Vibronic Mechanism Research Articles

Driving force and nonequilibrium vibronic dynamics in charge separation of strongly bound electron–hole pairs

Electron-hole pairs in organic photovoltaics efficiently dissociate although their Coulomb-binding energy exceeds thermal energy at room temperature. The vibronic coupling of electronic states to structured vibrational environments containing multiple underdamped modes is thought to assist charge separation. However, non-perturbative simulations of such large, spatially extended, electronic-vibrational (vibronic) systems remain an unmet challenge which current methods bypass by considering effective one-dimensional Coulomb potentials or unstructured environments where the effect of underdamped modes is ignored. Here we address this challenge with a non-perturbative simulation tool and investigate the charge separation dynamics in one, two and three-dimensional donor-acceptor networks to identify under what conditions underdamped vibrational motion induces efficient long-range charge separation. The resulting comprehensive picture of ultrafast charge separation differentiates electronic or vibronic couplings mechanisms for a wide range of driving forces and identifies the role of entropic effects in extended systems. This provides a toolbox for the design of efficient charge separation pathways in artificial nanostructures.

(Invited) Conformations of Exciton Pairs Associated with Spin-Entanglement Transports during Singlet Fissions

Singlet fission (SF) is expected to exceed the Shockley–Queisser theoretical limit of efficiency of organic solar cells. Spin-entanglement in the triplet pair state via one singlet exciton is a promising phenomenon for several energy conversion applications including quantum information science. However, direct observation of the electron spin polarization by transports of entangled spin-states has not been demonstrated. Furthermore, vibronic mechanisms of the dissociation of the triplet excitons are poorly understood. In this study, time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance has been utilized to observe the transportations of the singlet and quintet characters generating spin-correlated correlated triplet pair (SCTP) by probing the electron spin polarization (ESP) generated in thin films of 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene.[1] We have clearly demonstrated that the ESP detected in resonance field positions of the individual triplet excitons are dependent on morphology and on detection delay time after laser flash to cause SF. The ESPs were clearly explained by quantum superposition[1,2,3] of singlet-triplet-quintet wavefunctions via picosecond triplet-exciton dissociation as the electron spin polarization transfer from strongly exchange-coupled singlet TT states to the weakly-coupled SCTP via spin-spin dipolar couplings with preserving conformations of the excitons. Although the coherent superposition of the spin eigenstates was not directly detected, the present interpretation of the spin correlation of the separated T+T exciton pair may pave new avenues not only for elucidating the vibronic role on the de-coupling[2,3] between the two excitons but also for scalable quantum information processing using quick T+T dissociation via one-photon excitation. References Matsuda, S.; Oyama, S.; Kobori, Y. Sci. 2020, 11, 2934-2942.Kobori, Y.; Fuki, M.; Nakamura, S.; Hasobe, T. Phys. Chem. B 2020, 124, 9411-9419.Nakamura, S.; Sakai, H.; Nagashima, H.; Fuki, M.; Onishi, K.; Khan, R.; Kobori, Y.; Tkachenko, N. V.; Hasobe, T. Phys. Chem. C 2021, 125, 18287-18296.

Light Emission from Vibronic Polaritons in Coupled Metalloporphyrin-Multimode Cavity Systems.

In this study, we explore how one can use cavity polariton formation and a non-Condon vibronic coupling mechanism to form a type of hybrid light-matter state we denote as Herzberg-Teller (HT) vibronic polaritons. We use simple models to define the basic characteristics of these hybrid light-matter excitations including their dispersive energies. Experimentally, we find evidence of HT polaritons in the light emission spectra from copper(II) tetraphenylporphyrin (CuTPP) molecules strongly coupled to both single and multimode Fabry-Perot resonator structures. For specific resonator designs, we find evidence of significant enhancement of light emission from a short-lived sing-doublet state of CuTPP, which couples to a higher energy singlet state via a non-Condon vibronic mechanism. The results of a two-state model support the conclusion that this enhancement and the temperature-dependent dispersion of the light emission peak energy stem from radiative relaxation into cavity photon states dressed by collective vibrations of the molecules participating in polariton formation. These results show how researchers can leverage the complex interplay of electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom in light absorbing molecules to form a vaster array of coherent light-matter states and potentially transform platforms in optoelectronic and photocatalytic technologies.

Energetics of the charge generation in organic donor-acceptor interfaces.

