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Two-photon excited near-infrared fluorescence materials have garnered considerable attention because of their superior optical penetration, higher spatial resolution, and lower optical scattering compared with other optical materials. Herein, a convenient and efficient supramolecular approach is used to synthesize a two-photon excited near-infrared emissive co-crystalline material. A naphthalenediimide-based triangular macrocycle and coronene form selectively two co-crystals. The triangle-shaped co-crystal emits deep-red fluorescence, while the quadrangle-shaped co-crystal displays deep-red and near-infrared emission centered on 668 nm, which represents a 162 nm red-shift compared with its precursors. Benefiting from intermolecular charge transfer interactions, the two co-crystals possess higher calculated two-photon absorption cross-sections than those of their individual constituents. Their two-photon absorption bands reach into the NIR-II region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The quadrangle-shaped co-crystal constitutes a unique material that exhibits two-photon absorption and near-infrared emission simultaneously. This co-crystallization strategy holds considerable promise for the future design and synthesis of more advanced optical materials., Two-photon excited near-infrared fluorescence materials have garnered considerable attention because of their superior optical properties compared with other optical materials. Here, the authors use a convenient and efficient supramolecular approach to synthesize a two-photon excited near-infrared emissive co-crystalline material.

Quantum mechanical embedding methods hold the promise to transform not just the way calculations are performed, but to significantly reduce computational costs and improve scaling for macro-molecular systems containing hundreds if not thousands of atoms. The field of embedding has grown increasingly broad with many approaches of different intersecting flavors. In this perspective, we lay out the methods into two streams: QM:MM and QM:QM, showcasing the advantages and disadvantages of both. We provide a review of the literature, the underpinning theories including our contributions, and we highlight current applications with select examples spanning both materials and life sciences. We conclude with prospects and future outlook on embedding, and our view on the use of universal test case scenarios for cross-comparisons of the many available (and future) embedding theories.

Platinum (II) dimers in organometallic complexes exhibit oscillatory vibrational charge transfer with optical excitation and whose nature depends strongly on the Pt-Pt distance. Yet the electronic transport of such devices has not been studied. We take a well-reported Pt(II) dimer complex that is ideal for transport in a molecular junction and subject it to a battery of electronic structure property calculations. With DFT, we find the orbital nature of the HOMO level to not be solely induced by the 5dz2 orbital as long thought, but rather a complex mixture with significant contributions from 6s orbital states from the Au electrodes that have not been considered before. We probe how the chemical tuning of the ligand affects the Pt-Pt bond length and thus conduction, by systematically modifying both the bridging ligands (BL) and cyclometallating ligands (CMLs) with donor (methyl) and acceptor (fluorine) derivatives. With nonequilibrium green’s functions (NEGF-DFT), we find patterns between the conductivity,...

Noble metal nanoclusters containing dozens to hundreds of metal atoms are of great interest because of their unique optical properties. Classical electrodynamics fails to describe the optical prope...

Finite-sized boron nanomaterials have received little attention in comparison to their graphene-like 2D boron analogues. It is with systems of precise atomic structures where the electrical conductance can be most fruitfully analyzed at the fundamental level. To understand how conductance varies with respect to the electronic structure, and particularly with vacancies, we study finite-sized boron nanoflakes (BNFs) and closely examine their remarkable changes in physical properties. Unlike carbon-based materials, we find from non-equilibrium Green's functions density functional theory (NEGF-DFT) calculations that the charge transport of BNFs with 35–37 atoms is modulated by site-specific atomic vacancies. The BNF with no vacancy (B37) shows significantly lower conductivity (9.23 μS), than B36 with one vacancy (46.1 μS), and lower still than with two vacancies (B35, 54.2 μS). From the thermopower function, these nanomaterials change from strong hole conductors to electron and back to hole conductors with the addition of each vacancy, from a doublet (B37) to singlet (B36) to doublet (B35) ground state, respectively. The projected density of states also reveals a trend from semiconducting to metallic-like character. A key finding is the observation of vacancy-dependent electronic transmission Stark effects (ETSEs) with respect to bias voltage (±1 V) in these molecular junctions. B37 exhibits quadratic behavior of resonance shifting, B36 shows competition between quadratic and cubic, and B35 exhibits a linear Stark effect, although this masks the nature of a cubic response at bias exceeding ±0.8 V. We prove that the vacancy position is a determining factor in the quadratic or linear ETSE behavior, from isomeric structures of these BNFs. The I–V responses also reveal that charge transport increases with vacancy for these nanoflakes. Thus, not only do vacancies affect nanoflake conductivity, but they also affect the nature of electrical transmission in the presence of a voltage bias, which is important for transistor switching. It follows then, that rather than seeking to fabricate electronic devices with pristine, defect-free boron nanoflakes, we should, however, be introducing site-specific atomic defects for high-performance devices.

