Photoinduced electron transfer between benzyloxy dendrimer phthalocyanine and benzoquinone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tiantian; Ma, Dongdong; Pan, Sujuan; Wu, Shijun; Jiang, Yufeng; Zeng, Di; Yang, Hongqin; Peng, Yiru

2016-10-01

Photo-induced electron transfer (PET) is an important and fundamental process in natural photosynthesis. To mimic such interesting PET process, a suitable donor and acceptor couple were properly chosen. Dendrimer phthalocyanines and their derivatives have emerged as promising materials for artificial photosynthesis systems. In this paper, the electron transfer between the light harvest dendrimer phthalocyanine (donor) and the 1,4-benzoquinone (acceptor) was studied by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopic methods. It was found that fluorescence of phthalocyanine was quenched by benzoquinone (BQ) via excited state electron transfer, from the phthalocyanine to the BQ upon excitation at 610 nm. The Stern-Volmer constant (KSV) of electron transfer was calculated. Our study suggests that this dendritic phthalocyanine is an effective new electron donor and transmission complex and could be used as a potential artificial photosynthesis system.

On vibrational circular dichroism chirality transfer in electron donor-acceptor complexes: a prediction for the quinine···BF3 system.

PubMed

Rode, Joanna E; Jamróz, Michał H; Dobrowolski, Jan Cz; Sadlej, Joanna

2012-08-02

Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) chirality transfer occurs when an achiral molecule interacts with a chiral one and becomes VCD-active. Unlike for H-bonds, for organic electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes this phenomenon remains almost unknown. Here, the VCD chirality transfer from chiral quinine to achiral BF3 is studied at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level. Accessibility of four quinine electron donor sites changes with conformation. Therefore, the quinine conformational landscape was explored and a considerable agreement between X-ray and the most stable conformer geometries was achieved. The BF3 complex through the aliphatic quinuclidine N atom is definitely dominating and is predicted to be easily recognizable in the VCD spectrum. Out of several VCD chirality transfer modes, the ν(s)(BF3) mode, the most intense in the entire VCD spectrum, satisfies the VCD mode robustness criterion and can be used for monitoring the chirality transfer phenomenon in quinine···BF3 system.

Utility of positron annihilation lifetime technique for the assessment of spectroscopic data of some charge-transfer complexes derived from N-(1-Naphthyl)ethylenediamine dihydrochloride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Refat, Moamen S.; Adam, Abdel Majid A.; Sharshar, T.; Saad, Hosam A.; Eldaroti, Hala H.

2014-03-01

In this work, structural, thermal, morphological, pharmacological screening and positron annihilation lifetime measurements were performed on the interactions between a N-(1-Naphthyl)ethylenediamine dihydrochloride (NEDA·2HCl) donor and three types of acceptors to characterize these CT complexes. The three types of acceptors include π-acceptors (quinol and picric acid), σ-acceptors (iodine) and vacant orbital acceptors (tin(IV) tetrachloride and zinc chloride). The positron annihilation lifetime parameters were found to be dependent on the structure, electronic configuration, the power of acceptors and molecular weight of the CT complexes. The positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy can be used as a probe for the formation of charge-transfer (CT) complexes.

Density functional study of the electronic structure of dye-functionalized fullerenes and their model donor-acceptor complexes containing P3HT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baruah, Tunna; Garnica, Amanda; Paggen, Marina

2016-04-14

We study the electronic structure of C{sub 60} fullerenes functionalized with a thiophene-diketo-pyrrolopyrrole-thiophene based chromophore using density functional theory combined with large polarized basis sets. As the attached chromophore has electron donor character, the functionalization of the fullerene leads to a donor-acceptor (DA) system. We examine in detail the effect of the linker and the addition site on the electronic structure of the functionalized fullerenes. We further study the electronic structure of these DA complexes with a focus on the charge transfer excitations. Finally, we examine the interface of the functionalized fullerenes with the widely used poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) donor. Ourmore » results show that all functionalized fullerenes with an exception of the C{sub 60}-pyrrolidine [6,6], where the pyrrolidine is attached at a [6,6] site, have larger electron affinities relative to the pristine C{sub 60} fullerene. We also estimate the quasi-particle gap, lowest charge transfer excitation energy, and the exciton binding energies of the functionalized fullerene-P3MT model systems. Results show that the exciton binding energies in these model complexes are slightly smaller compared to a similarly prepared phenyl-C{sub 61}-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)-P3MT complex.« less

Spectroscopic and thermal investigations of charge-transfer complexes formed between sulfadoxine drug and different types of acceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Refat, Moamen S.

