Theoretical study of novel porphyrins bearing electron donor–acceptor groups

This research project is focused on molecules that comprise a series of asymmetrically A₃B‐type meso‐substituted free‐base porphyrins and their related Zn‐metalloporphyrins. A and B were taken as electron‐donor and electron–acceptor groups. Full geometry optimizations without symmetry constrains were performed with B3LYP/6‐31G(d,P) methodology. Time‐dependent density functional theory calculations of the optimized structures indicate that there is a good agreement with the available experimental results. The highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gaps (ranging between 2.62 and 2.80 eV) are similar to those reported before for other porphyrins (2.29 eV). Also, the LUMO is situated close to the conduction band of titanium oxide, increasing the possibility of a charge transfer process. As porphyrins may act as electron transfer systems, the electron donor–acceptor capacity of these systems is characterized using two parameters; electrodonating (χ?) and electroaccepting (χ+) electronegativity. The main goal of this investigation is to analyze the electronic structure and the donor–acceptor properties of these porphyrins to see if these compounds could be useful for further applications related to the design of solar cells. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Theoretical study on electron transfer in biological systems (III)

Iritramolwular electron transfer of nlctal-containing spiro π-electron system was studied by AM1 method in the MOPAC-ET program developed by the present group. The results indicated that with the increasing of the outer electric field F, the activation energy of the reaction decreased. When F reaches a certain threshold value, the activation energy barrirr becomcs zero and the rate of reaction achieves the largest value. The results also indicated that electron transfer matrix elements V_AB and reorganization energy λ were not obviously affected by outer electric field while the exothermicity ΔE was directly proportional to it.     

Theoretical study of electron transfer in uranyl(VI)–uranyl(V) complexes in solution

The rates of the electron self‐exchange between uranyl(VI) and uranyl(V) complexes in solution have been investigated in detail with quantum chemical methods. The calculations have shown that the bond length of U? Oyl is elongated by 0.1 Å when the extra electron is localized on the sites. The diabatic potential surfaces are obtained. The inner reorganization energies are 212.6 and 226.8 kJ mol^?1 for hydroxide and fluoride bridge systems, respectively. The solvent reorganization energies are 28.12 and 31.60 kJ mol^?1 for hydroxide and fluoride bridge systems, respectively. The nuclear frequency factors are 3.17 × 10¹³ and 3.12 × 10¹³ s^?1 for hydroxide and fluoride bridge systems, respectively. The electronic coupling matrix elements are 1.89 and 4.06 kJ mol^?1 for hydroxide and fluoride bridge systems, respectively. The electron‐transfer rates of our calculations are 12.95 and 0.819 M^?1 s^?1 for hydroxide and fluoride bridge systems, respectively. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

Photoinduced electron transfer reaction tuned by donor-acceptor pairs via the rigid, linear spacer heptacyclo[6.6.0.0.0.0.0.0]tetradecane

A new class of donor-{saturated hydrocarbon bridge}-acceptor (D-B-A) dyads were synthesized and utilized on a systematic approach to evaluate the corresponding photoinduced electron transfer (ET) process. Among these dyads heptacyclo[6.6.0.0^2,6.0^3,13.0^4,11. 0^5,9.0^10,14]tetradecane (HCTD) was used as a unique spacer, which possesses a geometry of high symmetry (D_2d), rigidity and linearity. The spectroscopy and dynamics of excited-state ET as functions of donor/acceptor electronic states, orientation as well as solvent properties were analyzed with the aid of theoretical computations. It was observed that the quenching of donor fluorescence (the F₁ band) correlated with the appearance of a broad charge-transfer (CT) emission. Both wavelength and intensity of the CT band varied with solvent-polarity, whereas its rise dynamics complied well with the decay of the F₁ band. In acetonitrile, the CT state decays much faster than the rate of ET (∼63 ps⁻¹) so that the corresponding steady-state emission cannot be resolved. An intriguing effect was observed in the case of benzene-1,2-dithioketals (3a and 3b) where the D and A π-chromophores were aligned in different orientations. The estimated ET rate of 3a (3.9×10¹⁰ s⁻¹) was substantially faster than that of 3b (7×10⁸ s⁻¹). The experimental data were tentatively fitted by a semi-log plot of ET rate constants (k_et) against free energy (ΔG⁰), yielding a value of ∼17.3 cm⁻¹ for the electron-coupling matrix (H_el).     

反转区电子转移速率的理论研究

利用级联方程方法研究了反转区的电子转移速率与电子态耦合常数以及溶剂弛豫时间的关系.结果表随着电子态间耦合强度的增加,反应速率先增加然后减小,而随着溶剂弛豫时间的减小反应速率增加.我们将这些结果与近似理论费米黄金规则、Landau-Zener公式进行了比较,由于费米金规则基于一阶微扰论,所以只适用于耦合常数较小的情况.而Landau-Zener公式假设电子在跃迁区域弹道运动,在电子态耦合大的情况下也存在问题.     

