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Methods to Calculate Electronic Excited-State Dynamics for Molecules on Large Metal Clusters with Many States: Ensuring Fast Overlap Calculations and a Robust Choice of Phase

Here, we present an efficient set of methods for propagating excited-state dynamics involving a large number of configuration interaction singles (CIS) or Tamm-Dancoff approximation (TDA) single-reference excited states. Specifically, (i) following Head-Gordon et al., we implement an exact evaluation of the overlap of singly-excited CIS/TDA electronic states at different nuclear geometries using a biorthogonal basis and (ii) we employ a unified protocol for choosing the correct phase for each adiabat at each geometry. For many-electron systems, the combination of these techniques significantly reduces the computational cost of integrating the electronic Schrodinger equation and imposes minimal overhead on top of the underlying electronic structure calculation. As a demonstration, we calculate the electronic excited-state dynamics for a hydrogen molecule scattering off a silver metal cluster, focusing on high-lying excited states, where many electrons can be excited collectively and crossings are plentiful. Interestingly, we find that the high-lying, plasmon-like collective excitation spectrum changes with nuclear dynamics, highlighting the need to simulate non-adiabatic nuclear dynamics and plasmonic excitations simultaneously. In the future, the combination of methods presented here should help theorists build a mechanistic understanding of plasmon-assisted charge transfer and excitation energy relaxation processes near a nanoparticle or metal surface.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Virtual Excited State Reference for the Discovery of Electronic Materials Database: An Open-Access Resource for Ground and Excited State Properties of Organic Molecules

This letter announces the Virtual Excited State Reference for the Discovery of Electronic Materials Database (VERDE materials DB), the first database to include downloadable excited-state structures (S 0 , S 1 , T 1 ) and photophysical properties. Furthermore, VERDE materials DB is searchable, open-access via www.verdedb.org , and focused on light-responsive π-conjugated organic molecules with applications in green chemistry, organic solar cells, and organic redox flow batteries. It includes results of our active and past virtual screening studies; to date, more than 13 000 density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed on 1 500 molecules to obtain frontier molecular orbitals and photophysical properties, including excitation energies, dipole moments, and redox potentials. To improve community access, we have made VERDE materials DB available via an integration with the Materials Data Facility. We are leveraging VERDE materials DB to train machine learning algorithms to identify new materials and structure–property relationships between molecular ground- and excited-states. We present a case-study involving photoaffinity labels, including predictions of new diazirine-based photoaffinity labels anticipated to have high photostabilities.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Reductive Dynamic and Static Excited State Quenching of a Homoleptic Ruthenium Complex Bearing Aldehyde Groups

A new homoleptic Ru polypyridyl complex bearing two aldehyde groups on each bipyridine ligand, [Ru(dab) 3 ](PF 6 ) 2 , where dab is 4,4′-dicarbaldehyde-2,2′-bipyridine, was synthesized, characterized, and utilized for iodide photo-oxidation studies. In acetonitrile (CH 3 CN) solution, the complex displayed an intense metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) absorbance maximum at 475 nm (ε = 22,000 M –1 cm –1 ) and an infrared (IR) band at 1712 cm –1 assigned to the pendent aldehyde groups. Visible light excitation in air-saturated solution resulted in room temperature photoluminescence (PL) with a maximum at 675 nm, a quantum yield, ϕ PL = 0.048, and an excited state lifetime, τ ο = 440 ns, from which radiative and nonradiative relaxation rate constants were extracted, k r = 9.1 × 10 4 s –1 and knr = 1.8 × 10 6 s –1 . Pulsed visible light excitation yielded transient UV–vis and IR absorption spectra consistent with an MLCT excited state; relaxation occurred with the maintenance of two isosbestic points in the visible region, and a lifetime that agreed with that measured by time-resolved PL. Cyclic voltammetry studies in a CH 3 CN solution with 0.1 M TBAPF 6 electrolyte revealed a quasi-reversible oxidation, E°(Ru III/II ) = +1.25 V vs. Fc +/0 , and three sequential one-electron reductions at −1.10, −1.25, and −1.54 V vs. Fc +/0 . Here, an excited state reduction potential of E°(Ru *2+/+ ) = +0.89 V vs. Fc +/0 was estimated with the Rehm–Weller expression. Titration of tetrabutylammonium iodide, TBAI, into a CD 3 CN solution of [Ru(dab) 3 ](PF 6 ) 2 resulted in significant shifts in the aldehyde H atom and 3,3′-biypridyl resonances that were analyzed with a 1:1 equilibrium model, from which K eq = 460 M –1 was extracted, increasing to 5800 M –1 when the solvent was changed to acetone-d 6 . Iodide titrations resulted in a significant quenching of the [Ru(dab) 3 ] *2+ lifetime and quantum yield in both CH 3 CN and acetone solvents. In CH 3 CN, the quenching was mainly dynamic and well described by the Stern–Volmer model, from which a quenching rate constant, k q , of 4.5 × 10 10 M –1 s –1 and an equilibrium constant, K eq , of 8.3 × 10 3 M –1 were obtained. In acetone, the static quenching pathway by iodide was greatly enhanced, with a K eq of 1.2 × 10 4 M –1 and a higher k q of 9.2 × 10 10 M –1 s –1 .