2011-01-01

Charge-transfer reactions between sulfadoxine (SDOX) as a donor with iodine (I 2), 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ), p-chloranil (CHL) and picric acid (PA) have been studied in solid and solution forms. The stoichiometry of all complexes was found to be 1:1 by molar ratio method between donor and acceptor at a CT-band absorption bands. The data are discussed in terms of formation constant ( KCT), molar extinction coefficient ( ɛCT), standard free energy (Δ Go), oscillator strength (ƒ), transition dipole moment ( μ), resonance energy ( RN) and ionization potential ( ID). The results indicate that the formation constant ( KCT) for the complexes were shown to be dependent upon the nature of electron acceptor, donor and polarity of solvents which were used. IR, 1H NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopic techniques, Elemental analyses (CHN) and TG-DTG investigation were used to characterize the four sulfadoxine charge-transfer complexes.

Mulliken Hush elucidation of the encounter (precursor) complex in intermolecular electron transfer via self-exchange of tetracyanoethylene anion-radical

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosokha, S. V.; Newton, M. D.; Head-Gordon, M.; Kochi, J. K.

2006-05-01

The paramagnetic [1:1] encounter complex (TCNE)2-rad is established as the important precursor in the kinetics and mechanism of electron-transfer for the self-exchange between tetracyanoethylene acceptor ( TCNE) and its radical-anion as the donor. Spectroscopic observation of the dimeric complex (TCNE)2-rad by its intervalence absorption band at the solvent-dependent wavelength of λIV ˜ 1500 nm facilitates the application of Mulliken-Hush theory which reveals the significant electronic interaction extant between the pair of cofacial TCNE moieties with the sizable coupling of HDA = 1000 cm -1. The transient existence of such an encounter complex provides the critical link in the electron-transfer kinetics by lowering the classical Marcus reorganization barrier by the amount of HDA in this strongly adiabatic system. Ab initio quantum-mechanical methods as applied to independent theoretical computations of both the reorganization energy ( λ) and the electronic coupling element ( HDA) confirm the essential correctness of the Mulliken-Hush formalism for fast electron transfer via strongly coupled donor/acceptor encounter complexes.

Structural dynamics of a noncovalent charge transfer complex from femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy.

PubMed

Fujisawa, Tomotsumi; Creelman, Mark; Mathies, Richard A

2012-09-06

Femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy is used to examine the structural dynamics of photoinduced charge transfer within a noncovalent electron acceptor/donor complex of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA, electron acceptor) and hexamethylbenzene (HMB, electron donor) in ethylacetate and acetonitrile. The evolution of the vibrational spectrum reveals the ultrafast structural changes that occur during the charge separation (Franck-Condon excited state complex → contact ion pair) and the subsequent charge recombination (contact ion pair → ground state complex). The Franck-Condon excited state is shown to have significant charge-separated character because its vibrational spectrum is similar to that of the ion pair. The charge separation rate (2.5 ps in ethylacetate and ∼0.5 ps in acetonitrile) is comparable to solvation dynamics and is unaffected by the perdeuteration of HMB, supporting the dominant role of solvent rearrangement in charge separation. On the other hand, the charge recombination slows by a factor of ∼1.4 when using perdeuterated HMB, indicating that methyl hydrogen motions of HMB mediate the charge recombination process. Resonance Raman enhancement of the HMB vibrations in the complex reveals that the ring stretches of HMB, and especially the C-CH(3) deformations are the primary acceptor modes promoting charge recombination.

Impurity and phonon scattering in silicon nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W.; Persson, M. P.; Mera, H.; Delerue, C.; Niquet, Y. M.; Allan, G.; Wang, E.

2011-03-01

We model the scattering of electrons by phonons and dopant impurities in ultimate [110]-oriented gate-all-around silicon nanowires with an atomistic valence force field and tight-binding approach. All electron-phonons interactions are included. We show that impurity scattering can reduce with decreasing nanowire diameter due to the enhanced screening by the gate. Donors and acceptors however perform very differently : acceptors behave as tunnel barriers for the electrons, while donors behave as quantum wells which introduce Fano resonances in the conductance. As a consequence the acceptors are much more limiting the mobility than the donors. The resistances of single acceptors are also very dependent on their radial position in the nanowire, which might be a significant source of variability in ultimate silicon nanowire devices. Concerning phonons, we show that, as a result of strong confinement, i) electrons couple to a wide and complex distribution of phonons modes, and ii) the mobility has a non-monotonic variation with wire diameter and is strongly reduced with respect to bulk. French National Research Agency ANR project QUANTAMONDE Contract No. ANR-07-NANO-023-02 and by the Délégation Générale pour l'Armement, French Ministry of Defense under Grant No. 2008.34.0031.

