which synthetic chemists, spectroscopists, and theoreticians may collaborate to engineer cheap and efficient photocatalytic materials capable of performing coulombically demanding chemical transformations.

Timing methodologies and studies at the FERMI free-electron laser.

Time-resolved investigations have begun a new era of chemistry and physics, enabling the monitoring in real time of the dynamics of chemical reactions and matter. Induced transient optical absorption is a basic ultrafast electronic effect, originated by a partial depletion of the valence band, that can be triggered by exposing insulators and semiconductors to sub-picosecond extreme-ultraviolet pulses. Besides its scientific and fundamental implications, this process is very important as it is routinely applied in free-electron laser (FEL) facilities to achieve the temporal superposition between FEL and optical laser pulses with tens of femtoseconds accuracy. Here, a set of methodologies developed at the FERMI facility based on ultrafast effects in condensed materials and employed to effectively determine the FEL/laser cross correlation are presented.

Optical transient absorption experiments reveal the failure of formal kinetics in diffusion assisted electron transfer reactions.

The ultimate goal of chemical kinetics is to understand why a given reaction is fast or not. To this end it is necessary to count on robust and experimentally well tested theories. One of the difficulties, long recognized in the study of bimolecular reactions, is the role of the molecular displacement, i.e. diffusion. Nonetheless the field is still lacking a compelling amount of case studies contrasting physical models to experiments. By performing transient absorption experiments on the photo-induced electron transfer reaction between perylene and N,N-dimethylaniline in liquid solutions over many orders of magnitude in time, we try to understand the factors determining the kinetics and yields of the full photocycle. We present a method to overcome potential pitfalls in the extraction of the relevant quantities, the transient populations, from the experimental data due to the changes in band shapes and positions. The results are compared to simulations of two different theories: a reaction-diffusion approach based on the encounter theories, and a formal kinetic scheme. We conclude that while the former explains the observed trends in the kinetics with quencher concentration and viscosity exceptionally well, the latter fails. Moreover the analysis of the data with the assistance of encounter theory unveils effects that otherwise would pass unnoticed. This approach and its results exemplify the path to follow in other condensed media whenever diffusion is involved.

Unravelling the Correlation of Electronic Structure and Carrier Dynamics in CuInS2 Nanoparticles

In this work, we report the direct correlation of photoinduced carrier dynamics and electronic structure of CuInS2 (CIS) nanoparticles (NPs) using the combination of multiple spectroscopic techniques including steady-state X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), optical transient absorption (OTA), and X-ray transient (XTA) absorption spectroscopy. XAS results show that CIS NPs contain a large amount of surface Cu atoms with ≪four-coordination, which is more severe in CIS NPs with shorter nucleation times, indicating the presence of more Cu defect states in CIS NPs with smaller size particles. Using the combination of OTA and XTA spectroscopy, we show that electrons are trapped at states with mainly In or S nature while holes are trapped in sites characteristic of Cu. While there is no direct correlation of ultrafast trapping dynamics with NP nucleation time, charge recombination is significantly inhibited in CIS NPs with larger particles. These results suggest the key roles that Cu defect sites play in carri...

In-house time-resolved photocrystallography on the millisecond timescale using a gated X-ray hybrid pixel area detector.

With the remarkable progress of accelerator-based X-ray sources in terms of intensity and brightness, the investigation of structural dynamics from time-resolved X-ray diffraction methods is becoming widespread in chemistry, biochemistry and materials science applications. Diffraction patterns can now be measured down to the femtosecond time-scale using X-ray free electron lasers or table-top laser plasma X-ray sources. On the other hand, the recent developments in photon counting X-ray area detectors offer new opportunities for time-resolved crystallography. Taking advantage of the fast read-out, the internal stacking of recorded images, and the gating possibilities (electronic shutter) of the XPAD hybrid pixel detector, we implemented a laboratory X-ray diffractometer for time-resolved single-crystal X-ray diffraction after pulsed laser excitation, combined with transient optical absorption measurement. The experimental method and instrumental setup are described in detail, and validated using the photoinduced nitrosyl linkage isomerism of sodium nitroprusside, Na2[Fe(CN)5NO]·2H2O, as proof of principle. Light-induced Bragg intensity relative variations ΔI(hkl)/I(hkl) of the order of 1%, due to the photoswitching of the NO ligand, could be detected with a 6 ms acquisition window. The capabilities of such a laboratory time-resolved experiment are critically evaluated.

