Theoretical rationalization for reduced charge recombination in bulky carbazole‐based sensitizers in solar cells

The search for greater efficiency in organic dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs) and in their perovskite cousins is greatly aided by a more complete understanding of the spectral and morphological properties of the photoactive layer. This investigation resolves a discrepancy in the observed photoconversion efficiency (PCE) of two closely related DSCs based on carbazole‐containing D–π–A organic sensitizers. Detailed theoretical characterization of the absorption spectra, dye adsorption on TiO₂, and electronic couplings for charge separation and recombination permit a systematic determination of the origin of the difference in PCE. Although the two dyes produce similar spectral features, ground‐ and excited‐state density functional theory (DFT) simulations reveal that the dye with the bulkier donor group adsorbs more strongly to TiO₂, experiences limited π–π aggregation, and is more resistant to loss of excitation energy via charge recombination on the dye. The effects of conformational flexibility on absorption spectra and on the electronic coupling between the bright exciton and charge‐transfer states are revealed to be substantial and are characterized through density‐functional tight‐binding (DFTB) molecular dynamics sampling. These simulations offer a mechanistic explanation for the superior open‐circuit voltage and short‐circuit current of the bulky‐donor dye sensitizer and provide theoretical justification of an important design feature for the pursuit of greater photocurrent efficiency in DSCs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Singlet excitation energies of thiophene derivatives of fluorene: TD‐DFT study

Fluorene‐thiophene (FT)‐based oligomers and polymers and their derivatives are good candidates for organic blue light‐emitting diodes. In this work, the intrinsic properties of the ground and excited states of FT monomer and its derivatives are studied. The ground‐state optimized structures and energies are obtained using molecular orbital theory and density functional theory (DFT). The ground‐state potential energy curves or surfaces of FT and its derivatives are also obtained. All derivatives are nonplanar in their electronic ground states. The character and energy of the first 20 singlet–singlet electronic transitions are investigated by applying the time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) approximations to the correspondingly optimized ground‐state geometries. The lowest singlet state is studied with the configuration interaction (singles) approach (CIS). Excitation energies are red shifted when the FT unit or its derivatives are extended longitudinally. CIS results suggest geometry relaxation in the first singlet excited state. When available, a comparison is made with experimental results. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Theoretical Studies of Distyrylbenzene and its Optical Properties

The electronic and geometrical properties of distyrylbenzene (DSB) are investigated by using chemistry theoretical calculation methods. Specifically, the excited state properties are studied by performing ab initio correlation interaction singlet (CIS) and time‐dependent density functional theory; the ground state and Raman activities are computed by density functional theory with the B3LYP method. Eight conformers of distyrylbenzene are found and they are derived from three isomers which are cis, cis‐, cis, trans‐, and trans, trans‐, respectively. The relative energy shows that each isomer of three types is separated with a large energy barrier, but a small energy difference of each conformer is found if they are in the same type. The transition state also shows the barrier between conformers is lower than isomers. The computed excited transition energies using ZINDO/S based on the optimized geometries at a DFT/B3LYP level with 6–31+G show an excellent agreement with experimental absorption spectra.     

Luminescent compounds diphenylboron analogs of Alq3 and its methyl substituents: A theoretical investigation of their electronic and spectroscopic properties

The absorption and emission energies for diphenylboron analogs of Alq₃ (Ph₂Bq) and its methyl substituents (Ph₂Bmq) were systematically investigated at the Zerner's intermediate neglect of differential overlap (ZINDO), configuration interaction singles (CIS), and time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) levels of theory. The lowest excited‐state geometries were optimized at the ab initio CIS level. The TD‐DFT method provides the most reliable results for the absorption and emission transition energies, compared with other methods. Moreover, the TD‐DFT calculations reliably estimate the changes of absorption and emission λ_max values upon methyl substitution, with errors of 1.2% and 1.8%, respectively. The Stokes shifts are well reproduced by TD‐DFT calculations. Various density functional theory methods have been tested and the B3LYP functional clearly seems to be the best choice for this class of compounds. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Combined experimental and computational modeling studies on 4‐[(2‐hydroxy‐3‐methylbenzylidene) amino]‐1,5‐dimethyl‐2‐phenyl‐1,2‐dihydro‐3H‐pyrazol‐3‐one