International audience; The aim of molecular electronics is to miniaturize active electronic devices and ultimately construct single-molecule nanocircuits using molecules with diverse structures featuring various functions, which is extremely challenging. Here, we realize a gate-controlled rectifying function (the on/off ratio reaches ∼60) and a high-performance field effect (maximum on/off ratio >100) simultaneously in an initially symmetric single-molecule photoswitch comprising a dinuclear ruthenium-diarylethene (Ru-DAE) complex sandwiched covalently between graphene electrodes. Both experimental and theoretical results consistently demonstrate that the initially degenerated frontier molecular orbitals localized at each Ru fragment in the open-ring Ru-DAE molecule can be tuned separately and shift asymmetrically under gate electric fields. This symmetric orbital shifting (AOS) lifts the degeneracy and breaks the molecular symmetry, which is not only essential to achieve a diode-like behavior with tunable rectification ratio and controlled polarity, but also enhances the field-effect on/off ratio at the rectification direction. In addition, this gate-controlled symmetry-breaking effect can be switched on/off by isomerizing the DAE unit between its open-ring and closed-ring forms with light stimulus. This new scheme offers a general and efficient strategy to build high-performance multifunctional molecular nanocircuits.

Coherence is a significant factor in nanoscale electronic insulator technology and necessitates an understanding of the structure–property relationship between constructive and destructive quantum ...

Organic photovoltaic devices have been steadily becoming more efficient through a combination of reduction in voltage losses, minimization of recombination pathways, and an increase in dimensionali...

Quantum teleportation transfers the quantum state of a system over an arbitrary distance from one location to another through the agency of quantum entanglement. Because quantum teleportation is essential to many aspects of quantum information science, it is important to establish this phenomenon in molecular systems whose structures and properties can be tailored by synthesis. Here, we demonstrate electron spin state teleportation in an ensemble of covalent organic donor–acceptor–stable radical (D–A–R•) molecules. Following preparation of a specific electron spin state on R• in a magnetic field using a microwave pulse, photoexcitation of A results in the formation of an entangled electron spin pair D•+–A•−. The spontaneous ultrafast chemical reaction D•+–A•−–R• → D•+–A–R− constitutes the Bell state measurement step necessary to carry out spin state teleportation. Quantum state tomography of the R• and D•+ spin states using pulse electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy shows that the spin state of R• is teleported to D•+ with high fidelity. Quantum teleportation moves the quantum state of a system between physical locations without losing its coherence, an essential criterion for emerging quantum information applications. Now, electron-spin-state teleportation in covalent organic electron donor–acceptor–stable radical molecules is demonstrated using entangled electron spins produced by photo-induced electron transfer.

Charge transport occurs in a range of biomolecular systems, whose structures have covalent and noncovalent bonds. Understanding from these systems have yet to translate into molecular junction devices. We design junctions which have hydrogen-bonds between the edges of a series of prototype noncovalent nanobelts (NCNs) and vary the number of donor-acceptors to study their electrical properties. From frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) and projected density of state (DOS) calculations, we found these NCN dimer junctions to have low HOMO-LUMO gaps and states at the Fermi level, suggesting these are metallic-like systems. Their conductance properties were studied with nonequilibrium Green's functions density functional theory (NEGF-DFT) and was found to decrease with cooperative H-bonding, that is, the conductance decreased as the alternating donor-acceptors around the nanobelts attenuates to a uniform distribution in the H-bonding arrays. The latter gave the highest conductance of 51.3 × 10

Interaction with a solid boundary can alter the local order in the liquid near the boundary—an effect that is of special importance in geometries where these layers of altered structure occupy a si...

