Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “triplet state”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19

Trifluoromethylated Phenanthroline Ligands Reduce Excited-State Distortion in Homoleptic Copper(I) Complexes

Herein, we report the synthesis and excited-state dynamics for a series of homoleptic copper(I) trifluoromethylated phenanthroline complexes with two, three, and four trifluoromethyl functional groups. Our analysis of the steady-state absorbance and emission, transient-absorption spectroscopy, and electronic-structure-theory calculations results enable in-depth analysis of the pseudo-Jahn–Teller distortion inhibition from increased steric hindrance of the trifluoromethyl functional group relative to the prototypical dimethyl phenanthroline complex. Surprisingly, our results demonstrate that the greatest degree of pseudo-Jahn–Teller distortion inhibition is achieved with trifluoromethylation of only the 2 and 9 positions by an unusual combination of steric hindrance and stabilization of a nondistorted 1 MLCT manifold observed by transient kinetic lifetimes and optimized excited-state structures. The intersystem-crossing (ISC) lifetime for the 2,9-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,10-phenanthroline Cu(I) complex is 69 ps, while the triplet excited-state lifetime and emission quantum yield are 106 ns and 4 × 10 –3 , respectively. Further trifluoromethylation of the phenanthroline yields a greater σ bond inductive withdrawing force on the phenanthroline nitrogens, ultimately resulting in weaker coordination to the copper. Last, the surprising success of the 2,9-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,10-phenanthroline Cu(I) complex by adjusting both ligand sterics and electronic properties outlines a new strategy for developing long-lived Cu(I) charge-transfer complexes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Lessons from intramolecular singlet fission with covalently bound chromophores

Molecular dimers, oligomers, and polymers are versatile components in photophysical and optoelectronic architectures that could impact a large variety of applications. We present a perspective on such systems in the field of singlet fission, which effectively multiplies excitons and produces a unique excited state species, the triplet pair. The choice of chromophore and the nature of the attachment between units, both geometrical and chemical, play a defining role in the dynamical scheme that evolves upon photoexcitation. Specific final outcomes (e.g., separated and uncorrelated triplet pairs) are being sought through rational design of covalently bound chromophore architectures built with guidance from recent fundamental studies that correlate structure with excited state population flow kinetics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Low-energy Scattering and Effective Interactions of Two Baryons at $m_{\pi}\sim$ 450 MeV from Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics

The interactions between two octet baryons are studied at low energies using lattice QCD (LQCD) with larger-than-physical quark masses corresponding to a pion mass of $m_{\pi}\sim 450$ MeV and a kaon mass of $m_{K}\sim 596$ MeV. The two-baryon systems that are analyzed range from strangeness $S=0$ to $S=-4$ and include the spin-singlet and triplet $NN$, $\Sigma N$ ($I=3/2$), and $\Xi\Xi$ states, the spin-singlet $\Sigma\Sigma$ ($I=2$) and $\Xi\Sigma$ ($I=3/2$) states, and the spin-triplet $\Xi N$ ($I=0$) state. The $s$-wave scattering phase shifts, low-energy scattering parameters, and binding energies when applicable, are extracted using L\"uscher's formalism. While the results are consistent with most of the systems being bound at this pion mass, the interactions in the spin-triplet $\Sigma N$ and $\Xi\Xi$ channels are found to be repulsive and do not support bound states. Using results from previous studies at a larger pion mass, an extrapolation of the binding energies to the physical point is performed and is compared with experimental values and phenomenological predictions. The low-energy coefficients in pionless EFT relevant for two-baryon interactions, including those responsible for $SU(3)$ flavor-symmetry breaking, are constrained. The $SU(3)$ symmetry is observed to hold approximately at the chosen values of the quark masses, as well as the $SU(6)$ spin-flavor symmetry, predicted at large $N_c$. A remnant of an accidental $SU(16)$ symmetry found previously at a larger pion mass is further observed. The $SU(6)$-symmetric EFT constrained by these LQCD calculations is used to make predictions for two-baryon systems for which the low-energy scattering parameters could not be determined with LQCD directly in this study, and to constrain the coefficients of all leading $SU(3)$ flavor-symmetric interactions, demonstrating the predictive power of two-baryon EFTs matched to LQCD.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Ten-Fold Solvent Kinetic Isotope Effect for the Nonradiative Relaxation of the Aqueous Ferrate(VI) Ion