Non-fullerene acceptor materials have posed new paradigms for the design of organic solar cells , whereby efficient carrier generation is obtained with small driving forces, in order to maximize the open-circuit voltage (VOC). In this paper, we use a coarse-grained mixed quantum-classical method, which combines Ehrenfest and Redfield theories, to shed light on the charge generation process in small energy offset interfaces. We have investigated the influence of the energetic driving force as well as the vibronic effects on the charge generation and photovoltaic energy conversion. By analyzing the effects of the Holstein and Peierls vibrational couplings, we find that vibrational couplings produce an overall effect of improving the charge generation. However, the two vibronic mechanisms play different roles: the Holstein relaxation mechanism decreases the charge generation, whereas the Peierls mechanism always assists the charge generation. Moreover, by examining the electron-hole binding energy as a function of time, we evince two distinct regimes for the charge separation: the temperature independent excitonic spread on a sub-100fs timescale and the complete dissociation of the charge-transfer state that occurs on the timescale of tens to hundreds of picoseconds, depending on the temperature. The quantum dynamics of the system exhibits the three regimes of the Marcus electron transfer kinetics as the energy offset of the interface is varied.

Absorption and fluorescence spectra of conjugated polymers poly(propylene oxide)–poly(phenylene ethynylene) interpreted by Franck–Condon simulation

AbstractAbsorption and fluorescence spectra of the poly(propyleneoxide)–poly(phenylene ethynylene) with long polymer chains in the experiment are investigated by the Franck–Condon simulation with small polymer chains in the theory. Electronic calculations with time‐dependent density functional (TDDFT) indicate that vibronic spectra come from S1(ππ*) excitation and de‐excitation. Good agreement between Franck–Condon simulated and experimentally measured absorption and fluorescence spectra in three kinds of solutions is achieved. However, vibronic spectral analysis reveals that vibronic motion mechanisms are quite different for simulated absorption and fluorescence spectra. For absorption spectra, vibronic spectra are dominated by one most active mode localized in triple bond carbon–carbon stretch motion on backbone of the poly (phenylene ethynylene), and simulated absorption spectra indicate that the long chains can be as stable as short chains on the electronic ground state in comparison with experimental spectra in all solvents. In the case of fluorescence spectra, this most active mode is spitting into several equally active modes with very close values in vibrational frequencies, and thus, the spitting modes and mode couplings among those spitting dominate vibronic spectra. Simulated fluorescence spectra indicate that the only short chains are stable on the electronic excited state in comparison with experimental spectra in all solvents. Nevertheless, the present simulation concludes that both absorption and fluorescence spectra are induced mostly by the active normal mode in triple bond carbon–carbon stretch motion on backbone of poly(phenylene ethynylene). The present work provides physical insight for analyzing observed vibronic spectra of similar conjugated polymers and for designing novel optoelectronic materials.

Reconciling experimental and theoretical vibrational deactivation in low-energy O + N2 collisions.

Molecular dynamics calculations of inelastic collisions of atomic oxygen with molecular nitrogen are known to show orders of magnitude discrepancies with experimental results in the range from room temperature to many thousands of degrees Kelvin. In this work, we have achieved an unprecedented quantitative agreement with experiments even at low temperature, by including a non-adiabatic treatment involving vibronic states on newly developed potential energy surfaces. This result paves the way for the calculation of accurate and detailed databases of vibrational energy exchange rates for this collisional system. This is bound to have an impact on air plasma simulations under a wide range of conditions and on the development of Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) satellites, operating in the low thermosphere, objects of great technological interest due to their potential at a competitive cost.

Soft Selection Rules for Femtosecond Pump–Probe Vibrational Coherence Spectroscopy

Persevering research efforts that seek to harness the potential of singlet fission to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic devices have recently focused on vibronic mechanisms that presumably un...

Vibronic coherence evolution in multidimensional ultrafast photochemical processes

The complex choreography of electronic, vibrational, and vibronic couplings used by photoexcited molecules to transfer energy efficiently is remarkable, but an unambiguous description of the temporally evolving vibronic states governing these processes has proven experimentally elusive. We use multidimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopy to identify specific time-dependent excited state vibronic couplings involving multiple electronic states, high-frequency vibrations, and low-frequency vibrations which participate in ultrafast intersystem crossing and subsequent relaxation of a photoexcited transition metal complex. We discover an excited state vibronic mechanism driving long-lived charge separation consisting of an initial electronically-localized vibrational wavepacket which triggers delocalization onto two charge transfer states after propagating for ~600 femtoseconds. Electronic delocalization consequently occurs through nonadiabatic internal conversion driven by a 50 cm−1 coupling resulting in vibronic coherence transfer lasting for ~1 picosecond. This study showcases the power of multidimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopy to elucidate complex, non-equilibrium energy and charge transfer mechanisms involving multiple molecular coordinates.

Triplet Pair States in Singlet Fission.

