Order-disorder phase transition in p-terphenyl and p-terphenyl: tetracene doped crystals as studied by Raman spectroscopy

Phase transition in crystalline pure p-terphenyl and p-terphenyl: tetracene doped crystals was studied with Raman spectroscopy, for temperatures from 295 to 10 K. In particular, the torsional Raman vibrational mode with a “hard-core frequency” of 230.8 cm⁻¹ was investigated in its frequency and bandwidth dependence upon temperature. The results were analyzed based on an order-disorder model allowing the determination of the activation energies and orientational correlation times of the molecular diffusive process in the monoclinic (above 193 K) and triclinic (below 193 K) phases of the crystals. The activation energy is observed to decrease from the monoclinic to the triclinic phase, whereas the orientational correlation times increase, both in the undoped and the doped crystals. The doping of p-terphenyl with tetracene appears to affect the activation energy and the orientational correlation times in a different way in each phase.     

Pulsed electron nuclear double resonance studies of the photoexcited triplet state of pentacene in p-terphenyl crystals at room temperature

Pulsed electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) using a modified Davies-type [Phys. Lett. 47A, 1 (1974)] sequence is employed to study the hyperfine (HF) structure of the photoexcited triplet state of pentacene dispersed in protonated and deuterated p-terphenyl single crystals. The strong electron spin polarization and long phase memory time of triplet pentacene enable us to perform the ENDOR measurements on the S=1 spin system at room temperature. Proton HF tensor elements and spin density values of triplet pentacene are extracted from a detailed angular-dependent study in which the orientation of the magnetic field is varied systematically in two different pentacene planes. Analysis reveals that the pentacene molecule is no longer planar in the p-terphenyl host lattice. The distortion is more pronounced in the deuterated crystal where the unit cell dimensions are slightly smaller than those of the protonated crystal.     

Conformation of p-terphenyl under hydrostatic pressure

The conformation of p-terphenyl (C18H14) and deuterated p-terphenyl (C18D14) has been investigated, using high-pressure infrared spectroscopy at liquid-helium temperatures. First-principles calculations, together with the experimental results, were performed to determine the structure of p-terphenyl in the twisted conformation. At low temperatures and pressures, p-terphenyl belongs to the C2 point group of symmetry. In this configuration, the central ring is twisted with respect to the plane of the outer rings. The symmetry of the molecule is nearly C2h, consistent with previous x-ray diffraction measurements.     

The nature of optical spectra of p-terphenyl

The absorption, fluorescence and fluorescence excitation spectra of p-terphenyl (TP) crystals have been investigated. The absorption spectrum of a thin (1 μm, 5 K) crystal shows several electron transitions with a strongly and weakly developed vibrational structure. It is found that even the purest TP crystals contain a large number of uncontrolled impurities absorbing in the region 331 – 390 nm, and the crystal fluorescence spectrum reported in the literature is due to the defect-impurity emission.     

Pressure induced orientational ordering in p-terphenyl

Three different interaction potentials existing in the literature along with a model proposed here have been used to model p-terphenyl under standard conditions. Of these, the model that predicts the room-temperature crystal structure well has been used to understand the behavior of p-terphenyl under pressure. Lattice parameters show good agreement with the X-ray diffraction values reported by Puschnig et al. (Puschnig, P.; Heimel, G.; Weinmeier, K.; Resel, R.; Ambrosch-Draxl, C. High Pressure Res. 2002, 22, 105). The nonplanar structure of p-terphenyl transforms to a planar structure with gradual disappearance of disorder associated with ring flipping. We show that the transformation is accompanied by a change in the potential energy profile from W-shaped to a U-shaped form, which is associated with complete planarization between 1.0 and 1.5 GPa. Our results reported here are in excellent agreement with X-ray diffraction results which also suggest the existence of a similar transition as a function of pressure in polyphenyls such as biphenyl and p-hexaphenyl. Interestingly, the amplitude of the torsional motion is largest at an intermediate pressure of 1.0 GPa. This is attributed to the rather flat potential energy landscape which occurs during the transition from W- to U-shaped potential.     

Different spectra for different sites in mixed crystals

The site splitting in the pure electronic transition and in the 676 cm⁻¹ and 1380 cm⁻¹ vibronic absorption bonds were determined at high spectral resolution at 1.8°K for the system phenanthrene in biphenyl. The site splitting is not the same in different vibronic bands, exposing the fact that the guest molecule force field is different at different sites. Some ideas on site splitting, and phonon effects in mixed crystals spectra are presented.     

Localized excited triplet states in mixed charge-transfer single crystals: formation of excited multicomplexes

Single crystals of charge-transfer (CT) complexes between tetracyanobenzene as acceptor and different aromatic donors were doped with guest donors. The molecular arrangements of the guest CT complexes forming triple energy traps in the host crystal were determined from the triplet ESR spectra of the traps. A method for the determination of relative charge-transfer triplet energies is proposed. Extended electron delocalization over more than one donor-acceptor pair has been found.     