Research within density functional theory (DFT) has led to a large set of conceptual and computational methodologies to explore and understand the electronic structure of molecules and solids. Among the most commonly employed techniques in DFT are those of hybrid functionals, which are capable of producing accurate results for diverse properties, with notable exceptions. However, other techniques have been proposed to address limitations in the application of conventional hybrid functional techniques, especially to cases where a single reference is insufficient to achieve a proper description of the system of interest. In this paper we consider several previous developments in the field for the combination of local and nonlocal potentials and show that they can be formalized within the constrained-search Levy formalism, offering routes and ideas for the development of (nontraditional) density functionals, especially for treating strongly correlated regions of a molecule. The proposed formalism is centered around the idea of decomposing into domains the differential volume elements that are present in the definition of the electronic repulsion operator, which is contained in the electronic Hamiltonian, but this can also be applied to other operators as well. We show that the domain decomposition leads to a formulation that allows for the combination of different theories: DFT, correlated wave function theory, and Hartree-Fock, among others. This combination could accelerate the computation of electronic properties and allow for explicit inclusion, at the wave function level, of correlation effects, as in configuration-interaction theory. Our discussion covers both single- and multideterminantal methods. We demonstrate the approach through a simple application to the electronic structure of the methane and ethylene molecules, in which nonlocal exchange is applied to a given set of atoms, or domains, with the remaining atoms modeled with the local density approximation.

The design, synthesis, and operation of single-molecule sensor devices are outstanding challenges in the field of molecular electronics. These devices are of significant interest as they could report the presence of harmful substances in different environments. Motivated by this, by means of non-equilibrium Green’s function density functional theory, we investigate the properties of pristine single-molecule junctions comprised of single-walled heterocyclic nanobelts terminated with sulfur in contact with gold electrodes. These nanobelts are single slices of nanotubes, resulting in a molecular belt of fused aromatic rings, which have the shortest possible length of a nanotube; thus, fundamental studies of transport properties can be performed because of their finite size. We probe the charge transport and thermoelectric properties as a function of voltage bias and temperature. We find the radius of the nanobelt, and thus the number of Au–S contacts, has a strong impact on their electronic properties. With ...

Singlet fission (SF) is a photophysical process capable of boosting the efficiency of solar cells. Recent experimental investigations into the mechanism of SF provide evidence for coherent mixing between the singlet, triplet, and charge transfer basis states. Up until now, this interpretation has largely focused on electronic interactions; however, nuclear motions resulting in vibronic coupling have been suggested to support rapid and efficient SF in organic chromophore assemblies. Further information about the complex interactions between vibronic excited states is needed to understand the potential role of this coupling in SF. Here, we report mixed singlet and correlated triplet pair states giving rise to sub-50 fs SF in a terrylene-3,4:11,12-bis(dicarboximide) (TDI) dimer in which the two TDI molecules are covalently linked by a direct N-N connection at one of their imide positions, leading to a linear dimer with perpendicular TDI π systems. We observe the transfer of low-frequency coherent wavepackets between the initial predominantly singlet states to the product triplet-dominated states. This implies a non-negligible dependence of SF on nonadiabatic coupling in this dimer. We interpret our experimental results in the framework of a modified Holstein Hamiltonian, which predicts that vibronic interactions between low-frequency singlet modes and high-frequency correlated triplet pair motions lead to mixing of the pure basis states. These results highlight how nonadiabatic mixing can shape the complex potential energy landscape underlying ultrafast SF.

Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have shown promise over the last few decades for a range of applications including single photon emission, in vivo imaging, and photocatalysis. Recent experiments demonstrated that QDs impart stereoselectivity to triplet excited-state [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of alkenes photocatalyzed by the QD through self-assembly of the reagent molecules on the QD surface, but these experiments did not reveal the precise geometries of surface-bound molecules or their interactions with surface atoms. Here, a theoretical mechanistic approach is used to study such interactions for [2 + 2] cycloadditions of 4-vinylbenzoic acid derivatives on CdSe QDs. Spin-polarized periodic density functional theory (DFT) and nonperiodic DFT calculations are deployed to determine the origin of the selectivity for the syn diastereomer of the resultant tetrasubstituted cyclobutane product via atomistic modeling of the CdSe surface and substrates, determination of the thermodynamic energies of reactions for each step, the intermolecular interactions between the substrates, and the triplet state reaction paths. The calculations indicate that reaction selectivity arises from preferred binding of pairs through intermolecular interactions of substrate molecules on the QD surface in a syn-precursor structure followed by dimerization after triplet excitation. These mechanisms are generalizable to other metal-enriched QD surfaces that have a similar surface structure as that of CdSe, such as InSe or CdTe. Design principles for anti diastereomer derivatives are also discussed.