Ultrafast electron transfer in all-carbon-based SWCNT-C60 donor-acceptor nanoensembles connected by poly(phenylene-ethynylene) spacers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrejón, Myriam; Gobeze, Habtom B.; Gómez-Escalonilla, María J.; Fierro, José Luis G.; Zhang, Minfang; Yudasaka, Masako; Iijima, Sumio; D'Souza, Francis; Langa, Fernando

2016-08-01

Building all-carbon based functional materials for light energy harvesting applications could be a solution to tackle and reduce environmental carbon output. However, development of such all-carbon based donor-acceptor hybrids and demonstration of photoinduced charge separation in such nanohybrids is a challenge since in these hybrids part of the carbon material should act as an electron donating or accepting photosensitizer while the second part should fulfil the role of an electron acceptor or donor. In the present work, we have successfully addressed this issue by synthesizing covalently linked all-carbon-based donor-acceptor nanoensembles using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as the donor and C60 as the acceptor. The donor-acceptor entities in the nanoensembles were connected by phenylene-ethynylene spacer units to achieve better electronic communication and to vary the distance between the components. These novel SWCNT-C60 nanoensembles have been characterized by a number of techniques, including TGA, FT-IR, Raman, AFM, absorbance and electrochemical methods. The moderate number of fullerene addends present on the side-walls of the nanotubes largely preserved the electronic structure of the nanotubes. The thermodynamic feasibility of charge separation in these nanoensembles was established using spectral and electrochemical data. Finally, occurrence of ultrafast electron transfer from the excited nanotubes in these donor-acceptor nanohybrids has been established by femtosecond transient absorption studies, signifying their utility in building light energy harvesting devices.Building all-carbon based functional materials for light energy harvesting applications could be a solution to tackle and reduce environmental carbon output. However, development of such all-carbon based donor-acceptor hybrids and demonstration of photoinduced charge separation in such nanohybrids is a challenge since in these hybrids part of the carbon material should act as an electron donating or accepting photosensitizer while the second part should fulfil the role of an electron acceptor or donor. In the present work, we have successfully addressed this issue by synthesizing covalently linked all-carbon-based donor-acceptor nanoensembles using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as the donor and C60 as the acceptor. The donor-acceptor entities in the nanoensembles were connected by phenylene-ethynylene spacer units to achieve better electronic communication and to vary the distance between the components. These novel SWCNT-C60 nanoensembles have been characterized by a number of techniques, including TGA, FT-IR, Raman, AFM, absorbance and electrochemical methods. The moderate number of fullerene addends present on the side-walls of the nanotubes largely preserved the electronic structure of the nanotubes. The thermodynamic feasibility of charge separation in these nanoensembles was established using spectral and electrochemical data. Finally, occurrence of ultrafast electron transfer from the excited nanotubes in these donor-acceptor nanohybrids has been established by femtosecond transient absorption studies, signifying their utility in building light energy harvesting devices. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Synthesis, TGA, FTIR, AFM and XPS data, UV-vis and transient absorption spectra (Fig. S1-S15 and Tables S1 and S2). See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr02829b

Organic photochemical storage of solar energy. Progress report, July 1, 1977--Feburary 28, 1978

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, G. II

1978-03-01

The prospects for driving endoergic reactions of simple, relatively abundant organic chemicals by photochemical means have been examined. Strategies for utilization of light of varying wavelength involve sensitization mechanisms which depend on the redox properties of energy storing substrates and photosensitizers. Of principal interest is valence isomerization which can be induced by electron donor-acceptor interaction between substrate and sensitizer in an excited complex or exciplex. Photophysical studies show that potentially isomerizable substrates efficiently intercept redox photosensitizers. The quenching of emission of electron acceptor sensitizers by non conjugated hydrocarbon dienes is indeed a function of the reduction potential of the acceptorsmore » (a series of aromatics with varying absorption characteristics) and the oxidation potentials of the substrates. Electron deficient dienes have been shown alternatively to be efficient quenchers of excited donor sensitizers. That exciplexes are formed between isomerizable substrates and donor or acceptor sensitizers has been confirmed by emission spectroscopy. The rearrangement of hexamethyldewarbenzene, a model exciplex isomerization has been examined in some detail.« less

Donor-π-Acceptor Polymer with Alternating Triarylborane and Triphenylamine Moieties.

PubMed

Li, Haiyan; Jäkle, Frieder

2010-05-12

A luminescent main chain donor-π-acceptor-type polymer (4) was prepared via organometallic polycondensation reaction followed by post modification. With both electron-rich amine and electron-deficient borane moieties embedded in the main chain, 4 exhibits an interesting ambipolar character: it can be reduced and oxidized electrochemically at moderate potentials and shows a strong solvatochromic effect in the emission spectra. Complexation studies show that 4 selectively binds to fluoride and cyanide; quantitative titration with cyanide reveals a two-step binding process. Copyright © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Solvent as electron donor: Donor/acceptor electronic coupling is a dynamical variable

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Castner, E.W. Jr.; Kennedy, D.; Cave, R.J.