Orientation of anthracene molecules in naphthalene single crystals

The orientation of anthracene in naphthalene matrix has been determined by EPR of the triplet state of the guest molecule. It differs from the host molecule orientation mainly by a rotation of 25° about the z axis.     

Shock wave-induced phase transition in RDX single crystals

The real-time, molecular-level response of oriented single crystals of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-s-triazine (RDX) to shock compression was examined using Raman spectroscopy. Single crystals of [111], [210], or [100] orientation were shocked under stepwise loading to peak stresses from 3.0 to 5.5 GPa. Two types of measurements were performed: (i) high-resolution Raman spectroscopy to probe the material at peak stress and (ii) time-resolved Raman spectroscopy to monitor the evolution of molecular changes as the shock wave reverberated through the material. The frequency shift of the CH stretching modes under shock loading appeared to be similar for all three crystal orientations below 3.5 GPa. Significant spectral changes were observed in crystals shocked above 4.5 GPa. These changes were similar to those observed in static pressure measurements, indicating the occurrence of the alpha-gamma phase transition in shocked RDX crystals. No apparent orientation dependence in the molecular response of RDX to shock compression up to 5.5 GPa was observed. The phase transition had an incubation time of approximately 100 ns when RDX was shocked to 5.5 GPa peak stress. The observation of the alpha-gamma phase transition under shock wave loading is briefly discussed in connection with the onset of chemical decomposition in shocked RDX.     

ESR study of the hyperfine structure of the triplet state in crystalline donor acceptor complexes: A probe for the degree of charge transfer in the excited state

The hyperfine tensors of the triplet states of several guest donor molecules in naphthalene/tetracyanobenzene host crystals have been measured by EPR spectroscopy. From these data the degree of charge transfer (b²) in the excited state can be derived in a straightforward way. Whereas anthracene yields values almost identical with those characteristic for the isolated molecule (b² ≈ 0.05), phenanthrene shown a significant degree of charge transfer in the triplet state (b² ≈ 0.47).     

The orientation of the dispersed phase and crystals in an injection-molded impact polypropylene copolymer

The orientation of the dispersed phase and crystals in the injection-molded bar of an impact polypropylene copolymer (IPC) containing isotactic polypropylene (iPP), ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) and a β-nucleating agent (β-NA) were studied simultaneously. In the IPC, iPP and EPR act as the matrix and dispersed phase, respectively. The EPR is amorphous and the iPP is crystallizable in α- and β-crystalline forms in the presence of the β-NA. The orientation and orientation distribution for both of the EPR phase and the iPP crystals, as well as the crystallization behavior of iPP, were investigated by two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction (2D-WAXD), two-dimensional small-angle X-ray scattering (2D-SAXS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results of the experiment show that orientation exists for both the EPR phase and the iPP crystals. But their orientation distribution manifests an opposite tendency. The EPR phase was observed to be highly oriented in the core layer but the orientation of the iPP crystals was weakened gradually from skin to core. The difference in the orientation behavior between the EPR phase and the iPP crystals reflects the distinct response of the micrometer-scale EPR particles and nanometer-scale iPP chains upon the flow field and temperature gradient in the mold. The diffraction geometry of the β-crystals has also been discussed in detail. The observations in this study may shed light on the study in the structure and property relationship for the IPC injection-molded products.     

Transient EPR emission spectra of a free radical trapped in a single crystal of chloranil

The EPR spectrum of a free trapped in single crystals of chloranil changes its phase from absorption to emission when the crystal is illuminated by visible light. The time evolution of the EPR signal is discussed in terms of the interaction between the doublet species and triplet excitons produced by light excitation.     

EPR studies of VO2+ ions in kainite single crystals

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of VO2+ ions doped in Kainite (a mineral salt) single crystals and powder were recorded at room temperature at X-band frequencies.The angular variation studies of the spectra indicate that the VO2+ ion enters Mg2+ ion site substitutionally. The principal values of g and A-tensors were determined from the EPR spectral studies. Using these EPR parameters, the molecular orbital bonding parameters of VO2+ ion in the lattice have been evaluated and discussed.     

Differential dichroic spectroscopy in liquid crystals using unpolarized radiation

An unpolarized, differential technique is described for obtaining the dichroic spectra of uniaxial liquid crystals from a single spectral scan. Using this method, we investigate the near infrared dichoic spectrum of n-heptyl cyanobiphenyl (7CB). The temperature dependence of the orientational order parameter has been derived close to the nematic-isotropic transition and this is in good agreement with earlier Raman data. The differential method is also advantageous for dichroic studies on oriented guest molecules in liquid crystals. Illustrative results are presented for p-nitrotoluene dissolved in a nematic medium.     

Spectroscopic and optical studies on pure and doped single crystals of sulphate-mixed L-arginine phosphate monohydrate--a nonlinear optical crystal

Single crystals of pure and transition metal ions (Cu(2+) and VO(2+))-doped L-arginine sulpho phosphate monohydrate (sulphate-mixed L-arginine phosphate monohydrate, abbreviated as LASP) have been grown by solvent evaporation of the saturated aqueous solution at room temperature and characterized by single-crystal XRD, FT-IR, UV-Vis-NIR and EPR (single-crystal rotation) spectral studies. Kurtz powder technique shows an enhanced second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency for LASP and its doped analogues than pure LAP. The EPR studies on LASP:VO(2+) reveal that the in-plane sigma-bonding is moderately covalent and the out-of-plane pi-bonding is highly covalent, which could be attributed to the cause of enhanced powder efficiency.     

