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1. Optical-electronic performance and mechanism investigation of dihydroindolocarbazole-based organic dyes for DSSCs

   https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2021.103939  

   Liu, Qian ; Zhao, Shihan ; Zhai, Yanhua ; Xu, Ming ; Li, Miao ; Zhang, Xianbin ( February 2021 , Results in physics)

   In recent years, organic dye molecules as photosensitizers have played a significant role in the field of dye-sensitized solar cells. In this context, two primary dihydroindolocarbazole-based organic dyes (sk201 and sk202), which were synthesized recently by Song et al., and three further designed dyes (DMZ1-3) were theoretically investigated based on density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory. Molecular geometries, absorption spectra, charge transfer, molecular electrostatic potential and nonlinear optical properties were quantificationally studied and visually presented to reveal the relationships between the molecular structures and performances of dyes. The effects of joining the isolated dyes and TiO2 on the molecular absorption spectra and energy levels were analyzed. Moreover, several parameters, such as efficiency of light-harvesting, driving forces of electron regeneration and injection, excited-state lifetime and vertical dipole moment, were calculated to give the multi-angle demonstrations of the photovoltaic performances for these dyes.
2. Photochemistry of carbon nitrides and heptazine derivatives

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CC02745J  

   Hwang, Doyk ; Schlenker, Cody W. ( September 2021 , Chemical Communications)

   We explore the photochemistry of polymeric carbon nitride (C 3 N 4 ), an archetypal organic photocatalyst, and derivatives of its structural monomer unit, heptazine (Hz). Through spectroscopic studies and computational analysis, we have observed that Hz derivatives can engage in non-innocent hydrogen bonding interactions with hydroxylic species. The photochemistry of these complexes is influenced by intermolecular nπ*/ππ* mixing of non-bonding orbitals of each component and the relative energy of intermolecular charge-transfer (CT) states. Coupling of the former to the latter appears to facilitate proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), resulting in biradical products. We have also observed that Hz derivatives exhibit an extremely rare inverted singlet/triplet energy splitting (Δ E ST ). In violation of Hund's multiplicity rules, the lowest energy singlet (S 1 ) is stabilized relative to the lowest triplet (T 1 ) electronic excited state. Exploiting this unique inverted Δ E ST character has obvious implications for transformational discoveries in solid-state OLED lighting and photovoltaics. Harnessing this inverted Δ E ST , paired with light-driven intermolecular PCET reactions, may enable molecular transformations relevant for applications ranging from solar energy storage to new classes of non-triplet photoredox catalysts for pharmaceutical development. To this end, we have explored the possibilitymore »of optically controlling the photochemistry of Hz derivatives using ultrafast pump–push–probe spectroscopy. In this case, the excited state branching ratios among locally excited states of the chromophore and the reactive intermolecular CT state can be manipulated with an appropriate secondary “push” excitation pulse. These results indicate that we can predictively redirect chemical reactivity with light in this system, which is an avidly sought achievement in the field of photochemistry. Looking forward, we anticipate future opportunities for controlling heptazine photochemistry, including manipulating PCET reactivity with a diverse array of substrates and optically delivering reducing equivalents with, for example, water as a partial source of electrons and protons. Furthermore, we wholly expect that, over the next decade, materials such as Hz derivatives, that exhibit inverted Δ E ST character, will spawn a significant new research effort in the field of thin-film optoelectronics, where controlling recombination via triplet excitonic states can play a critical role in determining device performance.« less
3. Open-shell donor–π–acceptor conjugated metal-free dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0ME00091D  

   Sabuj, Md Abdus ; Rai, Neeraj ( November 2020 , Molecular Systems Design & Engineering)

   Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have drawn a significant interest due to their low production cost, design flexibility, and the tunability of the sensitizer. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the metal-free organic dyes is limited due to the inability of the dye to absorb light in the near-infrared (NIR) region, leaving a large amount of energy unused. Herein, we have designed new DSC dyes with open-shell character, which significantly red-shifts the absorption spectra from their counterpart closed-shell structure. A small diradical character ( y < 0.10) is found to be beneficial in red-shifting the absorption maxima into the NIR region and broadening up to 2500 nm. Also, the open-shell dyes significantly reduce the singlet–triplet energy gaps (Δ E ST ), increase the total amount of charge-transfer to the semiconductor surface, reduce the exciton binding energy, and significantly increase the excited-state lifetimes compared to the closed-shell systems. However, the closed-shell dyes have higher injection efficiency with increased intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character. Our study reveals the design rule for open-shell DSC dyes to be able to absorb photons in the NIR region, which can increase the efficiency of the solar cell device.
4. Choosing sides: unusual ultrafast charge transfer pathways in an asymmetric electron-accepting cyclophane that binds an electron donor

   https://doi.org/10.1039/c8sc05514a  

   Zhou, Jiawang ; Wu, Yilei ; Roy, Indranil ; Samanta, Avik ; Stoddart, J. Fraser ; Young, Ryan M. ; Wasielewski, Michael R. ( January 2019 , Chemical Science)