This account aims at providing an understanding of singlet fission, i.e., the photophysical process of a singlet state ( S1) splitting into two triplet states (2 × T1) in molecular chromophores. Since its discovery 50 years ago, the field of singlet fission has enjoyed rapid expansion in the past 8 years. However, there have been lingering confusion and debates on the nature of the all-important triplet pair intermediate states and the definition of singlet fission rates. Here we clarify the confusion from both theoretical and experimental perspectives. We distinguish the triplet pair state that maintains electronic coherence between the two constituent triplets, 1(TT), from one which does not, 1(T···T). Only the rate of formation of 1(T···T) is defined as that of singlet fission. We present distinct experimental evidence for 1(TT), whose formation may occur via incoherent and/or vibronic coherent mechanisms. We discuss the challenges in treating singlet fission beyond the dimer approximation, in understanding the often neglected roles of delocalization on singlet fission rates, and in realizing the much lauded goal of increasing solar energy conversion efficiencies with singlet fission chromophores.

Pair-delocalization in trigonal mixed-valence clusters: new insight into the vibronic origin of broken-symmetry ground states.

A new vibronic mechanism for the stabilization of pair-delocalized electronic states in trigonal trimeric mixed valence complexes (such as iron-sulfur [Fe3S4]0 proteins) is proposed. Unlike the previously reported mechanism based on the Piepho-Krausz-Schatz model dealing with the local "breathing" vibrations, the present mechanism involves the multicenter vibrations of the triangular complex, which change the metal-metal distances. The former mechanism of the vibronic coupling in combination with the double exchange and Heisenberg type exchange (superexchange) interactions accounts for the existence of the pair-delocalized states of many-electron mixed valence clusters in the intermediate ground spin states. In contrast to the previous model, within which the conditions for the occurrence of pair delocalized states are spin-dependent, the pair delocalization phenomenon in the proposed model is exclusively based on a clear physical mechanism of the interplay between the inter-center vibronic coupling and electron transfer. Therefore, the proposed mechanism demonstrates that the pair delocalization is a more common feature of mixed valence complexes and can appear not only in multi-electron trimers as a result of the interplay between several parameters, but even in one-electron mixed valence trimers in which neither double exchange nor superexchange is operative. The conditions for the pair delocalization in the proposed model are shown to be dependent on the value and sign of the electron transfer parameter as well as on the ratio of the frequencies of the fully symmetric (a1) and doubly degenerate (e) vibrations of a triatomic molecule.

Local protein solvation drives direct down-conversion in phycobiliprotein PC645 via incoherent vibronic transport

The mechanisms controlling excitation energy transport (EET) in light-harvesting complexes remain controversial. Following the observation of long-lived beats in 2D electronic spectroscopy of PC645, vibronic coherence, the delocalization of excited states between pigments supported by a resonant vibration, has been proposed to enable direct excitation transport from the highest-energy to the lowest-energy pigments, bypassing a collection of intermediate states. Here, we instead show that for phycobiliprotein PC645 an incoherent vibronic transport mechanism is at play. We quantify the solvation dynamics of individual pigments using ab initio quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) nuclear dynamics. Our atomistic spectral densities reproduce experimental observations ranging from absorption and fluorescence spectra to the timescales and selectivity of down-conversion observed in transient absorption measurements. We construct a general model for vibronic dimers and establish the parameter regimes of coherent and incoherent vibronic transport. We demonstrate that direct down-conversion in PC645 proceeds incoherently, enhanced by large reorganization energies and a broad collection of high-frequency vibrations. We suggest that a similar incoherent mechanism is appropriate across phycobiliproteins and represents a potential design principle for nanoscale control of EET.

Understanding the electron-phonon interaction in polar crystals: Perspective presented by the vibronic theory

We outline our novel results relating to the physics of the electron-TO-phonon (el-TO-ph) interaction in a polar crystal. We explained why the el-TO-ph interaction becomes effectively strong in a ferroelectric, and showed how the electron density redistribution establishes favorable conditions for soft-behavior of the long-wavelength branch of the active TO vibration. In the context of the vibronic theory it has been demonstrated that at the macroscopic level the interaction of electrons with the polar zone-centre TO phonons can be associated with the internal long-range dipole forces. Also we elucidated a methodological issue of how local field effects are incorporated within the vibronic theory. These result provided not only substantial support for the vibronic mechanism of ferroelectricity but also presented direct evidence of equivalence between vibronic and the other lattice dynamics models. The corresponding comparison allowed us to introduce the original parametrization for constants of the vibronic interaction in terms of key material constants. The applicability of the suggested formula has been tested for a wide class of polar materials.