We recently proposed domain separated density functional theory (DS-DFT), a framework that allows for the combination of different levels of theory for the computation of the electronic structure of molecules. This work discusses the application of DS-DFT to the computation of transition-state energy barriers and optical absorption spectra. We considered several hydrogen abstraction reactions and optical spectra of molecule/metal cluster systems, including the absorption of individual species such as carbon monoxide, methane, and molecular hydrogen to a Li

The fine-tuning of electro-optic properties is critical for high-performing technologies. This is now obtainable with advanced nanostructures, particularly two-dimensional (2D) monolayer materials such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS

Computational methods to predict and tune electrochemical redox potentials are important for the development of energy technologies. Here, we benchmark several semiempirical models to compute reduction potentials of organic molecules, comparing approaches based on (1) energy differences between the S0 and one-electron-reduced D0 states of the isolated molecules and (2) an orbital energy shift approach based on tuning the charge-transfer triplet energy of the Ag20-molecule complex; the second model enables explicit modeling of electrode–molecule interactions. For molecules in solution, the two models yield nearly identical results. Both PM7 and PM6 predict formal potentials with only a slight loss of accuracy compared to standard density functional theory models, and the results are robust across several choices of geometries and implicit solvent models. PM6 and PM7 show dramatically improved accuracy over older semiempirical Hamiltonians (MNDO, AM1, PM3, and INDO/S). However, our recently developed INDO p...

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) are making great progress as active components in alternative energy and flexible electronics technologies that are of interest to many undergraduates. However, in materials governed by the confluence of multiple length scales (molecular (Angstrom), intermolecular (nm), domain (100s nm)), providing a pedagogically accessible pathway to incorporating OSCs into undergraduate education can be difficult. Here, we provide a multiscale description of OSCs that relies only on concepts covered in typical undergraduate chemistry and chemical engineering curricula: a tight-binding description of molecular orbitals using Huckel theory, the miscibility of intermolecular domains using thermodynamic principles based on the Ising spin model, the incorporation of thermal disorder of both the electronic and molecular states using the Boltzmann distribution, and a simple description of charge percolation using low-level graph theory. We illustrate these topics on a small organic molecule, 1,3,...

To explore the designing principles for the quantum interference effect transistors, a series of simulations are carried out on a 2,5-linked perylene molecular junction composed of two subsystems connected via destructive quantum interference. Simulation results suggest that the overall conductance of a large π-conjugated system is determined by its subsystem connected directly to the electrodes. A Büttiker probe can be treated as a resistor, and to first-order approximation, its effect is found equivalent to severing its surrounding bonds. These findings greatly simplify the design of molecular quantum interference effect transistors.

A model for the low bias electric conductance of junctions, consisting of a thin organic film (TOF) positioned between two metallic electrodes (M), has been developed. In contrast with other theore...