The source of excess linewidth in EPR of triplet excitons in molecular crystals

It is shown that the EPR linewidth spectrum of triplet excitons in molecular crystals can be severely distorted by weak orientational disorder. The demonstration employs a one-parameter correction procedure based on the assumption that the angular dependence of excess width is directly proportional to the angular gradient of the resonant field. Application to the discrepant data of Haarer and Wolf brings them into agreement with theory and with more recent experiments. A phenomenological model of the disorder is used to interpret the distortion parameter. These results suggest the potential value of exciton EPR as a probe of structural imperfections in molecular crystals.     

On the origin of long-lived emission in some charge-transfer crystals

Temperature dependence of emission spectra, decay times and intensity of emission, for molecular (1:1) crystals of charge-transfer (CT) complexes of tetrachloro- and tetrabromophthalic anhydride with penta- and hexamethylbenzene, have been investigated over a wide temperature range (1.7–300 K). A long-lived emission, observed in those crystals, has been identified as CT phosphorescence from CT triplet traps. No delayed emission, controlled by triplet—triplet annihilation (P-type), has been found. An explanation of observations connected with the fact that these complexes belong to the class where the lowest triplet state is of charge-transfer character is offered.     

Triplet ESR spectra in doped fluorene crystals; evidence for heteroexcimers

Fluorene crystals, doped with phenazine or with acridine, show in the ESR spectrum of their optically excited metastable triplet state besides the isolated molecules on anomalous additional spectrum. This additional triplet ESR spectrum requires besides the optical excitation a thermal activation. It is only observed at temperatures above 200 K. The zero field splitting of this additional triplet is about $\text{1}\text{6}$ of the zero field splitting of the isolated molecules. This is exceptionally small as compared to other aromatic systems. It is suggested that this spectrum is due to host guest heteroexcimers.     

Dielectric properties of single crystals of the substituted diacetylene pTS: effect of the solid-state polymerization and phase transitions

Dielectric permittivities of the polymerizable organic solid, pTS diacetylene have been measured between 115 and 330 K in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the direction of polymer chain growth. The upper phase transition in monomer, polymer and mixed crystals at various stages of the solid-state polymerization manifests itself as a maximum in the temperature dependence of ε measured in the direction parallel to the molecular stacks, being particularly well pronounced in fully polymerized crystals. The transition was identified as an antiferroelectric one, the sublattice polarization being most probably the order parameter. The lower phase transition could be observed only in monomer and monomer-rich crystals as a shoulder on the ε(T) dependence. This transition could be detected only in the crystals containing less than ≈ 10–15% of polymer. The dielectric permittivity was found to be independent of frequency up to 3 GHz. The polymerization results in changes of the dielectric permittivity. In samples where the direction of measurements coincides with the b axis, these changes follow the monomer-polymer conversion curve.     

Glassiness of thermotropic liquid crystals across the isotropic-nematic transition

The orientational dynamics of thermotropic liquid crystals across the isotropic-nematic phase transition have traditionally been investigated at long times or low frequencies using frequency domain measurements. The situation has now changed significantly with the recent report of a series of interesting transient optical Kerr effect (OKE) experiments that probed orientational relaxation of a number of calamitic liquid crystals (which consist of rod-like molecules) directly in the time domain, over a wide time window ranging from subpicoseconds to tens of microseconds. The most intriguing revelation is that the decay of the OKE signal at short to intermediate times (from a few tens of picoseconds to several hundred nanoseconds) follows multiple temporal power laws. Another remarkable feature that has emerged from these OKE measurements is the similarity in the orientational relaxation behavior between the isotropic phase of calamitic liquid crystals near the isotropic-nematic transition and supercooled molecular liquids, notwithstanding their largely different macroscopic states. In this article, we present an overview of the understanding that has emerged from recent computational and theoretical studies of calamitic liquid crystals across the isotropic-nematic transition. Topics discussed include (a) single-particle as well as collective orientational dynamics at a short-to-intermediate time window, (b) heterogeneous dynamics in orientational degrees of freedom diagnosed by a non-Gaussian parameter, (c) fragility, and (d) temperature-dependent exploration of underlying energy landscapes as calamitic liquid crystals settle into increasingly ordered mesophases upon cooling from the high-temperature isotropic phase. A comparison of our results with those of supercooled molecular liquids reveals an array of analogous features in these two important classes of soft matter systems. We further find that the onset of growth of the orientational order in the parent nematic phase induces translational order, resulting in smectic-like layers in the potential energy minima of calamitic systems if the parent nematic phase is sandwiched between the high-temperature isotropic phase and the low-temperature smectic phase. We discuss implications of this startling observation. We also discuss recent results on the orientational dynamics of discotic liquid crystals that are found to be rather similar to those of calamitic liquid crystals.