Hypervalent iron intermediates have been invoked in the catalytic cycles of many metalloproteins, and thus, it is crucial to understand how the coupling between such species and their environment can impact their chemical and physical properties in such contexts. In this work, we take advantage of the solvent kinetic isotope effect (SKIE) to gain insight into the nonradiative deactivation of electronic excited states of the aqueous ferrate-(VI) ion. Here we observe an exceptionally large SKIE of 9.7 for the nanosecond-scale relaxation of the lowest energy triplet ligand field state to the ground state. Proton inventory studies demonstrate that a single solvent O-H bond is coupled to the ion during deactivation, likely due to the sparse vibrational structure of ferrate-(VI). Such a mechanism is consistent with that reported for the deactivation of f-f excited states of aqueous trivalent lanthanides, which exhibit comparably large SKIE values. This phenomenon is ascribed entirely to dissipation of energy into a higher overtone of a solvent acceptor mode, as any impact on the apparent relaxation rate due to a change in solvent viscosity is negligible.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Study of the p-p-K + and p-p-K - dynamics using the femtoscopy technique

The interactions of kaons (K) and antikaons ($\bar{K}$ ) with few nucleons (N) were studied so far using kaonic atom data and measurements of kaon production and interaction yields in nuclei. Some details of the three-body $\bar{K}$NN and NN dynamics are still not well understood, mainly due to the overlap with multi-nucleon interactions in nuclei. An alternative method to probe the dynamics of three-body systems with kaons is to study the final state interaction within triplet of particles emitted in pp collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, which are free from effects due to the presence of bound nucleons. This Letter reports the first femtoscopic study of p–p–K + and p–p–K - correlations measured in high-multiplicity pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV by the ALICE Collaboration. The analysis shows that the measured p–p–K + and p–p–K - correlation functions can be interpreted in terms of pairwise interactions in the triplets, indicating that the dynamics of such systems is dominated by the two-body interactions without significant contributions from three-body effects or bound states.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Delayed fluorescence from a zirconium(iv) photosensitizer with ligand-to-metal charge-transfer excited states

Advances in chemical control of the photophysical properties of transition-metal complexes are revolutionizing a wide range of technologies, particularly photocatalysis and light-emitting diodes, but they rely heavily on molecules containing precious metals such as ruthenium and iridium. While the application of earth-abundant ‘early’ transition metals in photosensitizers is clearly advantageous, a detailed understanding of excited states with ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) character is paramount to account for their distinct electron configurations. Here we report an air- and moisture-stable, visible lightabsorbing Zr(iv) photosensitizer, Zr( Mes PDP Ph ) 2 , where [ Mes PDP Ph ] 2- is the doubly deprotonated form of [2,6-bis(5-(2,4,6- trimethylphenyl)-3-phenyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)pyridine]. This molecule has an exceptionally long-lived triplet LMCT excited state (τ = 350 μs), featuring highly efficient photoluminescence emission (Ф = 0.45) due to thermally activated delayed fluorescence emanating from the higher-lying singlet configuration with significant LMCT contributions. Zr( Mes PDP Ph ) 2 engages in numerous photoredox catalytic processes and triplet energy transfer. Our exploration offers a blueprint for future photosensitizer development featuring early transition metals and excited states with significant LMCT contributions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Luminescent N-heterocyclic carbene Cu( I ) complexes with N^O chelating ligands exhibit microsecond lifetimes and photocatalytic activity

