Theoretical Studies on the First Hyperpolarizabilities of One-dimensional Donor-bridge-acceptor Chromophores

The ground-state dipole moments and second-order nonlinear optical （NLO） properties of a series of one-dimensional （1D） chromophores with donor-bridge-acceptor （D-B-A） structures have been investigated by using the second-order MФller-Plesset （MP2） and density functional theory （DFT） methods with the basis set of 6-31＋G（d）. According to the calculated results, the relationship between the molecular static first hyperpolarizability （βμ） and the directions of electron transition has been summarized. In terms of the sign of βμ, these 1D organic chromophores were classified into two categories： type Ⅰ with negative βμ and type Ⅱ bearing positive βμ. The analyses show that the remarkable difference of the first hyperpolarizabilities between Ⅰ and Ⅱ chromophores is associated mainly with the electrostatic interaction between terminal groups and the transport electrons in excited states. Moreover, different from the popular viewpoint, the obtained results also show that most of this series of 1D D-B-A molecules are more charge-separated in the ground states than in the excited states. As a whole, this theoretical investigation, to some extent, can be considered as a useful reference in designing the NLO chromophores with large first hyperpolarizabilities.     

Rotationally resolved C2 symmetric conformers of bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane: prototypical examples of excitonic coupling in the S1 and S2 electronic states

Rotationally resolved microwave and ultraviolet spectra of jet-cooled bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane (b4HPM) have been obtained using Fourier-transform microwave and UV laser/molecular beam spectrometers. A recent vibronic level study of b4HPM [Rodrigo, C. P.; Mu?ller, C. W.; Pillsbury, N. R.; James, W. H., III; Plusquellic, D. F.; Zwier, T. S. J. Chem. Phys. 2011, 134, 164312] has assigned two conformers distinguished by the orientation of the in-plane OH groups and has identified two excitonic origins in each conformer. In the present study, the rotationally resolved bands of all four states have been well-fit to asymmetric rotor Hamiltonians. For the lower exciton (S(1)) levels, the transition dipole moment (TDM) orientations are perpendicular to the C(2) symmetry axes and consist of 41(2):59(2) and 34(2):66(2)% a:c hybrid-type character. The S(1) levels are therefore delocalized states of B symmetry and represent the antisymmetric combinations of the zero-order locally excited states of the p-cresol-like chromophores. The TDM polarizations of bands located at ≈132 cm(-1) above the S(1) origins are exclusively b-type and identify them as the upper exciton S(2) origin levels of A symmetry. The TDM orientations and the relative band strengths from the vibronic study have been analyzed within a dipole-dipole coupling model in terms of the localized TDM orientations, μ(loc), on the two chromophores. The out-of-the-ring plane angles of μ(loc) are both near 20° and are similar to results for diphenylmethane [Stearns, J. A.; Pillsbury, N. R.; Douglass, K. O.; Mu?ller, C. W.; Zwier, T. S.; Plusquellic, D. F. J. Chem. Phys. 2008, 129, 224305]. The in-plane angles are, however, rotated by 14 and 18° relative to DPM and, in part, explain the smaller than expected exciton splittings of these two conformers.     

Excited-state dynamics of carotenoids in light-harvesting complexes. 1. Exploring the relationship between the S1 and S* states

Dispersed transient absorption spectra collected at variable excitation intensities in combination with time-resolved signals were used to explore the underlying connectivity of the electronic excited-state manifold of the carotenoid rhodopin glucoside in the light-harvesting 2 complex isolated from Rhodopseudomonas acidophila. We find that the S state, which was recently identified as an excited state in carotenoids bound in bacterial light-harvesting complexes, exhibits a different response to the increase of excitation intensity than the S(1) state, which suggests that the models used so far to describe the excited states of carotenoids are incomplete. We propose two new models that can describe both the time-resolved and the intensity-dependent data; the first postulates that S(1) and S* are not populated in parallel after the decay of the initially excited S(2) state but instead result from the excitation of distinct ground-state subpopulations. The second model introduces a resonantly enhanced light-induced transition during excitation, which promotes population to higher-lying excited states that favors the formation of S* over S(1). Multiwavelength target analysis of the time-resolved and excitation-intensity dependence measurements were used to characterize the involved states and their responses. We show that both proposed models adequately fit the measured data, although it is not possible to determine which model is most apt. The physical origins and implications of both models are explored.     