生物体系中电子转移机理的研究Ⅱ: 分子间电子转移及 电子供、受体间不同基 团的影响

利用自编程序MOPAC-ET中AM1方法,及KT(Koopman'sTheorem)法,研究了二苯负离子体系的分子间电子转移现象,计算了其电子供、受体在不同距离下的V~A~B及它们之间的相关性,另外,还对两苯环间不同介入基团对电子转移的影响做了初步研究,发现不同的介入基团存在着较大的差异。     

Development of naphthalene and quinoxaline‐based donor–acceptor conjugated copolymers for delivering high open‐circuit voltage in photovoltaic devices

Two new quinoxaline‐based polymers, poly[1,5‐didecyloxynaphthalene‐alt‐5,5′‐(5,8‐dithiophen‐2‐yl)‐2,3‐bis(4‐octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline (PNQx‐p) and poly[1,5‐didecyloxynaphthalene‐alt‐5,5′‐(5,8‐dithiophen‐2‐yl)‐2,3‐bis(3‐octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline (PNQx‐m), were synthesized by Suzuki coupling reaction and characterized. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that these polymers are thermally stable with degradation temperature up to 320 °C. As evident from the electrochemical and optical studies, the copolymers have comparable optical band gap (～2 eV) and nearly similar deep highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels of ?5.59 (PNQx‐p) and ?5.61 eV (PNQx‐p). The resulting copolymers possessed relatively low HOMO energy levels promising good air stability and high open circuit voltage (V_oc) for photovoltaic applications. The optimized photovoltaic device with a structure of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PNQx‐m:PC₇₁BM (1:2, w/w)/LiF/Al shows a power conversion efficiency up to 2.29% with a short circuit current density of 5.61 mA/cm², an V_oc of 0.93 V and a fill factor of 43.73% under an illumination of AM 1.5, 100 mW/cm². The efficiency of the PNQx‐m polymer improved from 2.29 to 2.95% using 1,8‐diiodoocane as an additive (0.25%). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Side‐chain effects on phenothiazine‐based donor–acceptor copolymer properties in organic photovoltaic devices

A series of new phenothiazine‐based donor–acceptor copolymers, P1 and P2, were synthesized via a Suzuki coupling reaction. The weight‐averaged molecular weights (M_w) of P1 and P2 were found to be 16,700 and 16,100, with polydispersity indices of 1.74 and 1.39, respectively. The UV–visible absorption spectra of the polymer thin films contained three strong absorption bands in the ranges 318–320 nm, 430–436 nm, and 527–568 nm. The absorption peaks at 320 and 430 nm originated mainly from the phenothiazine‐based monomer units, and the longer wavelength absorption band at 527–568 nm was attributed to the increased effective conjugation length of the polymer backbones. Solution‐processed field‐effect transistors fabricated with these polymers exhibited p‐type organic thin film transistor characteristics. The field‐effect mobilities of P1 and P2 were measured to be 1.0 × 10^?4 and 7.5 × 10^?5 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively, with on/off ratios in the order of 10⁴ for all polymers. A photovoltaic device in which a P2/PC₇₁BM (1/3) blend film was used as the active layer exhibited an open‐circuit voltage (V_OC) of 0.70 V, a short‐circuit current (J_SC) of 6.79 mA cm⁽², a fill factor of 0.39, and a power conversion efficiency of 1.86% under AM 1.5 G (100 mW cm^?2) illumination. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Long‐range charge transfer in donor‐peptide bridge‐acceptor model systems—A theoretical study

The quantum mechanical calculations were performed to study the effect of geometrical fluctuations of peptide on charge transfer in model oligopeptides linked between donor and acceptor molecules. The charge transfer parameters have been calculated based on the density functional theory method. Results show that the overall charge transfer in peptide mediated donor–acceptor complexes is determined by the conformations and chain length of the intermediate peptide bridge. The analysis of excess charge distribution show that the localization of an excess positive and negative charge are strongly depend on the conformations and chain length of the donor–bridge‐acceptor system. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Synthesis of grafted poly(p‐phenyleneethynylene) with energy donor–acceptor architecture via atom transfer radical polymerization: Towards nonaggregating and hole‐facilitating light‐emitting material