The Schiff base compound, 4‐[(2‐hydroxy‐3‐methylbenzylidene)amino]‐1,5‐dimethyl‐2‐phenyl‐1,2‐dihydro‐3H‐pyrazol‐3‐one, has been synthesized and characterized by IR, UV–vis, and X‐ray single‐crystal determination. Molecular geometry from X‐ray experiment of the title compound in the ground state have been compared using the density functional method (B3LYP) with 6‐31G(d,p) basis set. Calculated results show that density functional theory (DFT) can well reproduce the structure of the title compound. The energetic behavior of the title compound in solvent media has been examined using B3LYP method with the 6‐31G(d,p) basis set by applying the Onsager and the polarizable continuum model (PCM). The results obtained with these methods reveal that the PCM method provided more stable structure than Onsager's method. By using TD‐DFT method, electronic absorption spectra of the title compound have been predicted and a good agreement with the TD‐DFT method and the experimental one is determined. The predicted nonlinear optical properties of the title compound are much greater than ones of urea. In addition, DFT calculations of the title compound, molecular electrostatic potential and NBO analysis were performed at B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) level of theory. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Automatized Parameterization of the Density‐functional Tight‐binding Method. II. Two‐center Integrals

We present an efficient numerical integration scheme (TWOCENT) to be used in the context of automatized parameterization of the density‐functional tight‐binding (DFTB) method. The accuracy of the integration process is assessed and its range of applicability is discussed. The functionality of the developed code is tested by reproducing the electronic portion of the existing mio parameter sets and by reproducing a series of reference DFT band structures of elemental solids.     

Molecular design of organic dyes with diketopyrrolopyrrole for dye‐sensitized solar cell: A theoretical approach

Three designed metal‐free dyes based on 3‐(10‐butyl‐8‐(methylthio)‐10H‐phenothiazin‐3‐yl)‐2‐cyanoacrylic acid (V5) are investigated by density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT to improve the efficiency of V5‐based solar cell devices. We have studied the geometrical structures, excitations, electronic structures, and conduction band shift caused by dye adsorption. The results indicate that the designed dyes have several merits compared with V5 including: (i) smaller energy band gaps and the LUMO closer to conduction band of TiO₂; (ii) wider absorption spectra and higher oscillator strength; (iii) larger dipole moment that lead to higher V_oc value. Our work suggests that the modification of π‐bridge with diketopyrrolopyrrole unit is very effective for designing novel metal‐free dyes with improved performance for dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). These findings are expected to provide a bright way to design new efficient metal‐free organic DSSCs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Photo‐physical Properties of N‐methyl‐3,4‐fulleropyrrolidine and Its Derivatives: A DFT and TD‐DFT Investigation

A series of N‐methyl‐3,4‐fulleropyrrolidine (NMFP) derivatives were designed by selecting different π‐conjugated linkers and electron‐donating groups as D‐π‐A and D‐A systems. The optimised structures and photo‐physical properties of NMFP and its derivatives have been determined using density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) methods with the B3LYP functional and the 6‐31G basis set. According to the computation analysis, both the π‐conjugated linkers and the electron‐donating groups can influence the electronic and photo‐physical properties of the NMFP derivatives. Our calculated results demonstrated that the electron‐donating groups, with significant electron‐donating ability, had the tendency to increase the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy. The π‐conjugated linkers with lower resonance energy decreased the lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy and caused a significant decrease in the energy gap (E_g) between the E_HOMO and E_LUMO. A Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis examines the effect of the electron‐donating group, π conjugated linker, and electron‐withdrawing group for these NMFP derivatives. For the NMFP derivatives, a projected density of state (PDOS) analysis demonstrated that the electron density of HOMO and LUMO are concentrated on the electron‐donating group and the π‐conjugated linker, respectively. A TD‐DFT/B3LYP calculation was performed to calculate the electronic absorption spectra of these NMFP derivatives. Both the electron‐donating group and the π‐conjugated linker contribute to the major absorption peaks, which are assigned as HOMO to LUMO transitions and are red‐shifted relative to those of non‐substituted NMFP.     