To replace precious noble metal-based photosensitizers in applications involving photoinduced charge separation, energy transfer, or photocatalysis, Cu(I) complexes are considered to be cost-effective, earth-abundant, and sustainable alternatives. An emerging and effective design principle in Cu(I) photosensitizers involves heteroleptic structures where the HOMO and LUMO are spatially separated over two different ligands. In the present work, we introduce a complementary class of heteroleptic, three-coordinate copper photosensitizers that pairs variable N^O chelating ligands (8-hydroxyquinoline and 10-hydroxybenzo[h]quinoline) with a bulky 2,6-diisopropylphenyl-substituted N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC). In this design, both frontier orbitals are localized on the same ligand, the N^O chelate, such that structural modulation of the electron-rich N^O-chelates can substantially tune the energy levels of the HOMO and LUMO, thereby controlling the photoluminescence properties. Detailed photophysical and electrochemical experiments as well as DFT calculations suggest charge-transfer transitions with intra-ligand charge transfer (ILCT) character, involving the N^O ligands. This strategy successfully produced long triplet excited-state lifetimes (up to 44 µs) in compounds that are strong photoreductants (E([Cu] + /*[Cu] as negative as −2.0 V vs. the ferrocenium/ferrocene couple). These properties allow these photosensitizers to be used as photocatalysts in various transformations of organic compounds, such as hydrogenation of substituted benzophenones, hydrodehalogenation of aryl/alkyl halides (including challenging C–Cl bond activation) and E/Z isomerization of (E)-stilbene (an example of triplet–triplet energy transfer).

Chakraborty, Soumi [University of Houston, TX (Uni↗

High-Level Reverse Intersystem Crossing and Molecular Rigidity Improve Spin Statistics for Triplet–Triplet Annihilation Upconversion

The structural factors affecting triplet−triplet annihilation (TTA) at the molecular level are not well-understood. Here, our steady-state photoluminescence and transient absorption results demonstrate that the spin statistical factor, η, decreases from 0.60 to 0.46 and 0.14 going from 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) to the 1,5-DPA and 2,6-DPA isomers, respectively, during photon upconversion with a platinum octaethylporphyrin sensitizer. Density functional theory (DFT) shows that η depends on the energetics of hot triplet states and molecular rigidity. The significantly high conical intersection energy between the S 0 and T 1 states for 9,10-DPA gives its longer triplet lifetime. Time-dependent DFT calculations show that 9,10-DPA and 1,5-DPA can undergo high-level reverse intersystem crossing from their T 2 and T 3 states, respectively, to the bright S 1 state, increasing the limit of the spin statistical factor. Both factors ultimately serve to enhance the TTA efficiency. Furthermore, this work provides insight into designing molecules for efficient light-emitting and photon upconversion applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Lifting of level-1 states in the D1D5 CFT

The D1D5 CFT has a large set of states that are supersymmetric at the ‘free’ orbifold point in moduli space. When we perturb away from this point, some of these states join into long multiplets and lift in energy, while others remain supersymmetric. The count of unlifted states can be bounded below by an index, but the index does not yield the pattern of lifting; i.e., which states join into a long multiplet and how much this multiplet lifts. In this paper we consider the simple case of the D1D5 CFT where the orbifold CFT is a sigma model with targets space (T 4 ) 2 /S 2 and consider states at energy level 1. There are 2688 states at this level. The lifted states form a triplet of long multiplets, and we compute their lift at second order in perturbation theory. Half the members of the long multiplet are in the untwisted sector and half are in the twisted sector. This and other similar studies should help in the understanding of fuzzball states that describe extremal holes, since CFT sectors with low twist describe shallow throats in the dual gravity solution while sectors with high twist describe deep throats.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Complete polarization of electronic spins in OLEDs

At low temperatures and high magnetic fields, electron and hole spins in an organic light-emitting diode become polarized so that recombination preferentially forms molecular triplet excited-state species. For low device currents, magnetoelectroluminescence perfectly follows Boltzmann activation, implying a virtually complete polarization outcome. As the current increases, the magnetoelectroluminescence effect is reduced because spin polarization is suppressed by the reduction in carrier residence time within the device. Under these conditions, an additional field-dependent process affecting the spin-dependent recombination emerges, possibly related to the build-up of triplet excitons and their interaction with free charge carriers. Suppression of the EL alone does not prove electronic spin polarization. We therefore probe changes in the spin statistics of recombination directly in a dual singlet-triplet emitting material, which shows a concomitant rise in phosphorescence intensity as fluorescence is suppressed. Finite spin-orbit coupling in these materials gives rise to a microscopic distribution in effective g-factors of electrons and holes, Δg, i.e., a distribution in Larmor frequencies. This Δg effect in the pair, which mixes singlet and triplet, further suppresses singlet-exciton formation at high fields in addition to thermal spin polarization of the individual carriers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Photoluminescence of a Uranium(IV) Alkoxide Complex