A self-assembled nanodielectric (SAND) is an ultrathin film, typically with periodic layer pairs of high-k oxide and phosphonic-acid-based π-electron (PAE) molecular layers. IPAE, having a molecular structure similar to that of PAE but with an inverted dipole direction, has recently been developed for use in thin-film transistors. Here we report that replacing PAE with IPAE in SAND-based thin-film transistors induces sizable threshold and turn-on voltage shifts, indicating the flipping of the built-in SAND polarity. The bromide counteranion (Br-) associated with the cationic stilbazolium portion of PAE or IPAE is of great importance, because its relative position strongly affects the electric dipole moment of the organic layer. Hence, a set of X-ray synchrotron measurements were designed and performed to directly measure and compare the Br- distributions within the PAE and IPAE SANDs. Two trilayer SANDs, consisting of a PAE or IPAE layer sandwiched between an HfOx and a ZrOx layer, were deposited on the SiOx surface of Si substrates or periodic Si/Mo multilayer substrates for X-ray reflectivity and X-ray standing wave measurements, respectively. Along with complementary DFT simulations, the spacings, elemental (Hf, Br, and Zr) distributions, molecular orientations, and Mulliken charge distributions of the PAE and IPAE molecules within each of the SAND trilayers were determined and correlated with the dipole inversion.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy probes adsorbates on a plasmonic substrate and offers high sensitivity with molecular identification capabilities. In this study, we present a refined methodology for considering the supporting substrate in the computation of the Raman spectra. The supporting substrate is taken into account by employing a periodic slab model when doing the geometry optimization and normal mode analysis, and then the Raman spectrum is calculated for the isolated molecule but with the normal modes from the surface structure. We find that the interaction with the surface induces internal distortion in the molecule, and spectral shifts in the computed Raman spectrum. By comparing a low temperature surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy measurement of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) with the computed Raman spectra of a series of adsorption geometries, we propose that the binding state captured in the experiment tends to possess the least internal distortion. This binding state involves upward orientation of...

Controlling spin–spin interactions in multispin molecular assemblies is important for developing new approaches to quantum information processing. In this work, a covalent electron donor–acceptor–radical triad is used to probe spin-selective reduction of the stable radical to its diamagnetic anion. The molecule consists of a perylene electron donor chromophore (D) bound to a pyromellitimide acceptor (A), which is, in turn, linked to a stable α,γ-bisdiphenylene-β-phenylallyl radical (R•) to produce D-A-R•. Selective photoexcitation of D within D-A-R• results in ultrafast electron transfer to form the D+•-A–•-R• triradical, where D+•-A–• is a singlet spin-correlated radical pair (SCRP), in which both SCRP spins are uncorrelated relative to the R• spin. Subsequent ultrafast electron transfer within the triradical forms D+•-A-R–, but its yield is controlled by spin statistics of the uncorrelated A–•-R• radical pair, where the initial charge separation yields a 3:1 statistical mixture of D+•-3(A–•-R•) and D+•-...

The fill factor (FF) of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices has proven difficult to optimize by synthetic modification of the active layer materials. In this contribution, a series of small-molecule donors (SMDs) incorporating chalcogen atoms of increasing atomic number (Z), namely oxygen, sulfur, and selenium, into the side chains are synthesized and the relationship between the chalcogen Z and the FF of OPV devices is characterized. Larger Z chalcogen atoms are found to consistently enhance FF in bulk-heterojunction OPVs containing PC61BM as the acceptor material. A significant ∼8% FF increase is obtained on moving from O to S to Se across three series of SMDs. The FF enhancement is found to result from the combination of more ordered morphology and decreased charge recombination in blend films for the high-Z-chalcogen SMDs. Because this FF enhancement is found within three series of SMDs, the overall strategy is promising for new SMD materials design.

Ratchets are nonequilibrium devices that produce directional motion of particles from nondirectional forces without using a bias, and are responsible for many types of biological transport, which occur with high yield despite strongly damped and noisy environments. Ratchets operate by breaking time-reversal and spatial symmetries in the direction of transport through application of a time-dependent potential with repeating, asymmetric features. This work demonstrates the ratcheting of electrons within a highly scattering organic bulk-heterojunction layer, and within a device architecture that enables the application of arbitrarily shaped oscillating electric potentials. Light is used to modulate the carrier density, which modifies the current with a nonmonotonic response predicted by theory. This system is driven with a single unbiased sine wave source, enabling the future use of natural oscillation sources such as electromagnetic radiation.

Using small-molecule donor (SMD) semiconductors in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) has historically afforded lower power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) than their polymeric counterparts. The PCE difference is attributed to shorter conjugated backbones, resulting in reduced intermolecular interactions. Here, a new pair of SMDs is synthesized based on the diketopyrrolopyrrole–benzodithiophene–diketopyrrolopyrrole (BDT-DPP2) skeleton but having fluorinated and fluorine-free aromatic side-chain substituents. Ternary OPVs having varied ratios of the two SMDs with PC61BM as the acceptor exhibit tunable open-circuit voltages (Vocs) between 0.833 and 0.944 V due to a fluorination-induced shift in energy levels and the electronic “alloy” formed from the miscibility of the two SMDs. A 15% increase in PCE is observed at the optimal ternary SMD ratio, with the short-circuit current density (Jsc) significantly increased to 9.18 mA/cm2. The origin of Jsc enhancement is analyzed via charge generation, transport, and diffus...