Time‐dependent density functional theory study of electronic spectrum property for carbazolyl–pyridinyl alternating copolymers

Three A‐B‐type fluorescent copolymers comprised of alternating carbazolyl and pyridinyl units, poly[(2,7‐(N‐(2‐ethylhexyl)carbazolyl)‐alt‐(3,5‐pyridinyl))](PEHCP‐35), poly[(2,7‐(N‐(2‐ethylhexyl)carbazolyl)‐alt‐(2,6‐pyridinyl))] (PEHCP‐26) and poly[(2,7‐(N‐(2‐ethyl‐hexyl)carbazolyl)‐alt‐(2,5‐pyridinyl))] (PEHCP‐25), are studied by means of the density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP/6‐31G). Based on the optimized geometries, the optical properties are calculated by employing time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT). The bandgaps and optical properties are saturated quickly in PEHCP‐35 and PEHCP‐26. It is known from experiment that PEHCP‐25 is actually an oligomer with a polymerization degree of 4. So the tetramers of PEHCP‐35, PEHCP‐26, and PEHCP‐25 are adopted to study the electronic and optical properties, and the calculated results are in close agreement with experiment. The calculated bandgaps of copolymers obtained from two ways, i.e., HOMO–LUMO gaps and the lowest excitation energies, decrease in the following order PEHCP‐35 > PEHCP‐26 > PEHCP‐25, the same trend as the data obtained from the edge of the electric band but different from the electrochemically obtained data from experiment (PEHCP‐25 > PEHCP‐26 > PEHCP‐35). The outcomes showed that, when excited, a charge transfer from carbazolyl unit to pyridinyl unit occurs, and the lumophor is mainly carbazolyl units. The UV absorption and emission wavelengths both exhibit bathochromic shifts: PEHCP‐35 < PEHCP‐26 < PEHCP‐25. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Combining UV photodissociation action spectroscopy with electron transfer dissociation for structure analysis of gas‐phase peptide cation‐radicals

We report the first example of using ultraviolet (UV) photodissociation action spectroscopy for the investigation of gas‐phase peptide cation‐radicals produced by electron transfer dissociation. z ‐Type fragment ions ^●Gly‐Gly‐Lys⁺, coordinated to 18‐crown‐6‐ether (CE), are generated, selected by mass and photodissociated in the 200–400 nm region. The UVPD action spectra indicate the presence of valence‐bond isomers differing in the position of the C_α radical defect, (α‐Gly)‐Gly‐Lys⁺(CE), Gly‐(α‐Gly)‐Lys⁺(CE) and Gly‐Gly‐(α‐Lys⁺)(CE). The isomers are readily distinguishable by UV absorption spectra obtained by time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) calculations. In contrast, conformational isomers of these radical types are calculated to have similar UV spectra. UV photodissociation action spectroscopy represents a new tool for the investigation of transient intermediates of ion‐electron reactions. Specifically, z ‐type cation radicals are shown to undergo spontaneous hydrogen atom migrations upon electron transfer dissociation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A TD‐DFT Study on the Effect of Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding on the Photophysical Properties of N‐Methyl‐1,8‐naphthalimide

The effect of intermolecular hydrogen bonding on the photophysical properties of N‐methyl‐1,8‐naphthalimide ( 2 ) has been investigated by time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) method. The UV and IR spectra of 2 monomer and its hydrogen‐bonded complexes formed with 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol (TFE) 2 +TFE and 2 +2TFE have been calculated, which confirm the presence of intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions between the carbonyl groups of the aromatic imide and the hydroxyl group of the polyfluorinated alcohol. The absorption and fluorescence intensities going from 2 monomer via hydrogen‐bonded complex 2 +TFE to 2 +2TFE were found to be gradually enhanced with the wavelength gradually red‐shifted. The enhancements of the fluorescence intensities from 2 monomer to hydrogen‐bonded complexes 2 +TFE and 2 +2TFE were attributed to the decrease of the intersystem crossing (ISC) efficiency from the first excited singlet state S₁ ¹(ππ*) to the second excited triplet state T₂ ³(nπ*), whose energy was increased relative to its ground state due to the intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions.     