In this contribution, we demonstrate a new effective methodology for constructing highly efficient and durable poly(p‐phenyleneethynylene) (PPE) containing emissive material with nonaggregating and hole‐facilitating properties through the introduction of hole‐transporting blocks into the PPE system as the grafting coils as well as building the energy donor–acceptor architecture between the grafting coils and the PPE backbone. Poly(2‐(carbazol‐9‐yl)ethyl methacrylate) (PCzEMA), herein, is chosen as the hole‐transporting blocks, and incorporated into the PPE system as the grafting coils via atom transfer radical polymerization. The chemical structure of the resultant copolymer, PPE‐g‐PCzEMA, was characterized by NMR and gel permeation chromatography, showing that the desirable copolymer was obtained with the narrow polydispersity. The increased thermal stability of PPE‐g‐PCzEMA was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry along with its macroinitiator. The optoelectronic properties of this copolymer were studied in detail by ultraviolet‐visible absorption, photoluminescence emission and excitation spectra, and cyclic voltammogram (CV). The results indicate that PPE‐g‐PCzEMA exhibits the solid‐state luminescent property dominated by individual lumophores, and also the energy transfer process from the PCzEMA blocks to the PPE backbone with a relatively higher energy transfer efficiency in the solid‐state compared to that of the solution state. Additionally, the hole‐injection property is greatly facilitated due to the presence of PCzEMA, as confirmed by CV profiles. All these data indicate that PPE‐g‐PCzEMA is a good candidate for use in optoelectronic devices. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3776–3787, 2007     

Relaxation of excited Franck–Condon states of molecular electron donor–acceptor complexes in liquid solution: the role of orientational isomers

The direct consequences of the presence of ground state orientational isomers of molecular complexes are discussed in terms of the adiabatic potential energy surfaces calculated for the ground and excited states of electron donor–acceptor complexes of tetracyanobenzene with toluene and with mesitylene. Some earlier experimental results that confirm the presence of orientational isomers are also recalled and reviewed, together with the recent results for molecular exciplexes under supersonic molecular beam conditions. Exploration of potential energy surfaces shows that the relaxation pathways of excited Franck–Condon states of the ground state isomers may differ considerably and in liquid solution may be sensitive to physical conditions, which in fact is observed in time-resolved fluorescence spectra of the electron donor–acceptor systems under consideration, upon excitation of high-energy Van der Waals orientational isomers. It is concluded that, in weak electron donor–acceptor complexes in liquid solutions, the role of such isomers may be limited, but it may become crucial for the kinetics and dynamics of excited states if the system is simultaneously capable of forming an exciplex.     

Förster resonance energy transfer in poly(methyl methacrylates) copolymers bearing donor–acceptor 1,3‐thiazole dyes

The Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) properties in poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymers containing 2‐(pyridine‐2‐yl) thiazole dyes were studied upon systematic variation of the donor‐to‐acceptor ratio. To this end, 2‐(pyridine‐2‐yl) thiazole dyes specially designed for the usage as energy donor and acceptor molecules were incorporated within one polymer chain. Poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymers containing these donor and acceptor dyes were synthesized using the RAFT polymerization method. Copolymers with a molar mass (M_n) of nearly 10,000 g/mol were achieved with dispersity index values (?) under 1.3. The presented copolymers act as a model system for the FRET investigation. Förster resonance energy transfer properties of the copolymers are characterized by steady state as well as time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The results indicate that the energy transfer rates and the transfer efficiencies are tunable by variation of the donor‐acceptor‐ratio. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4765–4773     

Computing the superexchange electronic factor of electron transfer theory using a grid‐based numerical method

We report a method for calculating the electronic factor in the superexchange rate equation of electron transfer theory; this method is a basis set independent, grid‐based numerical technique that utilizes fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) and a Lanczos recursion in a pseudospectral framework and is used to treat a three‐dimensional one‐electron model of the electronic factor. We compare eigenvalues calculated from the current method to eigenvalues from the literature for both one‐dimensional (1D) and three‐dimensional (3D) model problems and find that the current method provides excellent accuracy and efficiency. With respect to the superexchange electronic factor, we use model potentials to calculate the tunneling matrix elements with the present method to illustrate how the method can be used to address current issues in superexchange. In particular, we show how this method is useful in evaluating the effect of the bridge potential on the superexchange electronic factor when using repulsive‐core pseudopotentials to represent the bridge. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 21: 1262–1273, 2000     

Time‐resolved spectroscopy study of donor–acceptor‐type copolymers in a monodisperse system: The effect of ratio between the acceptor and the donor