2000-04-06

The authors combine analysis of measurements by femtosecond optical spectroscopy, computer simulations, and the generalized Mulliken-Hush (GMH) theory in the study of electron-transfer reactions and electron donor-acceptor interactions. The study focus is on ultrafast photoinduced electron-transfer reactions from aromatic amine solvent donors to excited-state acceptors. The experimental results from femtosecond dynamical measurements fall into three categories: six coumarin acceptors reductively quenched by N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA), eight electron-donating amine solvents reductively quenching coumarin 152 (7-(dimethylamino)-4-(trifluoromethyl)-coumarin), and reductive quenching dynamics of two coumarins by DMA as a function of dilution in the nonreactive solvents toluene and chlorobenzene. Applying a combination of molecular dynamicsmore » trajectories, semiempirical quantum mechanical calculations (of the relevant adiabatic electronic states), and GMH theory to the C152/DMA photoreaction, the authors calculate the electron donor/acceptor interaction parameter H{sub DA} at various time frames, H{sub DA} is strongly modulated by both inner-sphere and outer-sphere nuclear dynamics, leading us to conclude that H{sub DA} must be considered as a dynamical variable.« less

Supramolecular complex of a fused zinc phthalocyanine-zinc porphyrin dyad assembled by two imidazole-C60 units: ultrafast photoevents.

PubMed

Follana-Berná, Jorge; Seetharaman, Sairaman; Martín-Gomis, Luis; Charalambidis, Georgios; Trapali, Adelais; Karr, Paul A; Coutsolelos, Athanassios G; Fernández-Lázaro, Fernando; D'Souza, Francis; Sastre-Santos, Ángela

2018-03-14

A new zinc phthalocyanine-zinc porphyrin dyad (ZnPc-ZnP) fused through a pyrazine ring has been synthesized as a receptor for imidazole-substituted C 60 (C 60 Im) electron acceptor. Self-assembly via metal-ligand axial coordination and the pertinent association constants in solution were determined by 1 H-NMR, UV-Vis and fluorescence titration experiments at room temperature. The designed host was able to bind up to two C 60 Im electron acceptor guest molecules to yield C 60 Im:ZnPc-ZnP:ImC 60 donor-acceptor supramolecular complex. The spectral data showed that the two binding sites behave independently with binding constants similar in magnitude. Steady-state fluorescence studies were indicative of an efficient singlet-singlet energy transfer from zinc porphyrin to zinc phthalocyanine within the fused dyad. Accordingly, the transient absorption studies covering a wide timescale of femto-to-milli seconds revealed ultrafast energy transfer from 1 ZnP* to ZnPc (k EnT ∼ 10 12 s -1 ) in the fused dyad. Further, a photo induced electron transfer was observed in the supramolecularly assembled C 60 Im:ZnPc-ZnP:ImC 60 donor-acceptor complex leading to charge separated states, which persisted for about 200 ns.

Spectroscopic investigations of the charge-transfer interaction between the drug reserpine and different acceptors: Towards understanding of drug-receptor mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eldaroti, Hala H.; Gadir, Suad A.; Refat, Moamen S.; Adam, Abdel Majid A.

2013-11-01

The study of the charge-transfer interaction of the drugs may be useful in understanding the drug-receptor interactions and the mechanism of drug action. Structural and thermal stability of charge-transfer (CT) complexes formed between the drug reserpine (Res) as a donor and quinol (QL), picric acid (PA), tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) or dichlorodicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ) as acceptors were reported. Elemental analysis, electronic absorption, spectrophotometric titration, IR, Raman, 1H NMR and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the new products. The thermal stability of the synthesized CT complexes was investigated using thermogravimetric (TG) analyses, and the morphology and particle size of these complexes were obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The stoichiometry of the complexes (donor:acceptor molar ratio) was determined to be 1:1 for all complexes. Accordingly the formed CT complexes could be formulated as [(Res)(QL)], [(Res)(PA)], [(Res)(TCNQ)] and [(Res)(DDQ)]. It was found that the obtained CT complexes are nanoscale, semi-crystalline particles, thermally stable and formed through spontaneous reaction. The results obtained herein are satisfactory for estimation of drug Res in the pharmaceutical form.

Spectral, thermal, XRD and SEM studies of charge-transfer complexation of hexamethylenediamine and three types of acceptors: π-, σ- and vacant orbital acceptors that include quinol, picric acid, bromine, iodine, SnCl4 and ZnCl2 acceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, Abdel Majid A.; Refat, Moamen S.; Saad, Hosam A.