Structural and optical profile of a multifunctionalized 2‐pyridone derivative in a crystal engineering perspective

The supramolecular structural features of organic molecules are very important with regard to their widespread properties in both solids and solutions. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a novel multifunctional 2‐pyridone derivative, namely 6‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐5‐formyl‐4‐methylsulfanyl‐2‐oxo‐1,2‐dihydropyridine‐3‐carbonitrile, C₁₄H₉ClN₂O₂S, denoted P1 , and its structural features were established through X‐ray crystallography. A Hirshfeld surface analysis followed by a two‐dimensional fingerprint plot analysis was carried out. A frontier molecular orbital investigation and natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations explored the charge‐transfer interactions associated with the molecular system. The optical properties of the 2‐pyridone derivative were elucidated through UV–Vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, indicating a strong blue emissive nature with a colour purity of 82.5%, a short‐lived lifetime and a large Stokes shift. Time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) was used to gain some insight into the absorption behaviour and emissive characteristics of P1 .     

Parallel implementation of γ‐point pseudopotential plane‐wave DFT with exact exchange

Semi‐local functionals commonly used in density functional theory (DFT) studies of solids usually fail to reproduce localized states such as trapped holes, polarons, excitons, and solitons. This failure is ascribed to self‐interaction which creates a Coulomb barrier to localization. Pragmatic approaches in which the exchange correlation functionals are augmented with small amount of exact exchange (hybrid‐DFT, e.g., B3LYP and PBE0) have shown to promise in rectifying this type of failure, as well as producing more accurate band gaps and reaction barriers. The evaluation of exact exchange is challenging for large, solid state systems with periodic boundary conditions, especially when plane‐wave basis sets are used. We have developed parallel algorithms for implementing exact exchange into pseudopotential plane‐wave DFT program and we have implemented them in the NWChem program package. The technique developed can readily be employed in Γ‐point plane‐wave DFT programs. Furthermore, atomic forces and stresses are straightforward to implement, making it applicable to both confined and extended systems, as well as to Car‐Parrinello ab initio molecular dynamic simulations. This method has been applied to several systems for which conventional DFT methods do not work well, including calculations for band gaps in oxides and the electronic structure of a charge trapped state in the Fe(II) containing mica, annite. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Theoretical investigation on the spectroscopic properties of cyclometallated iridium (III) complexes and the deprotonation influence on them in solution

Electronic structures and spectroscopic properties of mixed‐ligand cyclometallated iridium complexes with general formula [Ir(N?C)₂(N?N)]⁺ (N?C = 2‐phenylpyridine, N?N = Hcmbpy = 4‐carboxyl‐4^′‐methyl‐2,2^′‐bipyridine, 1 ; H₂dcbpy = 4,4^′‐dicarboxyl‐2,2^′‐bipyridine, 2 ) were studied theoretically. The geometries of the complexes in ground and excited state were optimized at B3LYP and CIS levels, respectively. The absorption and emission of the complexes in CH₃CN solutions were calculated by time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) with the PCM solvent model. The calculated absorptions and emissions of the complexes are in good agreement with the measured results. The deprotonation influence on the electronic structure and the optical properties of 2 was also investigated. The results indicate that the deprotonation which occurs on the COOH groups influences the geometries of the complexes in ground and excited state slightly but leads to significant blue‐shifts in low energy absorption and emission maximum. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

Electronic structure and molecular orbital study of the first excited state of the high‐efficiency blue OLED material bis(2‐methyl‐8‐quinolinolato)aluminum(III) hydroxide complex from ab initio and TD‐B3LYP