Thermally Tunable Dual Emission of the d8–d8 Dimer [Pt2(μ-P2O5(BF2)2)4]4–

High-resolution fluorescence, phosphorescence, as well as related excitation spectra, and, in particular, the emission decay behavior of solid [Bu4N]4[Pt2(μ-P2O5(BF2)2)4], abbreviated Pt(pop-BF2), have been investigated over a wide temperature range, 1.3-310 K. We focus on the lowest excited states that result from dσ*pσ (5dz(2)-6pz) excitations, i.e., the singlet state S1 (of (1)A2u symmetry in D4h) and the lowest triplet T1, which splits into spin-orbit substates A1u((3)A2u) and Eu((3)A2u). After optical excitation, an unusually slow intersystem crossing (ISC) is observed. As a consequence, the compound shows efficient dual emission, consisting of blue fluorescence and green phosphorescence with an overall emission quantum yield of ∼ 100% over the investigated temperature range. Our investigation sheds light on this extraordinary dual emission behavior, which is unique for a heavy-atom transition metal compound. Direct ISC processes in Pt(pop-BF2) are largely forbidden due to spin-, symmetry-, and Franck-Condon overlap-restrictions and, therefore, the ISC time is as long as 29 ns for T < 100 K. With temperature increase, two different thermally activated pathways, albeit still relatively slow, are promoted by spin-vibronic and vibronic mechanisms, respectively. Thus, distinct temperature dependence of the ISC processes results and, as a consequence, also of the fluorescence/phosphorescence intensity ratio. The phosphorescence lifetime also is temperature-dependent, reflecting the relative population of the triplet T1 substates Eu and A1u. The highly resolved phosphorescence shows a ∼ 220 cm(-1) red shift below 10 K, attributable to zero-field splitting of 40 cm(-1) plus a promoting vibration of 180 cm(-1).

On the mechanism of vibrational control of light-induced charge transfer in donor-bridge-acceptor assemblies.

Nuclear-electronic (vibronic) coupling is increasingly recognized as a mechanism of major importance in controlling the light-induced function of molecular systems. It was recently shown that infrared light excitation of intramolecular vibrations can radically change the efficiency of electron transfer, a fundamental chemical process. We now extend and generalize the understanding of this phenomenon by probing and perturbing vibronic coupling in several molecules in solution. In the experiments an ultrafast electronic-vibrational pulse sequence is applied to a range of donor-bridge-acceptor Pt(II) trans-acetylide assemblies, for which infrared excitation of selected bridge vibrations during ultraviolet-initiated charge separation alters the yields of light-induced product states. The experiments, augmented by quantum chemical calculations, reveal a complex combination of vibronic mechanisms responsible for the observed changes in electron transfer rates and pathways. The study raises new fundamental questions about the function of vibrational processes immediately following charge transfer photoexcitation, and highlights the molecular features necessary for external vibronic control of excited-state processes.

Reactive cluster model of metallic glasses

Though discovered more than a half century ago metallic glasses remain a scientific enigma. Unlike crystalline metals, characterized by short, medium, and long-range order, in metallic glasses short and medium-range order persist, though long-range order is absent. This fact has prompted research to develop structural descriptions of metallic glasses. Among these are cluster-based models that attribute amorphous structure to the existence of clusters that are incommensurate with crystalline periodicity. Not addressed, however, are the chemical factors stabilizing these clusters and promoting their interconnections. We have found that glass formers are characterized by a rich cluster chemistry that above the glass transformation temperature promotes exchange as well as static and vibronic sharing of atoms between clusters. The vibronic mechanism induces correlated motions between neighboring clusters and we hypothesize that the distance over which these motions are correlated mediates metallic glass stability and influences critical cooling rates.

Crucial role of orbital structure in formation of frustrated magnetic structure in BiMnO3

The paper presents an investigation in the field of orbital physics of strongly correlated oxides. The theoretical study of vibronic mechanism of orbital and magnetic structures forming in BiMnO3 crystal is carried out. An effect of orbital structure upon superexchange interaction is described. Nonlinear and second-neighbor terms in vibronic interaction on manganese ions play an important role in magnetic ordering of frustrated BiMnO3 .I t is shown that the linear vibronic interaction is insufficient to describe the experimentally detected ferromagnetic structure of bismuth manganite. The new approach to orbital structure formation, presented in the paper, could be used not only in manganite physics but also in other Jahn-Teller compounds.

