Role of the Radical Character in Singlet Fission: An Ab Initio and Quantum Chemical Topology Analysis.

The radical character of molecules exhibiting singlet fission is related to the energy level matching relationships that facilitate this process. Using a linear H model molecule, we employ quantum chemical topology descriptors based on full configuration interaction calculations to rationalize singlet fission. In this context, the influence of the closed-shell to diradical and diradical to tetraradical character on the singlet fission energy matching conditions is analyzed.

Spin Mixing in Intramolecular Singlet Fission: A First-Principles-Based Quantum Dynamical Study.

We investigate the dynamical interplay between the different triplet-pair spin states that are formed in the intramolecular singlet fission process in a series of pentacene-based dimers covalently bonded to a phenylene linker in ortho, meta, and para positions. Using first-principles calculations and a density matrix quantum dynamical approach we show that the spin dipole-dipole interaction leads to significant population of the quintet spin manifold in these regioisomers when the singlet, triplet and quintet triplet-pair states are quasidegenerate. Furthermore, we also show that the relative arrangement of the pentacene-like moieties has a profound impact on the dynamics of the spin-mixing process, affecting both the relative population of the different spin-states involved in the dynamics and the time scale of the process.

Electronic couplings for singlet fission: Orbital choice and extrapolation to the complete basis set limit.

For the search for promising singlet fission candidates, the calculation of the effective electronic coupling, which is required to estimate the singlet fission rate between the initially excited state (SS) and the multiexcitonic state (TT, two triplets on neighboring molecules, coupled into a singlet), should be sufficiently reliable and fast enough to explore the configuration space. We propose here to modify the calculation of the effective electronic coupling using a nonorthogonal configuration interaction approach by: (a) using only one set of orbitals, optimized for the triplet state of the molecules, to describe all molecular electronic states, and (b) only taking the leading configurations into consideration. Furthermore, we also studied the basis set convergence of the electronic coupling, and we found, by comparison to the complete basis set limit obtained using the cc-pVnZ series of basis sets, that both the aug-cc-pVDZ and 6-311++G** basis sets are a good compromise between accuracy and computational feasibility.

Reduced Common Molecular Orbital Basis for Nonorthogonal Configuration Interaction.

Electron and charge transfers are part of many vital processes in nature and technology. Ab initio descriptions of these processes provide useful insights that can be utilized for applications. A combination of the embedded cluster material model and nonorthogonal configuration interaction (NOCI), in which the cluster wave functions are expanded in many-electron basis functions (MEBFs) consisting of spin-adapted, antisymmetrized products of multiconfigurational wave functions of fragments (which are usually molecules) in the cluster, appears to provide a compromise between accuracy and calculation time.