Bis(2‐methyl‐8‐quinolinolato)aluminum(III) hydroxide complex (AlMq₂OH) is used in organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) as an electron transport material and emitting layer. By means of ab initio Hartree–Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP methods, the structure of AlMq₂OH was optimized. The frontier molecular orbital characteristics and energy levels of AlMq₂OH have been analyzed systematically to study the electronic transition mechanism in AlMq₂OH. For comparison and calibration, bis(8‐quinolinolato)aluminum(III) hydroxide complex (Alq₂OH) has also been examined with these methods using the same basis sets. The lowest singlet excited state (S₁) of AlMq₂OH has been studied by the singles configuration interaction (CIS) method and time‐dependent DFT (TD‐DFT) using a hybrid functional, B3‐LYP, and the 6‐31G* basis set. The lowest singlet electronic transition (S₀ → S₁) of AlMq₂OH is π → π* electronic transitions and primarily localized on the different quinolate ligands. The emission of AlMq₂OH is due to the electron transitions from a phenoxide donor to a pyridyl acceptor from another quinolate ligand including C → C and O → N transference. Two possible electron transfer pathways are presented, one by carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms and the other via metal cation Al³⁺. The comparison between the CIS‐optimized excited‐state structure with the HF ground‐state structure indicates that the geometric shift is mainly confined to the one quinolate and these changes can be easily understood in terms of the nodal patterns of the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals. On the basis of the CIS‐optimized structure of the excited state, TD‐B3‐LYP calculations predict an emission wavelength of 499.78 nm. An absorption wavelength at 380.79 nm on the optimized structure of B3LYP/6‐31G* was predicted. They are comparable to AlMq2OH 485 and 390 nm observed experimentally for photoluminescence and UV‐vis absorption spectra of AlMq₂OH solid thin film on quartz, respectively. Lending theoretical corroboration to recent experimental observations and supposition, the reasons for the blue‐shift of AlMq2OH were revealed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004     

Theoretical studies of structural and electronic properties of AlnAsn clusters

We present theoretical results of size dependent structural, electronic, and optical properties of ligand‐free stoichiometric Al_nAs_n clusters of zinc‐blende modification. The investigation is done using a simplified parametrized linear combination of atomic orbital–density functional theory‐local density approximation–tight‐binding (LCAO–DFT–LDA–TB) method and consider clusters with n up to around 100. Initial structures have assumed as spherical parts of infinite zinc‐blende structure and then allowed to relax to the closest local‐energy‐minimum structure. We analyze the radial distributions of atoms, Mulliken populations, electronic energy levels (in particular, HOMO and LUMO), bandgap, and stability as a function of size and composition. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006     

Ab initio theoretical study of non-covalent adsorption of aromatic molecules on boron nitride nanotubes

We have studied non-covalent functionalization of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) with benzene molecule and with seven other different heterocyclic aromatic rings (furan, thiophene, pyrrole, pyridine, pyrazine, pyrimidine, and pyridazine, respectively). A hybrid density functional theory (DFT) method with the inclusion of dispersion correction is employed. The structural and electronic properties of the functionalized BNNTs are obtained. The DFT calculation shows that upon adsorption to the BNNT, the center of aromatic rings tend to locate on top of the nitrogen site. The trend of adsorption energy for the aromatic rings on the BNNTs shows marked dependence on different intermolecular interactions, including the dispersion interaction (area of the delocalized π bond), the dipole-dipole interaction (polarization), and the electrostatic repulsion (lone pair electrons). The DFT calculation also shows that non-covalent functionalization of BNNTs with aromatic rings can give rise to new impurity states within the band gap of pristine BNNTs, suggesting possible carrier doping of BNNTs via selective adsorption of aromatic rings.     

Density functional theory study of formaldehyde oligomers

Hydrogen‐bonded formaldehyde oligomers (dimer to pentamer) are studied using density functional theory (DFT), the B3LYP method, and the 6‐311+G* basis set. Many‐body interaction energies are obtained to study the contribution of many‐body terms to binding energy. The basis set superposition error (BSSE)‐corrected total energies are ?229.08170, ?343.61410, ?458.16660, and ?572.70901 hartrees for dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer, respectively, with corresponding binding energies ?2.55, ?4.86, ?6.99, and ?9.49 kcal/mol. Two‐body energies have been found to contribute significantly to the total binding energy in dimer to pentamer, whereas higher‐order interaction energies are negligible. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Chemically modified fullerene derivatives as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy: A first‐principles study

The first‐principles density functional theory (DFT) and its time‐dependent approach (TD‐DFT) are used to characterize the electronic structures and optical spectra properties of five chemically modified fullerenes. It is revealed that the metal fullerene derivatives possess not only stronger absorption bands in visible light regions than organically modified fullerene but also the large energy gaps (ΔE_S–T > 0.98 eV) between the singlet ground state and the triplet state, which imply their significant aspect of potential candidates as a photosensitizer. We have found that a new metal‐containing bisfullerene complexes (Pt(C₆₀)₂), with the extended conjugated π‐electrons, much degenerate orbitals and a uniform electrostatic potential surface, behave more pre‐eminent photosensitizing properties than other examined fullerene derivatives. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.