Photophysics of π-conjugated oligomers and polymers that contain transition metal complexes

There has been a surge of interest concerning the synthesis, optical and electronic properties of π-conjugated polymers that contain transition metal complexes. The integration of transition metal chromophores that feature metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited states into a π-conjugated polymer permits easy variation of the material’s optical and electronic properties. In this review, we survey a number of recent photophysical studies that examine π-conjugated oligomer or polymer/transition metal complex hybrids. The effects of the types of π-conjugated backbone, oligomer and polymer structure, the conjugation length and coordination to a variety of metal chromophores on the photophysics of the organic-metal hybrids are discussed. The degree of interaction between the polymer (or oligomer) and metal complex based excited states dramatically modulates the observed photophysics.     

Photoisomerization mechanism of 11-cis-locked artificial retinal chromophores: acceleration and primary photoproduct assignment

CASPT2//CASSCF/6-31G photochemical reaction path computations for two 4-cis-nona-2,4,6,8-tetraeniminium cation derivatives, with the 4-cis double bond embedded in a seven- and eight-member ring, are carried out to model the reactivity of the corresponding ring-locked retinal chromophores. The comparison of the excited state branches of the two reaction paths with that of the native chromophore, is used to unveil the factors responsible for the remarkably short (60 fs) excited state (S(1)) lifetime observed when an artificial rhodopsin containing an eight member ring-locked retinal is photoexcited. Indeed, it is shown that the strain imposed by the eight-member ring on the chromophore backbone leads to a dramatic change in the shape of the S(1) energy surface. Our models are also used to investigate the nature of the primary photoproducts observed in different artificial rhodopsins. It is seen that only the eight member ring-locked retinal model can access a shallow energy minimum on the ground state. This result implies that the primary, photorhodopsin-like, transient observed in artificial rhodopsins could correspond to a shallow excited state minimum. Similarly, the second, bathorhodopsin-like, transient species could be assigned to a ground state structure displaying a nearly all-trans conformation.     

Nonlinear response properties of ultralarge hyperpolarizability twisted pi-system donor-acceptor chromophores. Dramatic environmental effects on response

State-average complete active space self-consistent field (SA-CASSCF) calculations are performed on the energetically lowest two electronic states of a novel alkyl-substituted 4-quinopyran twisted pi-system electro-optic chromophore. In the gas phase, the ground-state electronic configuration is diradicaloid (D), and the first excited state is zwitterionic (Z). When an external dipolar field is applied to simulate polar solvation, the relative energies of D and Z are dramatically perturbed. At sufficient field strengths, the relative ordering of the states is inverted so that Z becomes the ground state. As the energy difference between the D and Z states falls, the magnitudes of the longitudinal static polarizability (alpha) and hyperpolarizability (beta) increase appreciably--in certain cases, by 2 orders of magnitude. These computational results are interpreted and supported by qualitative state correlation diagrams constructed from qualitative molecular orbital theory and are in agreement with recent experimental results on twisted pi-system electro-optic chromophores (Kang, H. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 3267). The computational results also suggest that changing the environmental polarity is a promising strategy for tuning alpha and beta in such types of chromophores, which experimentally exhibit large nonlinear optical response.     

Rotationally resolved S1<-- S0 electronic spectra of fluorene, carbazole, and dibenzofuran: evidence for Herzberg-Teller coupling with the S2 state

Rotationally resolved fluorescence excitation spectra of the S1 <-- S0 origin bands and higher vibronic bands of fluorene (FLU), carbazole (CAR), and dibenzofuran (DBF) have been observed and assigned. Analyses of these data show that replacement of the CH2 group in FLU with a NH group in CAR and an O atom in DBF produces only localized changes in structure, in the ground state. But the three molecules exhibit different changes in geometry when they are excited by light. The S1 states of the three molecules also are electronically very different. The S1 <-- S0 transition moments of CAR and DBF are parallel to the C2 symmetry axis whereas the corresponding transition moment in FLU is perpendicular to this axis. Herzberg-Teller coupling involving the S2 state also has been observed in the spectra of higher vibronic bands of CAR and DBF. Possible reasons for these behaviors are discussed.     