In this report, we describe the photoluminescence of a homoleptic uranium(IV) alkoxide complex. Excitation of [Li(THF)] 2 [U IV (O t Bu) 6 ] leads to the first example of photoluminescence from a well-defined actinide complex originating from an f–f excitation, supported by second order multiconfigurational electronic structure calculations including spin–orbit coupling. These calculations show strong spin–orbit coupling between the excited triplet and singlet states for the 5f-orbital manifold, which leads to a long-lived excited state lifetime of 0.85 s at low temperature. The photophysical properties of homoleptic uranium(V) and uranium(VI) tertbutoxide complexes are also presented; we find that oxidation of the uranium(IV) alkoxide results in quenching of luminescence in [Li(THF)][U V (O t Bu) 6 ] and [U VI (O t Bu) 6 ]. This is attributed to competing ligand to metal charge transfer absorption processes shifted to lower energy upon oxidation of the actinide center, which mask the relevant f–f transitions in the visible region of the electronic absorption spectrum.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Optical properties of a diamond NV color center from capped embedded multiconfigurational correlated wavefunction theory

Diamond defects are among the most promising qubits. Modeling their properties through accurate quantum mechanical simulations can further their development into robust units of information. We use the recently developed capped density functional embedding theory (capped-DFET) with the multiconfigurational n-electron valence second-order perturbation theory to characterize the electronic excitation energies for different spin manifolds of the well-characterized negatively charged substitutional N defect adjacent to a vacancy (V C ) in diamond (N C V C − ). We successfully reproduce vertical excitation energies for both triplet and singlet states of N C V C − with errors < 0.1 eV. Unlike other embedding methods, capped-DFET exhibits robust predictions that are approximately independent of the embedded cluster size: it only requires a cluster to contain the defect atoms and their nearest neighbors (as small as a 40-atom capped cluster). Furthermore, our method is free from slowly converging Coulomb interactions between charged defects, and thus also only weakly dependent on supercell size.

Chemistry↗

Statistical equilibrium in cometary C2. II - Swan/Phillips band ratios

Statistical equilibrium calculations have been made for both the triplet and ground state singlets for C2 in comets, using the exchange rate as a free parameter. The predictions of the results are consistent with optical observations and may be tested definitively by accurate observations of the Phillips and Swan band ratios. Comparison with the one reported observation indicates compatibility with a low exchange rate and resonance fluorescence statistical equilibrium.

Swamy, K. S. K.↗

Mechanistic studies related to the safety of Li/SOCl2 cells

Mechanistic studies of the reactions in Li-SOCl2 cells have been undertaken to improve understanding of the safety problems of these cells. The electrochemical reduction of 1.5M LiAlCl4/SOCl2 has been investigated using gas chromatography, electron spin resonance spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. Cl2 and S2Cl2 have been identified as intermediates in the reduction of SOCl2, along with a radical species (g/xx/ = 2.004, g/yy/ = 2.016, g/zz/ = 2.008) and the proposed triplet ground-state dimer of this radical. SO2 and sulfur have been identified as products. Based upon these findings, a mechanism for the electrochemical reduction of 1.5M LiAlCl4/SOCl2 has been proposed, and its implications for safety of Li-SOCl2 cells during discharge to +0.5V at 25-30 C are discussed.

Carter, B. J.↗

Heat of formation determination of the ground and excited state of cyanomethylene (HCCN) radical

Ab initio electronic structure theory has been used to characterize the structure of the ground triplet and lowest singlet excited states of cyanomethylene. The geometries, vibrational frequencies, and heats of formation have been determined using second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation, single and double excitation configuration interaction, and quadratic configuration interaction theory. The heat of formation is predicted with isodesmic reaction and Gaussian-2 theory (G2) for the ground triplet and first excited singlet states of cyanomethylene. For the ground state Delta-H(sub 0)(sup f,0) is 114.8+/-2 kcal/mol while for the excited single state it is 126.5+/-2 kcal/mol.