Ultrafast dynamics of two copper bis-phenanthroline complexes measured by x-ray transient absorption spectroscopy

Ultrafast structural dynamics of the metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) states of two copper bis-phenanthroline complexes were captured by using x-ray transient absorption (XTA) spectroscopy at the Linac Coherent Light Source and further described by theoretical calculations. These complexes have the general formula [Cu(I)(R)2]+, where R = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (dmp) and 2,9-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline disulfonic acid disodium salt (dpps). [Cu(I)(dmp)2]+ has methyl groups at the 2,9 positions of phenanthroline (phen) and adopts a pseudo-tetrahedral geometry. In contrast, [Cu(I)(dpps)2]+ possesses two bulky phenyl-sulfonate groups attached to each phen ligand that force the molecule to adopt a flattened tetrahedral geometry in the ground state. Previously, optical transient absorption (OTA) and synchrotron based XTA experiments with 100 ps time resolution have been employed to study the relationship between structural distortions and excited state relaxation pathways in the two complexes. However, the dynamics of the MLCT transition during the first few picoseconds after excitation in these complexes remained unclear because of limitations in element specificity in OTA and in the time resolution of synchrotron sources in XTA. In this experiment, the local coordination geometry and oxidation state of copper were probed with a temporal resolution of ∼300 fs. Unexpectedly, the depletion of the Cu(I) signal due to the MLCT transition was found to be non-impulsive in the case of [Cu(I)(dpps)2]+ with a time constant of 0.6 ps, while the Cu(I) depletion in [Cu(I)(dmp)2]+ was instantaneous within the 300 fs instrument response time. The slower Cu(I) depletion kinetics in [Cu(I)(dpps)2]+, previously unobserved in femtosecond OTA experiments, is likely due to intramolecular motions on the sub-picosecond time scale that could alter the localization of the transferred electron in the phen ligands.

Long-Lived Photoinduced Charge Separation in a Trinuclear Iron-μ3-oxo-based Metal–Organic Framework

The presence of long-lived charge-separated excited states in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can enhance their photocatalytic activity by decreasing the probability that photogenerated electrons and holes recombine before accessing adsorbed reactants. Detecting these charge-separated states via optical transient absorption, however, can be challenging when they lack definitive optical signatures. We investigate the long-lived excited state of a MOF with such vague optical properties, MIL-100(Fe), composed of Fe3-μ3-oxo clusters and trimesic acid linkers, using Fe K-edge X-ray transient absorption (XTA) spectroscopy to unambiguously determine its ligand-to-metal charge-transfer character. Spectra measured at time delays up to 3.6 μs confirm the long-lived nature of the charge-separated excited state. Several trinuclear iron μ3-oxo carboxylate complexes, which model the trinuclear cores of the MOF structure, are measured for comparison using both steady-state X-ray absorption spectroscopy and XTA to furthe...

Electronic excitation energy transfer and nonstationary processes in KH2PO4:Tl crystals

We report the results of our experimental study and numerical simulation of the electronic excitation energy transfer to impurity centers under conditions where nonstationary processes take place in the hydrogen sublattice of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) single crystals doped with mercury-like Tl+ ions (KDP:Tl). We present the experimental results of our investigation of the decay kinetics of the transient optical absorption (100 ns–50 s) of intrinsic defects in the hydrogen sublattice of KDP:Tl obtained by pulsed absorption spectroscopy and the results of our study of the dynamics of the change in steady-state luminescence intensity with irradiation time (1–5000 s). To explain the transfer of the energy being released during electron recombination involving intrinsic KDP:Tl lattice defects, we formulate a mathematical model for the transfer of this energy to impurity Tl+ luminescence centers. Within the model being developed, we present the systems of differential balance equations describing the nonstationary processes in the electron subsystem and the hydrogen sublattice; provide a technique for calculating the pair correlation functions Y(r, t) of dissimilar defects based on the solution of the Smoluchowski equation for the system of mobile hydrogen sublattice defects; calculate the time-dependent reaction rate constants K(t) for various experimental conditions; and outline the peculiarities and results of the model parametrization based on our experimental data. Based on our investigation, the dramatic and significant effect of a gradual inertial increase by a factor of 50–100 in steady-state luminescence intensity in the 4.5-eV band in KDP:Tl crystals due to the luminescence of mercury-like Tl+ ions has been explained qualitatively and quantitatively.