2013-11-01

In this work, structural, thermal, morphological and pharmacological characterization was performed on the interactions between a hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) donor and three types of acceptors to understand the complexation behavior of diamines. The three types of acceptors include π-acceptors (i.e., quinol (QL) and picric acid (PA)), σ-acceptors (i.e., bromine and iodine) and vacant orbital acceptors (i.e., tin(IV) tetrachloride (SnCl4) and zinc chloride (ZnCl2)). The characterization of the obtained CT complexes was performed using elemental analysis, infrared (IR), Raman, 1H NMR and electronic absorption spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Their morphologies were studied using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX). The biological activities of the obtained CT complexes were tested for their antibacterial activities. The complex containing the QL acceptor exhibited a remarkable electronic spectrum with a strong, broad absorption band, which had an observed λmax that was at a much longer wavelength than those of the free reactants. In addition, this complex exhibited strong antimicrobial activities against various bacterial and fungal strains compared to standard drugs. The complexes containing the PA, iodine, Sn(IV) and Zn(II) acceptors exhibited good thermal stability up to 240, 330, 275 and 295 °C, respectively. The complexes containing bromine, Sn(IV) and Zn(II) acceptors exhibited good crystallinity. In addition to its good crystallinity properties, the complex containing the bromine acceptor exhibits a remarkable morphology feature.

Organic electronic devices with multiple solution-processed layers

DOEpatents

Forrest, Stephen R.; Lassiter, Brian E.; Zimmerman, Jeramy D.

2015-08-04

A method of fabricating a tandem organic photosensitive device involves depositing a first layer of an organic electron donor type material film by solution-processing of the organic electron donor type material dissolved in a first solvent; depositing a first layer of an organic electron acceptor type material over the first layer of the organic electron donor type material film by a dry deposition process; depositing a conductive layer over the interim stack by a dry deposition process; depositing a second layer of the organic electron donor type material over the conductive layer by solution-processing of the organic electron donor type material dissolved in a second solvent, wherein the organic electron acceptor type material and the conductive layer are insoluble in the second solvent; depositing a second layer of an organic electron acceptor type material over the second layer of the organic electron donor type material film by a dry deposition process, resulting in a stack.

Negative polarity of phenyl-C{sub 61} butyric acid methyl ester adjacent to donor macromolecule domains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alley, Olivia J.; Dawidczyk, Thomas J.; Hardigree, Josué F. Martínez

2015-01-19

Interfacial fields within organic photovoltaics influence the movement of free charge carriers, including exciton dissociation and recombination. Open circuit voltage (V{sub oc}) can also be dependent on the interfacial fields, in the event that they modulate the energy gap between donor HOMO and acceptor LUMO. A rise in the vacuum level of the acceptor will increase the gap and the V{sub oc}, which can be beneficial for device efficiency. Here, we measure the interfacial potential differences at donor-acceptor junctions using Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy, and quantify how much of the potential difference originates from physical contact between the donor andmore » acceptor. We see a statistically significant and pervasive negative polarity on the phenyl-C{sub 61} butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) side of PCBM/donor junctions, which should also be present at the complex interfaces in bulk heterojunctions. This potential difference may originate from molecular dipoles, interfacial interactions with donor materials, and/or equilibrium charge transfer due to the higher work function and electron affinity of PCBM. We show that the contact between PCBM and poly(3-hexylthiophene) doubles the interfacial potential difference, a statistically significant difference. Control experiments determined that this potential difference was not due to charges trapped in the underlying substrate. The direction of the observed potential difference would lead to increased V{sub oc}, but would also pose a barrier to electrons being injected into the PCBM and make recombination more favorable. Our method may allow unique information to be obtained in new donor-acceptor junctions.« less

Towards building artificial light harvesting complexes: enhanced singlet-singlet energy transfer between donor and acceptor pairs bound to albumins.