Aldehydes↗

Excited state electron transfer in A 2 and A 2 B 2 functionalized zinc porphyrins carrying rigid and flexible β -pyrrole π-extended substituents

Optical absorption and emission, electrochemical, and photochemical properties of peripherally functionalized with flexible and rigid π-extended substituents on A 2 and A 2 B 2 type zinc porphyrins is investigated. The significance of rigid π-substituents over flexible ones in governing the spectral properties is unraveled. Flexible π-substituents on the porphyrin ring caused appreciable spectral broadening compared to porphyrin carrying rigid π-substituents. Further, supramolecular dyads are formed by coordinating phenyl imidazole functionalized fullerene, C 60 Im. Here, the calculated binding constants for the 1:1 complexes is in the order of 2–7 × 10 5 M −1 suggesting stable complex formation. Free-energy calculations performed according to the Rehm–Weller approach suggested possibility of excited state electron transfer in these dyads. Femtosecond transient absorption studies of the dyads performed in o-dichlorobenzene showed evidence of occurrence of electron transfer from the singlet-excited state that was in competition with the intersystem crossing process to populate the triplet-excited state of porphyrins.

A2 and A2B2 functionalized zinc↗

Radiative properties of quantum emitters in boron nitride from excited state calculations and Bayesian analysis

Abstract Point defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have attracted growing attention as bright single-photon emitters. However, understanding of their atomic structure and radiative properties remains incomplete. Here we study the excited states and radiative lifetimes of over 20 native defects and carbon or oxygen impurities in hBN using ab initio density functional theory and GW plus Bethe-Salpeter equation calculations, generating a large data set of their emission energy, polarization and lifetime. We find a wide variability across quantum emitters, with exciton energies ranging from 0.3 to 4 eV and radiative lifetimes from ns to ms for different defect structures. Through a Bayesian statistical analysis, we identify various high-likelihood charge-neutral defect emitters, among which the native V N N B defect is predicted to possess emission energy and radiative lifetime in agreement with experiments. Our work advances the microscopic understanding of hBN single-photon emitters and introduces a computational framework to characterize and identify quantum emitters in 2D materials.

Chemistry↗

Excited-State Charge Transfer in Push–Pull Platinum(II) π-Extended Porphyrins Fused with Pentacenequinone

Platinum(II) π-extended porphyrins fused with pentacenequinone and dihydropentacene have been successfully synthesized. These porphyrins were investigated using various techniques including absorption, steady-state, and time-resolved phosphorescence spectroscopy and differential pulse voltammetry. UV–vis absorption spectra of pentacenequinone-fused porphyrins (SW-Pt1 and SW-Pt2) showed unusually broad and nontypical absorption patterns. Phosphorescence spectra of SW-Pt1, SW-Pt2, and SW-Pt3 displayed similar emissions in the 704–706 nm region indicating electronic transitions of similar origin; however, the triplet lifetimes were found to be quenched in the case of both SW-Pt1 and SW-Pt2, suggesting the occurrence of excited-state events. Facile reductions were obtained for both the pentacene-quinone-fused monomer (SW-Pt2) and dimer (SW-Pt1) and were identified to be located at the pentacenequinone components. Here, the observed orbital segregations for SW-Pt2 and SW-Pt1 from DFT calculations supported the possibility of charge transfer in these push–pull systems. Interestingly, the established energy level diagram revealed that the charge transfer from the triplet excited Pt porphyrin is thermodynamically an uphill process. Systematic studies involving both femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption techniques revealed that the singlet excited Pt porphyrins undergo an intermediate charge transfer state prior to populating the triplet state, providing a plausible explanation for phosphorescence quenching. The lifetime of the intermediate charge transfer states was found to be 25.9 and 5.68 ps, respectively, for SW-Pt1 and SW-Pt2.

Charge transfer↗

Self-Consistent Field Methods for Excited States in Strong Magnetic Fields: A Comparison Between Energy - and Variance-based Approaches

An efficient implementation of geometrical derivatives at the Hartree–Fock (HF) and current-density functional theory (CDFT) levels is presented for the study of molecular structure in strong magnetic fields. The required integral derivatives are constructed using a hybrid McMurchie–Davidson and Rys quadrature approach, which combines the amenability of the former to the evaluation of derivative integrals with the efficiency of the latter for basis sets with high angular momentum. In addition to its application to evaluating derivatives of four-center integrals, this approach is also applied to gradients using the resolution-of-the-identity approximation, enabling efficient optimization of molecular structure for many-electron systems under a strong magnetic field. The CDFT contributions have been implemented for a wide range of density functionals up to and including the meta-GGA level with current-density dependent contributions and (range-separated) hybrids for the first time. Illustrative applications are presented to the OH and benzene molecules, revealing the rich and complex chemistry induced by the presence of an external magnetic field. Challenges for geometry optimization in strong fields are highlighted, along with the requirement for careful analysis of the resulting electronic structure at each stationary point. The importance of correlation effects is examined by comparison of results at the HF and CDFT levels. The present implementation of molecular gradients at the CDFT level provides a cost-effective approach to the study of molecular structure under strong magnetic fields, opening up many new possibilities for the study of chemistry in this regime.

