Singlet fission, in which a singlet exciton is converted to two triplet excitons, is a process that could be beneficial in photovoltaic applications. A full understanding of the dynamics of singlet fission in molecular systems requires detailed knowledge of the relevant potential energy surfaces and their (conical) intersections. However, obtaining such information is a nontrivial task, particularly for molecular aggregates. Here we investigate singlet fission in rubrene crystals using transient absorption spectroscopy and state-of-the-art quantum chemical calculations. We observe a coherent and ultrafast singlet-fission channel as well as the well-known and conventional thermally assisted incoherent channel. This coherent channel is accessible because the conical intersection for singlet fission on the excited-state potential energy surface is located very close to the equilibrium position of the ground-state potential energy surface and also because of the excitation of an intermolecular symmetry-breaking mode, which activates the electronic coupling necessary for singlet fission.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2784 | DOI Listing |
Chem Sci
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, The University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia 5005 Australia
Singlet fission (SF) is a process that is potentially beneficial for photovoltaics by producing two triplet excitons from a single photon, but its application is often hindered by the inability to effectively separate the resultant triplet excitons. It has been proposed that an energy gradient can assist in separating triplet excitons through triplet energy transfer between chromophores of different triplet energies, but this approach has only been studied in solution and the efficacy of this strategy in the solid state is under explored. Here, we investigate energy-gradient-driven SF in a disordered solid state, in the form of suspensions of 5,12-bis(triisopropylsilylethnyl)tetracene:6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethnyl)pentance (TIPS-Tn:TIPS-Pn) blend nanoparticles (NPs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Chem Chem Phys
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK.
A theory of singlet fission in carotenoid dimers is presented which aims to explain the mechanism behind the creation of two uncorrelated triplets. Following the excitation of a carotenoid chain "bright" B+u state, there is ultrafast internal conversion to the intrachain "dark" 1B-u triplet-pair state. This strongly exchange-coupled state evolves into a pair of triplets on separate chains and spin-decoheres to form a pair of single, unentangled triplets, corresponding to complete singlet fission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Chem A
January 2025
Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Emil-Fischer-Str. 42, Würzburg 97074, Germany.
Diffusion generative models, a class of machine learning techniques, have shown remarkable promise in materials science and chemistry by enabling the precise generation of complex molecular structures. In this article, we propose a novel application of diffusion generative models for stabilizing reactive molecular structures identified through quantum mechanical screening. Specifically, we focus on the design challenge presented by singlet fission (SF), a phenomenon crucial for advancing solar cell efficiency beyond theoretical limits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemistry
January 2025
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China.
Photophysical properties of condensed systems generally originate from collective contributions of all components in their stochastically fluctuated structures and are strongly influenced under strain of chromophores. To precisely identify how the stochastically fluctuated monomers synergistically manipulate the properties, we propose a statistic strategy over sufficient ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) samplings and for the first time uncover that synergistic oscillatory twisting (SOT) of neighboring under-strain monomers manipulates the bifunction of rubrene crystal. The under-strain trunk SOT can regulate both singlet fission (SF) and triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA), enabling their coexistence and dominance switching by dynamically modulating the matching of excitation energies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, U.K.
Activated intramolecular singlet fission is known to occur in the conjugated polymer polythienylene-vinylene (P3TV). Instead, efficient intersystem crossing has been observed in a short 3-alkyl(thienylene-vinylene) dimer. Here, we investigate a series of oligomers covering the conjugation length gap between the dimer and polymer.
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