Molecular photoswitches incorporated in a junction present a way to achieve light-controlled conductance switching by photoisomerization. Yet, the two isomers might also interconvert upon charging of the molecule if this results in a change in their relative energies. This behavior (current-induced switching) has been termed dark photoswitching and was observed for the dihydroazulene–vinylheptafulvene couple in a junction. In this theoretical study, we expand this concept to dimeric structures containing two dihydroazulene units linked through meta- or para-phenylene bridges and anchored to the electrodes through different linkers. In particular, we show how stepwise dark photoswitching can be achieved for certain redox states.

Extensive evidence has shown that long-range charge transport can occur along double helical DNA, but active control (switching) of single-DNA conductance with an external field has not yet been demonstrated. Here we demonstrate conductance switching in DNA by replacing a DNA base with a redox group. By applying an electrochemical (EC) gate voltage to the molecule, we switch the redox group between the oxidized and reduced states, leading to reversible switching of the DNA conductance between two discrete levels. We further show that monitoring the individual conductance switching allows the study of redox reaction kinetics and thermodynamics at single molecular level using DNA as a probe. Our theoretical calculations suggest that the switch is due to the change in the energy level alignment of the redox states relative to the Fermi level of the electrodes., Thanks to its base stacking structure, DNA can behave as an electric wire, but external control of its electronic properties has not been achieved yet. Here, the authors show that DNA conductance can be switched electrochemically when a DNA base is replaced by the redox molecule anthraquinone.

Single-molecule junctions are the constitutive components of molecular electronics circuits. For any potential application, the energy gap in the junction, i.e., the accumulated energy difference between the electrode Fermi level and the two frontier energy levels of the molecule, is a key property. Here, using the nonequilibrium Green’s function coupled to the density functional theory framework (NEGF-DFT) method, we show that the gap of the molecule inserted between electrodes can differ largely from the gap of the same molecule, at the isolated level. It can be widely compressed by tuning the alignment mechanism at each metal/molecule interface. In the context of molecular rectification, we show that this mechanism relates to the pinning effect. We discuss the different parameters affecting the compression of the gap and its efficiency. Interestingly, we find that the structure both of the molecule and of the anchoring group plays an important role. Finally, we investigate the evolution of these featur...

The design of materials needed for the storage, delivery, and conversion of (re)useable energy is still hindered by the lack of new, hierarchical molecular screening methodologies that encode information on more than one length scale. Using a molecular network theory as a foundation, we show that to describe charge transport in disordered materials the network methodology must be scaled-up. We detail the scale-up through the use of adjacency lists and depth first search algorithms for during operations on the adjacency matrix. We consider two types of electronic acceptors, perylenediimide (PDI) and the fullerene derivative phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), and we demonstrate that the method is scalable to length scales relevant to grain boundary and trap formations. Such boundaries lead to a decrease in the percolation ratio of PDI with system size, while the ratio for PCBM remains constant, further quantifying the stable, diverse transport pathways of PCBM and its success as a charge-accepting material.

Improved understanding of fundamental structure–property relationships, particularly the effects of molecular shape and intermolecular packing on film morphology and active layer charge transport characteristics, enables more rational synthesis of new p-type small molecules. Here we investigate a series of small molecules consisting of an acene-based electron-rich core flanked by one or two electron-deficient diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) moieties. Through minor changes in the molecule structures, measurable variations in the crystal structure and sizable differences in macroscopic properties are achieved. The molecular symmetry as well as the conformation of the side chains affects the unit cell packing density and strength of the intermolecular electronic coupling in single crystals of all molecules in this series. The addition of a second DPP unit to the benzodithiophene (BDT) core increases molecular planarity leading to decreased reorganization energy, strong cofacial coupling, and moderate hole mobility (2.7 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1). Increasing the length of the acene core from benzodithiophene to naphthodithiophene (NDT) results in a further reduction in reorganization energy and formation of smaller crystalline domains (∼11 nm) when mixed with PCBM. Decreasing the aspect ratio of the core using a “zig-zag” naphthodithiophene (zNDT) isomer results in the highest hole mobility of 1.3 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1 due in part to tight lamellar (d = 13.5 A) and π–π stacking (d = 3.9 A). The hole mobility is directly correlated with the short-circuit current (11.7 mA cm−2) and solar cell efficiency (4.4%) of the highest performing zNDT:PCBM device. For each of these small molecules the calculated π-coupling constant is correlated with the hole mobility as a function of crystal structure and orientation indicating the importance of designing molecules that create extended crystalline networks with maximal π-orbital overlap.