S2 fluorescence and ultrafast relaxation dynamics of the S2 and S1 states of a ketocyanine dye

Dynamics of the excited singlet (both the S2 and S1) states of a ketocyanine dye, namely, 2,5-bis[(2,3-dihydroindolyl)-propylene]-cyclopentanone (KCD), have been investigated in different kinds of media using steady-state absorption and emission as well as femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopic techniques. Steady-state fluorescence measurements, following photoexcitation of KCD to its second excited singlet state, reveal dual fluorescence (emission from both the S2 and S1 states) behavior. Although the intensity of the S2 --> S0 fluorescence is weaker than that of the S1 --> S0 fluorescence in solutions at room temperature (298 K), the former becomes as much as or more intense than the latter in rigid matrixes at 77 K. The lifetime of the S2 state is short and varies between 0.2 and 0.6 ps in different solvents. After its creation, the S2 state undergoes two simultaneous processes, namely, S2 --> S0 fluorescence and S2 --> S1 internal conversion. Time-resolved measurements reveal the presence of an ultrafast component in the decay dynamics of the S1 state. A good correlation between the lifetime of this component and the longitudinal relaxation times (tauL) of the solvents suggests that this component arises due to solvation in polar solvents. More significant evolution of the spectroscopic properties of the S1 state in alcoholic solvents in the ultrafast time domain has been explained by the occurrence of the repositioning of the hydrogen bonds around the carbonyl group in the excited state of KCD. In 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, a strongly hydrogen bond donating solvent, it has even been possible to establish the existence of two distinct forms of the S1 state, namely, the non-hydrogen-bonded (or free) molecule and the hydrogen-bonded complex.     

Fluorescence and REMPI spectroscopy of jet-cooled isolated 2-phenylindene in the S1 state

We investigated the spectroscopy of the first excited singlet electronic state S1 of 2-phenylindene using both fluorescence excitation spectroscopy and resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionization spectroscopy. Moreover, we investigated the dynamics of the S1 state by determining state-selective fluorescence lifetimes up to an excess energy of approximately 3400 cm(-1). Ab initio calculations were performed on the torsional potential energy curve and the equilibrium and transition state geometries and normal-mode frequencies of the first excited singlet state S1 on the CIS level of theory. Numerous vibronic transitions were assigned, especially those involving the torsional normal mode. The torsional potentials of the ground and first excited electronic states were simulated by matching the observed and calculated torsional frequency spacings in a least-squares fitting procedure. The simulated S1 potential showed very good agreement with the ab initio potential calculated on the CIS/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. TDDFT energy corrections improved the match with the simulated S(1) torsional potential. The latter calculation yielded a torsional barrier of V2 = 6708 cm(-1), and the simulation a barrier of V2 = 6245 cm(-1). Ground-state normal-mode frequencies were calculated on the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory, which were used to interpret the infrared spectrum, the FDS spectrum of the transition and hot bands of the FES spectrum. The fluorescence intensities of the nu49 overtone progression could reasonably be reproduced by considering the geometry changes upon electronic excitation predicted by the ab initio calculations. On the basis of the torsional potential calculations, it could be ruled out that the uniform excess energy dependence of the fluorescence lifetimes is linked to the torsional barrier in the excited state. The rotational band contour simulation of the transition yielded rotational constants in close agreement to the ab initio values for both electronic states. Rotational coherence signals were obtained by polarization-analyzed, time-resolved measurements of the fluorescence decay of the transition. The simulation of these signals yielded corroborating evidence as to the quality of the ab initio calculated rotational constants of both states. The origin of the anomalous intensity discrepancy between the fluorescence excitation spectrum and the REMPI spectrum is discussed.     

Theoretical investigation of ground and excited states of the methylene amidogene radical (H(2)CN)

The excited states and the absorption spectrum of the methylene amidogene radical are studied by high-level ab initio calculations. The multireference configuration interaction method was used in combination with different basis sets and basis set extrapolation to compute equilibrium geometries, harmonic frequencies, and excitation energies of the four lowest doublet electronic states of the title species. Potential curves and transition dipole moment functions were determined along the normal mode coordinates of the electronic ground state. These functions were employed to determine vibronic absorption spectra. The intensities of dipole forbidden but vibronically allowed transitions were calculated by explicitly evaluating integrals over the vibrational wave functions and the transition dipole functions of the involved electronic states. By this method the oscillator strengths of the dipole allowed (2)A(1)<--(2)B(2) and the dipole forbidden (2)B(1)<--(2)B(2) bands were computed. It turns out that the dipole forbidden transition is two orders of magnitude weaker than the dipole allowed one. The 0-0 excitation energies are found to be 30 256 cm(-1) for the (2)B(1) state and 34,646 cm(-1) for the (2)A(1) state. From the combined results of the excitation energies and oscillator strengths it is concluded that the experimentally observed peaks must be due to the (2)A(1) state, in contradiction to earlier assignments.     