PubMed

Kumar, Challa V; Duff, Michael R

2008-12-01

Specific donor and acceptor pairs have been assembled in bovine serum albumin (BSA), at neutral pH and room temperature, and these dye-protein complexes indicated efficient donor to acceptor singlet-singlet energy transfer. For example, pyrene-1-butyric acid served as the donor and Coumarin 540A served as the acceptor. Both the donor and the acceptor bind to BSA with affinity constants in excess of 2x10(5) M(-1), as measured in absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectral titrations. Simultaneous binding of both the donor and the acceptor chromophores was supported by CD spectra and one chromophore did not displace the other from the protein host, even when limited concentrations of the host were used. For example, a 1:1:1 complex between the donor, acceptor and the host can be readily formed, and spectral data clearly show that the binding sites are mutually exclusive. The ternary complexes (two different ligands bound to the same protein molecule) provided opportunities to examine singlet-singlet energy transfer between the protein-bound chromophores. Donor emission was quenched by the addition of the acceptor, in the presence of limited amounts of BSA, while no energy transfer was observed in the absence of the protein host, under the same conditions. The excitation spectra of the donor-acceptor-host complexes clearly show the sensitization of acceptor emission by the donor. Protein denaturation, as induced by the addition of urea or increasing the temperature to 360 K, inhibited energy transfer, which indicate that protein structure plays an important role. Sensitization also proceeded at low temperature (77 K) and diffusion of the donor or the acceptor is not required for energy transfer. Stern-Volmer quenching plots show that the quenching constant is (3.1+/-0.2)x10(4) M(-1), at low acceptor concentrations (<35 microM). Other albumins such as human and porcine proteins also served as good hosts for the above experiments. For the first time, non-natural systems have been self-assembled which can capture donor-acceptor pairs and facilitate singlet-singlet energy transfer. Such systems may form a basis for the design and construction of protein-based multi-chromophore self-assemblies for solar light harvesting, conversion and storage.

Assessment of Ab Initio and Density Functional Theory Methods for the Excitations of Donor-Acceptor Complexes: The Case of the Benzene-Tetracyanoethylene Model.

PubMed

Xu, Peng; Zhang, Cai-Rong; Wang, Wei; Gong, Ji-Jun; Liu, Zi-Jiang; Chen, Hong-Shan

2018-04-10

The understanding of the excited-state properties of electron donors, acceptors and their interfaces in organic optoelectronic devices is a fundamental issue for their performance optimization. In order to obtain a balanced description of the different excitation types for electron-donor-acceptor systems, including the singlet charge transfer (CT), local excitations, and triplet excited states, several ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) methods for excited-state calculations were evaluated based upon the selected model system of benzene-tetracyanoethylene (B-TCNE) complexes. On the basis of benchmark calculations of the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster with single and double excitations method, the arithmetic mean of the absolute errors and standard errors of the electronic excitation energies for the different computational methods suggest that the M11 functional in DFT is superior to the other tested DFT functionals, and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) with the Tamm-Dancoff approximation improves the accuracy of the calculated excitation energies relative to that of the full TDDFT. The performance of the M11 functional underlines the importance of kinetic energy density, spin-density gradient, and range separation in the development of novel DFT functionals. According to the TDDFT results, the performances of the different TDDFT methods on the CT properties of the B-TCNE complexes were also analyzed.

The separation distance distribution in electron-donor-acceptor systems and the wavelength dependence of free ion yields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jinwei; Findley, Bret R.; Braun, Charles L.; Sutin, Norman

2001-06-01

We recently reported that free radical ion quantum yields for electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) systems of alkylbenzenes-tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) exhibit a remarkable wavelength dependence in dichloromethane, a medium polarity solvent. We proposed that weak absorption by long-distance, unassociated or "random" D⋯A pairs is mainly responsible for the free radical ion yield. Here a model for the wavelength dependence of the free ion yield is developed for four systems in which differing degrees of EDA complex formation are present: 1,3,5-tri-tert-butylbenzene-TCNE in which only random pairs exist due to the bulky groups on the electron donor, and toluene—TCNE, 1,3,5-triethylbenzene-TCNE and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene-TCNE. Mulliken-Hush theory is used to determine the excitation distance distribution of unassociated, random pairs at different wavelengths. For each absorption distribution, free radical ion yields at different wavelengths are then calculated using Onsager's result for the ion separation probability. Encouraging agreement between the calculated yields and our experimental results is obtained. As far as we are aware, this is the first time that photoexcitation of unassociated donor/acceptor pairs has been invoked as the source of separated radical ion pairs.

Model of multistep electron transfer in a single-mode polar medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feskov, S. V.; Yudanov, V. V.

2017-09-01

A mathematical model of multistep photoinduced electron transfer (PET) in a polar medium with a single relaxation time (Debye solvent) is developed. The model includes the polarization nonequilibrity formed in the vicinity of the donor-acceptor molecular system at the initial steps of photoreaction and its influence on the subsequent steps of PET. It is established that the results from numerical simulation of transient luminescence spectra of photoexcited donor-acceptor complexes (DAC) conform to calculated data obtained on the basis of the familiar experimental technique used to measure the relaxation function of solvent polarization in the vicinity of DAC in the picosecond and subpicosecond ranges.