Nanoelectrochemical experiments using detection based on tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) show a broad distribution of single-molecule formal potentials E°′ for large π-conjugated molecules; theoretical studies are needed to understand the origins of this distribution. In this paper, we present a theoretical approach to determine E°′ for electrochemical reactions involving a single molecule interacting with an electrode represented as a metal nanocluster and apply this method to the Ag20–pyridine system. The theory is based on the semiempirical INDO electronic structure approach, together with the COSMO solvation model and an approach for tuning the Fermi energy, in which the silver atomic orbital energies are varied until the ground singlet state of Ag20–pyridine matches the lowest triplet energy, corresponding to electron transfer from the metal cluster to pyridine. Based on this theory, we find that the variation of E°′ with the structure of the Ag20–pyridine system is only weakly correlated with changes in either the ground-state interaction energy or the charge-transfer excited-state energies at zero applied potential, which shows the importance of calculations that include an applied potential in determining the variation of formal potential with geometry. Factors which determine E°′ include wavefunction overlap for geometries when pyridine is close to the surface, and electrostatics when the molecule-cluster separation is large.

Designing molecular systems that exploit vibronic coherence to improve light harvesting efficiencies relies on understanding how interchromophoric interactions, such as van der Waals forces and dipolar coupling, influence these coherences in multichromophoric arrays. However, disentangling these interactions requires studies of molecular systems with tunable structural relationships. Here, we use a combination of two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy and femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy to investigate the role of steric hindrance between chromophores in driving changes to vibronic and vibrational coherences in a series of substituted perylenediimide (PDI) cyclophane dimers. We report significant differences in the frequency power spectra from the cyclophane dimers versus the corresponding monomer reference. We attribute these differences to distortion of the PDI cores from steric interactions between the substituents. These results highlight the importance of considering structural changes when rationalizing vibronic coupling in multichromophoric systems.

Carbon- and silicon-based n-type materials tend to suffer from instability of the corresponding radical anions. With DFT calculations, we explore a promising route to overcome such challenges with molecular nanocages which utilize the heavier element Ge. The addition of fluorine substituents creates large electron affinities in the range 2.5-5.5 eV and HOMO-LUMO gaps between 1.6 and 3.2 eV. The LUMOs envelop the surfaces of these structures, suggesting extensive delocalization of injected electrons, analogous to fullerene acceptors. Moreover, these Ge nF n inorganic cages are found to be transparent in the UV-visible region as probed with their excited states. Their capacitance, linear polarizabilities, and dielectric constants are computed and found to be on the same order of magnitude as saturated oligomers and some extended π-organics (azobenzenes). Furthermore, we explore fullerene-type endohedral isomers, i.e., cages with internal substituents or guest atoms, and find them to be more stable than the parent exohedral isomers by up to -206.45 kcal mol-1. We also consider the addition of Li, He, Cs, and Bi, to probe the utility of the exo/ endo cages as host-guest systems. The endohedral He/Li@F8@Ge60F52 cages are significantly more stable than their parent exohedral isomers He/Li@Ge60F52 by -182.46 and -49.22 kcal mol-1, respectively. The energy of formation of endohedral He@F8@Ge60F52 is exothermic by -10.4 kcal mol-1, while Cs and Bi guests are too large to be accommodated but are stable in the exohedral parent cages. Conceivable applications of these materials include n-type semiconductors and transparent electrodes, with potential for novel energy storage modalities.