Molecular aniline clusters. II. The low-lying electronic excited states

The lowest electronically excited states of the aniline dimer and trimer related to the lowest π(?)←π transition of the monomer are investigated by applying time-dependent coupled cluster theory, primarily at the level of the (spin-component-scaled) CC2 model. Minimum energy structures in the vicinity of the Franck-Condon points were determined on the individual potential energy surfaces. For the dimer we find an excimer and a head-to-tail configuration (with the monomers substantially displaced relative to the ground state minimum) for the lowest (dark) and second lowest (bright) states, respectively. The excitation is delocalized on both chromophores for both of these states. For the trimer three distinct minima with quite different hydrogen-bonding arrangements are found for the three lowest states. In strong contrast to the dimer the excitation here is clearly localized on the individual aniline chromophores for each of these three states. One of the three geometries is rather similar to the ground state minimum, while the two others are rather different and thus have presumably quite small Franck-Condon factors. It can be expected that only the electronic origin of the first conformer can eventually be detected in the absorption spectrum of the trimer, provided that it is separated by high-enough barriers from other, energetically lower configurations.     

Linear absorbance of the pheophorbide-a butanediamine dendrimer P(4) in solution: computational studies using a mixed quantum classical methodology

The linear absorbance of a particular chromophore complex P(4) dissolved in ethanol is computed. P(4) is formed by a butanediamine dendrimer to which four pheophorbide-a molecules are covalently linked. The computations utilize a mixed quantum classical methodology and different approximations are compared. The electronic states of the P(4) chromophores which form Frenkel excitons in the excited states are treated quantum mechanically, whereas the intramolecular, intermolecular, as well as solvent coordinates are described classically. The computations use an improved exciton model, where the charge and transition densities of the chromophores are described by atomic partial charges, derived from a fit of the respective ab initio electrostatic potentials. Room temperature molecular dynamics simulations of all nuclear coordinates result in a time-dependent exciton model. It includes modulations of chromophore excitation energies due to charge density coupling between all chromophores as well as between the chromophores and solvent molecules, and, finally, modulations of the interchromophore excitonic couplings. The different approximations to the absorbance agree rather well. In particular, they confirm the reliability of adiabatic excitonic states which energies and oscillator strengths are altered by the overall temporal evolution of P(4) conformations. The fluctuations of solute-solvent interactions have a significantly larger effect on the absorbance broadening than the excitonic couplings but cannot completely explain the measured spectrum. The additional account for intrachromophore vibrations overcomes this discrepancy.     

CASSCF and CASPT2 studies on the structures, transition energies, and dipole moments of ground and excited states for azulene

The electronic structure of azulene molecule has been studied. We have obtained the optimized structures of ground and singlet excited states by using the complete active space self-consistent-field (CASSCF) method, and calculated vertical and 0-0 transition energies between the ground and excited states with second-order M?ller-Plesset perturbation theory (CASPT2). The CASPT2 calculations indicate that the bond-equalized C(2v) structure is more stable than the bond-alternating C(s) structure in the ground state. For a physical understanding of electronic structure change from C(2v) to C(s), we have performed the CASSCF calculations of Duschinsky matrix describing mixing of the b(2) vibrational mode between the ground (1A(1)) and the first excited (1B(2)) states based on the Kekule-crossing model. The CASPT2 0-0 transition energies are in fairly good agreement with experimental results within 0.1-0.3 eV. The CASSCF oscillator strengths between the ground and excited states are calculated and compared with experimental data. Furthermore, we have calculated the CASPT2 dipole moments of ground and excited states, which show good agreement with experimental values.     

Electronic spectra of linear isoelectronic clusters C2n+1S and C2n+1Cl+ (n = 0-4): an ab initio study

Structures and stabilities of linear carbon chains C2n+1S and C2n+1Cl+ (n=0-4) in their ground states have been investigated by the CCSD and B3LYP approaches. The CASSCF calculations have been used to determine geometries of selected excited states of both isoelectronic series. Linear C2n+1S cluster has a cumulenic carbon framework, whereas its isoelectronic C2n+1Cl+ has a dominant character of acetylenic structure in the vicinity of terminal Cl. The vertical excitation energies of low-lying excited states have been calculated by the CASPT2 method. Calculations show that the excitation energies have nonlinear size dependence. The 2(1)Sigma+<--X1Sigma+ transition energy in C2n+1S has a limit of 1.78 eV, as the chain size is long enough. The predicted vertical excitation energies for relatively strong 1(1)Pi<--X1Sigma+ and 2(1)Sigma+<--X1Sigma+ transitions are in reasonable agreement with available experimental values. The spin-orbit effect on the spin-forbidden transition in both series is generally small, and the enhancement of the spin-forbidden transition by spin-orbit coupling exhibits geometrical and electronic structural dependence.     