Spectroscopy of Photovoltaic Materials: Charge-Transfer Complexes and Titanium Dioxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dillon, Robert John

The successful function of photovoltaic (PV) and photocatalytic (PC) systems centers primarily on the creation and photophysics of charge separated electron-hole pairs. The pathway leading to separate carriers varies by material; organic materials typically require multiple events to charge separate, whereas inorganic semiconductors can directly produce free carriers. In this study, time-resolved spectroscopy is used to provide insight into two such systems: 1) organic charge-transfer (CT) complexes, where electrons and holes are tightly bound to each other, and 2) Au-TiO2 core-shell nanostructures, where free carriers are directly generated. 1) CT complexes are structurally well defined systems consisting of donor molecules, characterized by having low ionization potentials, and acceptor molecules, characterized by having high electron affinities. Charge-transfer is the excitation of an electron from the HOMO of a donor material directly into the LUMO of the acceptor material, leading to an electron and hole separated across the donor:acceptor interface. The energy of the CT transition is often less than that of the bandgaps of donor and acceptor materials individually, sparking much interest if PV systems can utilize the CT band to generate free carriers from low energy photons. In this work we examine the complexes formed between acceptors tetracyanobenzene (TCNB) and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) with several aromatic donors. We find excitation of the charge-transfer band of these systems leads to strongly bound electron-hole pairs that exclusively undergo recombination to the ground state. In the case of the TCNB complexes, our initial studies were flummoxed by the samples' generally low threshold for photo and mechanical damage. As our results conflicted with previous literature, a significant portion of this study was spent quantifying the photodegradation process. 2) Unlike the previous system, free carriers are directly photogenerated in TiO2, and the prime consideration is avoiding loss due to recombination of the electron and hole. In this study, four samples of core-shell Au-TiO 2 nanostructures are analyzed for their photocatalytic activity and spectroscopic properties. The samples were made with increasingly crystalline TiO2 shells. The more crystalline samples had higher photocatalytic activities, attributed to longer carrier lifetimes. The observed photophysics of these samples vary with excitation wavelength and detection method used. We find the time-resolved photoluminescence correlates with the samples' photocatalytic activities only when high energy, excitation wavelength less than or equal to 300 nm is used, while transient absorption experiments show no correlation regardless of excitation source. The results imply that photoexcitation with high energy photons can generate both reactive surface sites and photoluminescent surface sites in parallel. Both types of sites then undergo similar electron-hole recombination processes that depend on the crystallinity of the TiO2 shell. Surface sites created by low energy photons, as well as bulk TiO2 carrier dynamics that are probed by transient absorption, do not appear to be sensitive to the same dynamics that determine chemical reactivity.

Spectral investigations of multiple charge transfer complex of p-nitrophenol as an electron acceptor with donor p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naeem, A.; Khan, I. M.; Ahmad, A.

2011-10-01

The convincing evidence have been given that both the interactions π-π and π-π* (between p-nitrophenol ( p-NTP) and p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde ( p-DAB)) are simultaneously involved. This has been established by using IR spectrometry. Association constant K evaluated by the method of Foster under the condition [A]0 = [D]0 with apply in this equation, [A]0/ A = 1/ Kɛλ[D]0 + 2/ɛλ, where [A]0 is the initial concentration of acceptor equal to [D]0, A is the absorbance of the complex at λ, K is the association constant, and ɛλ is the molar absorptivity of the complex at λ. In the IR spectral studies of several related organic compounds, one comes to the conclusion that p-NTP shows a broad band centred at 1600 cm-1 and to nitro asymmetric stretching vibrations. In the complex while the 1500 cm-1 band remains without shift, the broad band localized at 1600 cm-1 shift to 1610 cm-1. A shift of 10 cm-1 shows weak interactions. Studies on molecular complexes of organ metallic donors and acceptors are of very recent origin. Though alkyl donors have been extensively studied, very few studies have appeared on aryl donors.

New Sm(III) complexes as electronic-excitation donors of the Seta-632 squaraine dye

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egorova, A. V.; Leonenko, I. I.; Aleksandrova, D. I.; Skripinets, Yu. V.; Antonovich, V. P.; Obukhova, E. N.; Patsenker, L. D.