Two-photon absorption spectra of a near-infrared 2-azaazulene polymethine dye: solvation and ground-state symmetry breaking

Polymethine dyes (PDs) with absorption bands in the near-infrared region undergo symmetry breaking in polar solvents. To investigate how symmetry breaking affects nonlinear optical responses of PDs, an extensive and challenging experimental characterization of a cationic 2-azaazulene polymethine dye, including linear absorption, fluorescence, two-photon absorption and excited-state absorption, has been performed in two solvents with different polarity. Based on this extensive set of experimental data, a three-electronic-state model, accounting for the coupling of electronic degrees of freedom to molecular vibrations and polar solvation, has been reliably parameterized and validated for this dye, fully rationalizing optical spectra in terms of spectral position, intensities and bandshapes. In low-polarity solvents where the dye is mainly in its symmetric form, a nominally forbidden two-photon absorption band is observed, due to a vibronic activation mechanism. Inhomogeneous broadening plays a major role in polar solvents: absorption spectra represent the weighted sum of contributions from states with a variable amount of symmetry breaking, leading to a complex evolution of linear and nonlinear optical spectra with solvent polarity. In more polar solvents, the dominant role of the asymmetric form leads to the activation of two-photon absorption as a result of the symmetry lowering. The subtle interplay between the two mechanisms for two-photon absorption activation, vibronic coupling and polar solvation, can be fully accounted for within the proposed microscopic model allowing a detailed interpretation of the optical spectra of PDs.

Communication: Multistate quantum dynamics of photodissociation of carbon dioxide between 120 nm and 160 nm

UV absorption cross section of CO(2) is studied using high level ab initio quantum chemistry for electrons and iterative quantum dynamics for nuclear motion on interacting global full dimensional potential energy surfaces. Six electronic states-1, 2, 3(1)A(') and 1, 2, 3(1)A(")-are considered. At linearity, they correspond to the ground electronic state X̃(1)Σ(g) (+) and the optically forbidden but vibronically allowed valence states 1(1)Δ(u), 1(1)Σ(u) (-), and 1(1)Π(g). In the Franck-Condon region, these states interact via Renner-Teller and conical intersections and are simultaneously involved in an intricate network of non-adiabatic couplings. The absorption spectrum, calculated for many rotational states, reproduces the distinct two-band shape of the experimental spectrum measured at 190 K and the characteristic patterns of the diffuse structures in each band. Quantum dynamics unravel the relative importance of different vibronic mechanisms, while metastable resonance states, underlying the diffuse structures, provide dynamically based vibronic assignments of individual lines.

On the origin of oxygen isotope exchange induced ferroelectricity in strontium titanate

The quantum paraelectric strontium titanate can be made ferroelectric through replacing oxygen atoms with their heavy isotopes. Although suppressed quantum fluctuations have been widely believed to be the origin, the details remain unsettled. The controveries are often framed using Barrett formula, which involves two quantities termed T0 and T1, respectively. The obervations can be equally explained by assuming either a decrease in T1 or an increase in T0 upon isotope replacement. The conventional view holds a direct connection between quantum fluctuations and the T1 and hence adopts the decreasing T1 picture. In this paper, we offer a different opinion, in which the T1 bears a different meaning and quantum fluctuations are attached to another quantity to be denoted ω0. We show that a decrease in ω0 could diminish quantum fluctuations and simultaneously enhance T0. A vibronic mechanism is presented as a possible route to the ω0 change. The isotope effects are argued to be rather non-local. The dynamics of the system could be highly quasi-one-dimensional and this is then employed in discussing the relation between a soft mode and a recently observed central mode.

Effects of Dynamical Couplings in IR Spectra of the Hydrogen Bond inN-Phenylacrylamide Crystals

This article presents the investigation results of the polarized IR spectra of the hydrogen bond in N-phenylacrylamide crystals measured in the frequency range of the proton and deuteron, ν(N-H) and ν(N-D), stretching vibration bands. The basic spectral properties of the crystals were interpreted quantitatively in terms of the "strong-coupling" theory. The proposed model of the centrosymmetric dimer of hydrogen bonds facilitated the explanation of the well-developed, two-branch structure of the ν(N-H) and ν(N-D) bands as well as the isotopic dilution effects in the spectra. The vibronic mechanism of the generation of the long-wave branch of the ν(N-H) band ascribed to the excitation of the totally symmetric proton vibration was elucidated. The complex fine structure pattern of ν(N-H) and ν(N-D) bands in N-phenylacrylamide spectra in comparison with the spectra of other secondary amide crystals (e.g., N-methylacetamide and acetanilide) can be accounted for in terms of the vibronic model for the forbidden transition breaking in the dimers. On the basis of the linear dichroic and temperature effects in the polarized IR spectra of N-phenylacrylamide crystals, the H/D isotopic "self-organization" effects were revealed.