Enhancement of two-photon absorption cross-section in macrocyclic thiophenes with cavities in the nanometer regime

The linear and nonlinear optical properties of two thiophene-based cyclic molecules have been investigated. These molecules represent nanometer sized cavities which may be useful for novel photonic devices. By virtue of long-range interactions, these chromophores serve as novel architectures for enhanced two-photon absorption (TPA) properties. Measurements of the different size ring structures showed a 550% increase in the TPA cross-section for the larger macrocycle. Electronic structure calculations have suggested an increase in coupling of the excited states in these systems as the ring size is increased. Measurements of the ultrafast transient absorption and fluorescence were carried out with these systems in order to probe the interaction between the chromophores. The results of the transient decays as well as fluorescence anisotropy decay times gives stronger proof to the suggestion of delocalized states in the cyclic macrocycles. These results provide information regarding the optical properties of these novel systems useful for potential applications in photonics.     

Electronic spectrum and photodissociation of ClONO in comparison to BrONO

A theoretical study of the low-lying singlet and triplet states of ClONO is presented. Calculations of excitation energies and oscillator strengths are reported using multireference configuration interaction, MRD-CI, methods with the cc-pVDZ + sp basis set. The calculations predict the dominant transition, 4(1)A' <-- 1(1)A', at 5.70 eV. The transition 2(1)A' <-- 1(1)A', at 4.44 eV, with much lower intensity nicely matches the experimental absorption maximum observed around 290 nm (4.27 eV). The potential energy curves for both states are found to be highly repulsive along the Cl-O coordinate implying that direct and fast dissociation to the Cl + NO2 products will occur. Photodissociation along the N-O coordinate is less likely because of barriers on the order of 0.3 eV for low-lying excited states. A comparison between the calculated electronic energies related to the two dominant excited states of ClONO and BrONO indicates that the transitions lie about 0.6 eV higher if bromine is replaced by chlorine. The stratospheric chemistry implications of ClONO and BrONO are discussed.     

Role of the configuration interaction in the CNDO/S calculation of optical rotatory strengths

The rotatory strengths calculated directly by the CNDO/S method exhibit a pronounced dependence on the size of configuration interaction (CI). In order to elucidate the role of highly excited configurations in such calculations the perturbation theory is employed. It is shown that the restriction of the CI size to 20–40 may be quite inadequate in some cases. The calculations of rotatory strengths of several optically active molecules containing carbonyl and amide chromophores has shown that the best results can be obtained for half of full CI but sometimes it is possible to restrict the CI size to 100 configurations. The agreement with experiment for all molecules considered is satisfactory.     

A computational study of the excited states of bilirubin IX

We have determined the lowest excited states of bilirubin IX by TD-DFT calculations. The lowest pair of excited states, S(1) and S(2), turn out to be of charge-transfer (CT) nature. Although DFT based methods tend to underestimate the energy of CT states, the small oscillator strengths we have computed indicate that such states may actually exist in this spectral region, but would have escaped spectroscopic detection. The next pair of excited states, S(3) and S(4), account for the most prominent spectral feature of bilirubin. They can be accurately described by the exciton coupling model, as we show by a thorough analysis of wavefunctions and properties. This finding therefore supports the interpretation of bilirubin photoisomerization behaviour, based on the exciton coupling model.     

Time-dependent Density Functional Theory Study on the Electronically Excited States of N-Methylformamide in Aqueous Solution

Excited-state hydrogen-bonding dynamics of N-methylformamide (NMF) in water has been investigated by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method. The ground-state geometry optimizations were calculated by density functional theory (DFT) method, while the electronic transition energies and corresponding oscillation strengths of the low-lying electronically excited states of isolated NMF, water monomers and the hydrogen-bonded NMF-H 2 O were calculated by TDDFT method. According to Zhao's rule on the excited-state hydrogen bonding dynamics, our results demonstrate that the intermolecular hydrogen bond C=O···O-H is strengthened and weakened in different electronically excited states. The hydrogen bond strengthening and weakening in the electronically excited state plays an important role in the photophysics of NMF in solutions.