Francisco, Joseph S.↗

Triplet Photosensitized para -Hydrogen Induced Polarization

Despite its enormous utility in structural characterization, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is inherently limited by low spin polarization. One method to address the low polarization is para-hydrogen (p-H 2 ) induced polarization (PHIP) which uses the singlet spin isomer of H 2 to generate disparate nuclear spin populations to amplify the associated NMR signals. PHIP often relies on thermal catalysis or, more infrequently, UV-activated catalytic hydrogenation. Light-activated hydrogenation enables direct and timed control over the hyperpolarization of target substrates, critical for identifying short-lived intermediates. Here, we use an established Ir(III) triplet photosensitizer (PS) to visible light sensitize the triplet ligand-field states in the d6-transition metal dihydride Ru(CO)(PPh 3 ) 3 (H) 2 (1). Excitation inside a 9.4 T NMR spectrometer with the PS and a 420 nm blue LED, under 3 atm of p-H 2 , successfully photosensitized hyperpolarization in 1 and in a range of unsaturated substrates at and below room temperature, up to 1630-fold. In otherwise identical experimental conditions without light activation, no polarization was realized in 1 or the substrates evaluated. We believe triplet-sensitized PHIP (Trip- PHIP) represents a facile experimental means for probing triplet sensitized light activation in transition metal catalysts possessing low-lying triplet ligand-field states, providing mechanistic insight of potentially tremendous value in chemical catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Regulation of Side‐Chain Symmetry for Delaying Triplet Formation and Suppressing Non‐Radiative Loss in Organic Solar Cells

Abstract The structural revolutions of non‐fullerene acceptors (NFAs) have driven continuous efficiency breakthroughs in organic solar cells (OSCs). Rational regulation of NFA structures toward efficient exciton dissociation and mitigated non‐radiative recombination is pivotal for OSCs. The incorporation of asymmetric side chains on NFAs can often achieve these goals by inducing a desirable aggregate state. However, it lacks the studies to directly correlate the side‐chain symmetry of NFAs with the exciton delocalization and triplet dynamics in OSCs. Herein, The influence of structural symmetry on the aggregate properties is systematically investigated and exciton/charge dynamics based on two developed biaxial‐conjugated NFAs with varied side‐chain symmetry. The symmetric NFA having diverse molecular packing orientations can form multiple charge transfer channels in its blend with polymer donor, which cannot be found in that comprising the asymmetric ones. Moreover, a slower rate and lower ratio of the spin‐triplet state are formed in the blend of symmetric NFA, resulting in a much lower non‐radiative voltage loss in corresponding OSCs. This study reveals the distinct advantages of symmetric NFAs in both aggregate properties and exciton/charge dynamics over those of asymmetric ones, paving the way for developing high‐performance OSCs using easier‐to‐prepare, low‐cost symmetric materials.

Chemistry↗

Importance of Dispersion in the Molecular Geometries of Mn(III) Spin-Crossover Complexes

The computational investigation of the molecular geometries of a pair of manganese(III) spin-crossover complexes is reported. For the geometry of the quintet high-spin state, density functionals significantly overestimate Mn–Namine bond distances, although the geometry for the triplet intermediate-spin state is well described. Here, comparisons with several wave function-based methods demonstrate that this error is due to the limited ability of commonly used density functionals to recover dispersion beyond a certain extent. Among the methods employed for geometry optimization, restricted open-shell Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) appropriately describes the high-spin geometry but results in a slightly shorter Mn–O distance in both spin states. On the other hand, extended multistate complete active space second-order perturbation theory (XMS-CASPT2) provides a good description of the geometry for the intermediate-spin state but also sufficiently recovers dispersion, performing well for the high-spin state. Despite the fact that the electronic structure of both spin states is dominated by one-electron configuration, XMS-CASPT2 offers a balanced approach, leading to molecular geometries with much better agreement with experiment than MP2 and DFT. A scan along the Mn–N amine bond demonstrates that for these complexes coupled cluster methods (i.e., DLPNO-CCSD(T)) also yield bond distances in agreement with experiment while multiconfiguration pair density functional theory (MC-PDFT) is unable to recover dispersion well enough, analogous to single-reference DFT.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