   Constructing functional molecular systems for solar energy conversion and quantum information science requires a fundamental understanding of electron transfer in donor–bridge–acceptor (D–B–A) systems as well as competitive reaction pathways in acceptor–donor–acceptor (A–D–A) and acceptor–donor–acceptor′ (A–D–A′) systems. Herein we present a supramolecular complex comprising a tetracationic cyclophane having both phenyl-extended viologen (ExV 2+ ) and dipyridylthiazolothiazole (TTz 2+ ) electron acceptors doubly-linked by means of two p -xylylene linkers (TTzExVBox 4+ ), which readily incorporates a perylene (Per) guest in its cavity (Per ⊂ TTzExVBox 4+ ) to establish an A–D–A′ system, in which the ExV 2+ and TTz 2+ units serve as competing electron acceptors with different reduction potentials. Photoexcitation of the Per guest yields both TTz + ˙–Per + ˙–ExV 2+ and TTz 2+ –Per + ˙–ExV + ˙ in <1 ps, while back electron transfer in TTz 2+ –Per + ˙–ExV + ˙ proceeds via the unusual sequence TTz 2+ –Per + ˙–ExV + ˙ → TTz + ˙–Per + ˙–ExV 2+ → TTz 2+ –Per–ExV 2+ . In addition, selective chemical reduction of TTz 2+ gives Per ⊂ TTzExVBox 3+ ˙, turning the complex into a D–B–A system in which photoexcitation of TTz + ˙ results inmore »the reaction sequence 2 *TTz + ˙–Per–ExV 2+ → TTz 2+ –Per–ExV + ˙ → TTz + ˙–Per–ExV 2+ . Both reactions TTz 2+ –Per + ˙–ExV + ˙ → TTz + ˙–Per + ˙–ExV 2+ and TTz 2+ –Per–ExV + ˙ → TTz + ˙–Per–ExV 2+ occur with a (16 ± 1 ps) −1 rate constant irrespective of whether the bridge molecule is Per + ˙ or Per. These results are explained using the superexchange mechanism in which the ionic states of the perylene guest serve as virtual states in each case and demonstrate a novel supramolecular platform for studying the effects of bridge energetics within D–B–A systems.« less
5. Symmetry controlled photo-selection and charge separation in butadiyne-bridged donor–bridge–acceptor compounds

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CP01235A  

   Li, Xiao ; Valdiviezo, Jesús ; Banziger, Susannah D. ; Zhang, Peng ; Ren, Tong ; Beratan, David N. ; Rubtsov, Igor V. ( May 2020 , Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   Electron transfer (ET) in donor–bridge–acceptor (DBA) compounds depends strongly on the structural and electronic properties of the bridge. Among the bridges that support donor–acceptor conjugation, alkyne bridges have attractive and unique properties: they are compact, possess linear structure permitting access to high symmetry DBA molecules, and allow torsional motion of D and A, especially for longer bridges. We report conformation dependent electron transfer dynamics in a set of novel DBA compounds featuring butadiyne (C4) bridge, N -isopropyl-1,8-napthalimide (NAP) acceptors, and donors that span a range of reduction potentials (trimethyl silane (Si-C4-NAP), phenyl (Ph-C4-NAP), and dimethyl aniline (D-C4-NAP)). Transient mid-IR absorption spectra of the CC bridge stretching modes, transient spectra in the visible range, and TD-DFT calculations were used to decipher the ET mechanisms. We found that the electronic excited state energies and, especially, the transition dipoles (S 0 → S n ) depend strongly on the dihedral angle ( θ ) between D and A and the frontier orbital symmetry, offering an opportunity to photo-select particular excited states with specific ranges of dihedral angles by exciting at chosen wavelengths. For example, excitation of D-C4-NAP at 400 nm predominantly prepares an S 1 excited state in the planar conformations ( θmore »∼ 0) but selects an S 2 state with θ ∼ 90°, indicating the dominant role of the molecular symmetry in the photophysics. Moreover, the symmetry of the frontier orbitals of such DBA compounds not only defines the photo-selection outcome, but also determines the rate of the S 2 → S 1 charge separation reaction. Unprecedented variation of the S 2 –S 1 electronic coupling with θ by over four orders of magnitude results in slow ET at θ ca. 0° and 90° but extremely fast ET at θ of 20–60°. The unique features of high-symmetry alkyne bridged DBA structures enable frequency dependent ET rate selection and make this family of compounds promising targets for the vibrational excitation control of ET kinetics.« less