The photoexcitation processes of two donor–acceptor‐type copolymers PCFBT with different ratios between the donor and the acceptor ( PCFBT_0.5 and PCFBT_0.1 ) in the solution system are systematically studied. If the number of the donor is equal to that of the acceptor in one repeat unit (such as PCFBT_0.5 ), intrachain charge transfer (ICT) can occur and participate in the relaxation of the excited state after photoexcitation. When the number of donors is much larger than that of acceptors (such as PCFBT_0.1 ) in one repeat unit, the ICT character can disappear, and the localized exciton decay process is dominant in the relaxation of the copolymer, which also involves an excitation intensity‐independent vibrational thermal relaxation process at the initial time. The results further the understanding of the basic structure‐property relationship. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013 , 51, 992–996     

Analyzing the electric response of molecular conductors using “electron deformation” orbitals and occupied‐virtual electron transfer

The concept of “electron deformation orbitals” (EDOs) is used to investigate the electric response of conducting metals and oligophenyl chains. These orbitals and their eigenvalues are obtained by diagonalization of the deformation density matrix (difference between the density matrices of the perturbed and unperturbed systems) and can be constructed as linear combinations of the unperturbed molecular orbitals within “frozen geometry” conditions. This form of the EDOs allows calculating the part of the electron deformation density associated to an effective electron transfer from occupied to virtual orbitals (valence to conduction band electron transfer in the band model of conductivity). It is found that the “electron deformation” orbitals pair off, displaying the same eigenvalue but opposite sign. Each pair represents an amount of accumulation/depletion of electron charge at different molecular regions. In the oligophenyl systems investigated only one pair contributes effectively to the charge flow between molecular ends, resulting from the promotion of electrons from occupied orbitals to close in energy virtual orbitals of appropriate symmetry and overlapping. Analysis of this pair along explains the differences in conductance of olygophenyl chains based on phenyl units. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Role of the electronic properties of azurin active site in the electron‐transfer process

Electron transfer proteins, such as azurin (a blue copper protein), are promising candidates for the implementation of biomolecular nanoelectronic devices. To understand the details of electron transfer in redox active azurin molecules, we performed plane‐wave pseudo‐potential density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the protein active site in the two possible oxidation states Cu(I) and Cu(II). The ab initio results are used to discuss how the electronic spectrum and wavefunctions may mediate the shuttling of electrons through the copper ion. We find that the Cu‐ligand hybridization is very similar in the two charge states of the metal center, but the energy spectrum changes substantially. This result might indicate important effects of electronic correlations in the redox activity and consequent electron transfer through the Cu site. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Theoretical study of one‐electron bonds in a series of high‐spin lithium–beryllium–hydrogen clusters: “Valence shell single‐electron repulsion” rule and electron localization function analysis

A series of high‐spin clusters containing Li, H, and Be in which the valence shell molecular orbitals (MOs) are occupied by a single electron has been characterized using ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A first type (⁵Li₂, ⁿ⁺¹LiH_n+ (n = 2–5), ⁸Li₂H) possesses only one electron pair in the lowest MO, with bond energies of ～3 kcal/mol. In a second type, all the MOs are singly occupied, which results in highly excited species that nevertheless constitute a marked minimum on their potential energy surface (PES). Thus, it is possible to design a larger panel of structures (⁸LiBe, ⁷Li₂, ⁸Li, ⁴LiH⁺, ⁶BeH, ⁿ⁺³LiH (n = 3, 4), ⁿ⁺²LiH (n = 4–6), ⁸Li₂H, ⁹Li₂H, ²²Li₃Be₃ and ²²Li₆H), single‐electron equivalent to doublet “classical” molecules ranging from CO to C₆H₆. The geometrical structure is studied in relation to the valence shell single‐electron repulsion (VSEPR) theory and the electron localization function (ELF) is analyzed, revealing a striking similarity with the corresponding structure having paired electrons. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Charge transfer interactions in polyesters with a donor‐(σ‐bridge)‐acceptor moiety in the repeating unit

Two high molecular weight linear polyesters were investigated to gain insight in how the photophysics of electron donor‐(σ‐spacer)‐electron acceptor (DσA) compounds are affected by incorporation into a polymer. They were prepared by condensation of either adipoyl or sebacoyl chloride with a diol that was functionalized with an N,N‐dialkylaniline donor, a cyclohexyl type σ‐spacer, and a 1,1‐dicyanovinyl acceptor. The solubility, which is very low, and the thermal properties of the polyesters are dictated by physical crosslinking as a consequence of interchain donor‐acceptor interactions. Charge transfer (CT) absorption and emission are observed, which involve CT between DσA moieties of different chains rather than CT processes within a single DσA unit. As a result, the photophysics of the DσA units in the polyesters differs strongly from that of similar DσA compounds in solution. Upon swelling the polymers with THF, the CT fluorescence disappears partly. Analogous polymers containing only an N,N‐dialkylaniline donor display dual fluorescence; one band reflects local emission, while the other is attributed to excimer emission. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4775–4784, 2004