Probing the electrochemistry of single molecules is a direct pathway toward a microscopic understanding of a variety of electron transfer processes related to energy science, such as electrocatalysis and solar fuel cells. In this context, Zaleski et al. recently studied the single electron transfer reaction of the dye molecule rhodamine-6G (R6G) by electrochemical single molecule surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (EC-SMSERS) (J. Phys. Chem. C 2015, 119, 28226−28234). In that work, the reductions of the dye molecule R6G were not only observed in the same potential range as in the ensemble surface cyclic voltammogram but also seen under some less negative potentials. Aiming to understand and explain this experiment theoretically, we relate the binding energy of R6G+ adsorbed on a silver nanoparticle (AgNP) to its reduction potential and further use periodic density functional theory to calculate this adsorption energy at different local surface sites. Well-defined crystal facets and defective surfaces, ar...

Quadrupolar plasmonic modes in noble metal nanoparticles have gained interest in recent years for various sensing applications. Although quantum mechanical studies have shown that dipolar plasmons can be modeled in terms of excited states where several to many excitations contribute coherently to the transition dipole moment, new approaches are needed to identify the quadrupolar plasmonic states. We show that quadrupolar states in Ag nanorods can be identified using the semiempirical INDO/SCI approach by examining the quadrupole moment of the transition density. The main longitudinal quadrupolar states occur at higher energies than the longitudinal dipolar states, in agreement with previous classical electrodynamics results, and have collective plasmonic character when the nanorods are sufficiently long. The ability to identify these states will make it possible to evaluate the differences between dipolar and quadrupolar plasmons that are relevant for sensing applications.

We explore a connection between the static molecular polarizability and the molecular conductance that arises naturally in the description of electrified molecular interfaces and that has recently been explored experimentally. We have tested this idea by using measured conductance of few different experimental design motifs for molecular junctions and relating them to the molecular polarizability. Our results show that for a family of structurally connected molecules the conductance decreases as the molecular polarizability increases. Within the limitations of our model, this striking result is consistent with the physically intuitive picture that a molecule in a junction behaves as a dielectric that is polarized by the applied bias, hence creating an interfacial barrier that hinders tunneling. The use of the polarizability as a descriptor of molecular conductance offers significant conceptual and practical advantages over a picture based on molecular orbitals. To further illustrate the plausibility of th...

Due to the nonperiodic nature of charge transport in disordered systems, generating insight into static charge transport networks, as well as analyzing the network dynamics, can be challenging. Here, we apply time-dependent network analysis to scrutinize the charge transport networks of two representative molecular semiconductors: a rigid n-type molecule, perylenediimide, and a flexible p-type molecule, b B D T ( T D P P ) 2 . Simulations reveal the relevant timescale for local transfer integral decorrelation to be ∼ 100 fs, which is shown to be faster than that of a crystalline morphology of the same molecule. Using a simple graph metric, global network changes are observed over timescales competitive with charge carrier lifetimes. These insights demonstrate that static charge transport networks are qualitatively inadequate, whereas average networks often overestimate network connectivity. Finally, a simple methodology for tracking dynamic charge transport properties is proposed.

Quantum mechanical studies of Ag nanoclusters have shown that plasmonic behavior can be modeled in terms of excited states where collectivity among single excitations leads to strong absorption. However, new computational approaches are needed to provide understanding of plasmonic excitations beyond the single-excitation level. We show that semiempirical INDO/CI approaches with appropriately selected parameters reproduce the TD-DFT optical spectra of various closed-shell Ag clusters. The plasmon-like states with strong optical absorption comprise linear combinations of many singly excited configurations that contribute additively to the transition dipole moment, whereas all other excited states show significant cancellation among the contributions to the transition dipole moment. The computational efficiency of this approach allows us to investigate the role of double excitations at the INDO/SDCI level. The Ag cluster ground states are stabilized by slight mixing with doubly excited configurations, but the plasmonic states generally retain largely singly excited character. The consideration of double excitations in all cases improves the agreement of the INDO/CI absorption spectra with TD-DFT, suggesting that the SDCI calculation effectively captures some of the ground-state correlation implicit in DFT. These results provide the first evidence to support the commonly used assumption that single excitations are in many cases sufficient to describe the optical spectra of plasmonic excitations quantum mechanically.