Comparison↗

Low-energy scattering properties of ground-state and excited-state positronium collisions

Low-energy elastic and inelastic scattering in the Ps(1s)-Ps(2s) channel is treated in a four-body hyperspherical coordinate calculation. Adiabatic potentials are calculated for triplet-triplet, singlet-singlet, and singlet-triplet spin symmetries in the spin representation of coupled electrons and coupled positrons, with total angular momentum L = 0 and parity equal to +1. The s-wave scattering lengths for the asymptotic Ps(1s)-Ps(2s) channel are calculated for each spin configuration. Results obtained for the s-wave scattering lengths are a TT = 7.3(2)a 0 – i0.02(1) a 0 , a SS = 13.2(2) a 0 – i0.9 (2) a 0 , and a ST = 9.7(2) a 0 for each spin configuration. Spin recoupling is implemented to extract the scattering lengths for collisions of Ps in different spin configurations through properly symmetrized unitary transformations. Furthermore, calculations of experimentally relevant scattering lengths and cross sections are carried out for Ps atoms initially prepared in different uncoupled spin states.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Long-Lived Triplet Excited State in a Heterogeneous Modified Carbon Nitride Photocatalyst

Heterogeneous carbon nitrides have numerous advantages as photocatalysts, including strong light absorption, tunable band edges, and scalability, but their performance and continued development are limited by fast charge recombination and an under-developed mechanistic understanding of photodriven interfacial electron transfer. These shortcomings are a result of complex photophysics, leading to rate asynchrony between oxidation and reduction, as well as redox processes driven out of electronic trap states rather than excited states. We show that a well-defined triplet excited state in cyanamide-modified carbon nitride is realized with appropriately sized particles. The utility of this long-lived excited state is demonstrated by its ability to drive a hydroamidation photoredox cycle. By the tuning of the particle size of CN x , the oxidation–reduction photochemistry of carbon nitride may be balanced to achieve a redox-neutral closed photocatalytic cycle. Here, these results uncover a triplet excited state chemistry for appropriately sized CNx particles that preludes a rich energy and electron transfer photochemistry for these materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Exploring Excited State Proton Transfer Dynamics upon Ultraviolet Excitation

Excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) has been investigated in two prototypical systems─salicylaldehyde azine (SAA) and 1,5-dihydroxyanthraquinone (DHAQ)─using transient absorption spectroscopy upon ultraviolet excitation into the less studied higher excited (S n ) manifold. Excitation with sub-30 fs pulses and broadband visible probing has allowed for direct measurement of the ESIPT rate. In conjunction with steady-state measurements and TD-DFT calculations, a complete delineation of the ultrafast photophysics has been carried out. In SAA, ESIPT remains ultrafast (∼30 fs), consistent with previous S 1 excitation studies. Coherent vibrational beats maps reveal significant wavelength dependence, however. Theoretical analysis suggests that the observed modes and their intensities in coherent vibrational spectra are modulated by the nature of the electronically excited state. In DHAQ, the first direct observation of ESIPT presents a time-constant of ∼85 fs, and a slower component of 9 ps, akin to previous reports on double-proton transfer systems. Collectively, the results suggest that while the ultrafast ESIPT rate remains largely invariant vis-à-vis the excitation energy, the product yield, as well as accompanying coherent oscillations, may be substantively altered, owing to the existence of alternative decay pathways.

excited states↗

Isoenergetic two-photon excitation enhances solvent-to-solute excited-state proton transfer

Two-photon excitation (TPE) is an attractive means for controlling chemistry in both space and time. Since isoenergetic one- and twophoton excitations (OPE and TPE) in non-centrosymmetric molecules are allowed to reach the same excited state, it is usually assumed that they produce similar excited-state reactivity. We compare the solvent-to-solute excited-state proton transfer of the super photobase FR0-SB following isoenergetic OPE and TPE. We find up to 62% increased reactivity following TPE compared to OPE. From steady-state spectroscopy, we rule out the involvement of different excited states and find that OPE and TPE spectra are identical in non-polar solvents but not in polar ones. We propose that differences in the matrix elements that contribute to the two-photon absorption cross sections lead to the observed enhanced isoenergetic reactivity, consistent with the predictions of our high-level coupledcluster-based computational protocol. We find that polar solvent configurations favor greater dipole moment change between ground and excited states, which enters the probability for TPE as the absolute value squared. This, in turn, causes a difference in the Franck– Condon region reached via TPE compared to OPE. We conclude that a new method has been found for controlling chemical reactivity via the matrix elements that affect two-photon cross sections, which may be of great utility for spatial and temporal precision chemistry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