2015-07-01

We have found optimal formation conditions of new Sm(III) chelate complexes with derivatives of oxoquinolinecarboxylic acid ( L 1 and L 2) and determined their spectral-luminescent characteristics (the luminescence and luminescence excitation wavelength maxima and the luminescence lifetimes). We have revealed that the Seta-632 squaraine dye (a fluorescent label of proteins and other biological molecules) quenches the luminescence of complexes Sm(III)- L 1 and Sm(III)- L 2. The quenching of chelate complexes is caused by the Förster resonant electronic-excitation energy transfer (FRET) from the donor (Sm(III)- L 1 or Sm(III)- L 2) to the acceptor (Seta-632). In this case, the luminescence intensity of the Seta-632 dye in the presence of Sm(III)- L 1 and Sm(III)- L 2 increases by factors of 64 and 27, respectively. The values of the Förster radii ( R 0(Sm- L1) = 38 Å, R 0(Sm- L2) = 35 Å) and the overlap integrals of the luminescence spectra of the two energy donors with the absorption spectrum of the acceptor ( J Sm- L1 = 1.22 × 1012 M-1 cm-1 nm4 and J Sm- L2 = 1.06 × 1012 M-1 cm-1 nm4), which have been calculated from the luminescence quantum intensity of the donors and from the absorption spectrum of the acceptor and its molar absorption coefficient, have made it possible to characterize the Seta-632 dye as an efficient quencher of the luminescence of Sm(III) ions. We are the first to propose Sm(III)- L 1 and Sm(III)- L 2 chelate complexes as FRET donors.

The ETHANOL-CO_2 Dimer is AN Electron Donor-Acceptor Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGuire, Brett A.; Martin-Drumel, Marie-Aline; McCarthy, Michael C.

2017-06-01

Supercritical (sc) CO_2 is a common industrial solvent for the extraction of caffeine, nicotine, petrochemicals, and natural products. The ability of apolar scCO_2 to dissolve polar solutes is greatly enhanced by the addition of a polar co-solvent, often methanol or ethanol. Experimental and theoretical work show that methanol interactions in scCO_2 are predominantly hydrogen bonding, while the gas-phase complex is an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) configuration. Ethanol, meanwhile, is predicted to form EDA complexes both in scCO_2 and in the gas phase, but there have been no experimental measurements to support this conclusion. Here, we report a combined chirped-pulse and cavity FTMW study of the ethanol-CO_2 complex. Comparison with theory indicates the EDA complex is dominant under our experimental conditions. We confirm the structure with isotopic substitution, and derive a semi-experimental equilibrium structure. Our results are consistent with theoretical predictions that the linearity of the CO_2 subgroup is broken by the complexation interaction.

Charge-transfer interaction of drug quinidine with quinol, picric acid and DDQ: Spectroscopic characterization and biological activity studies towards understanding the drug-receptor mechanism.

PubMed

Eldaroti, Hala H; Gadir, Suad A; Refat, Moamen S; Adam, Abdel Majid A

2014-04-01

Investigation of charge-transfer (CT) complexes of drugs has been recognized as an important phenomenon in understanding of the drug-receptor binding mechanism. Structural, thermal, morphological and biological behavior of CT complexes formed between drug quinidine (Qui) as a donor and quinol (QL), picric acid (PA) or dichlorodicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ) as acceptors were reported. The newly synthesized CT complexes have been spectroscopically characterized via elemental analysis; infrared (IR), Raman, 1 H NMR and electronic absorption spectroscopy; powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD); thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the obtained complexes are nanoscale, semi-crystalline particles, thermally stable and spontaneous. The molecular composition of the obtained complexes was determined using spectrophotometric titration method and was found to be 1:1 ratios (donor:acceptor). Finally, the biological activities of the obtained CT complexes were tested for their antibacterial activities. The results obtained herein are satisfactory for estimation of drug Qui in the pharmaceutical form.

U(VI) bioreduction with emulsified vegetable oil as the electron donor--model application to a field test.

PubMed

Tang, Guoping; Watson, David B; Wu, Wei-Min; Schadt, Christopher W; Parker, Jack C; Brooks, Scott C

2013-04-02

We amended a shallow fast-flowing uranium (U) contaminated aquifer with emulsified vegetable oil (EVO) and subsequently monitored the biogeochemical responses for over a year. Using a biogeochemical model developed in a companion article (Tang et al., Environ. Sci. Technol.2013, doi: 10.1021/es304641b) based on microcosm tests, we simulated geochemical and microbial dynamics in the field test during and after the 2-h EVO injection. When the lab-determined parameters were applied in the field-scale simulation, the estimated rate coefficient for EVO hydrolysis in the field was about 1 order of magnitude greater than that in the microcosms. Model results suggested that precipitation of long-chain fatty acids, produced from EVO hydrolysis, with Ca in the aquifer created a secondary long-term electron donor source. The model predicted substantial accumulation of denitrifying and sulfate-reducing bacteria, and U(IV) precipitates. The accumulation was greatest near the injection wells and along the lateral boundaries of the treatment zone where electron donors mixed with electron acceptors in the groundwater. While electron acceptors such as sulfate were generally considered to compete with U(VI) for electrons, this work highlighted their role in providing electron acceptors for microorganisms to degrade complex substrates thereby enhancing U(VI) reduction and immobilization.

Molecular complexes of L-phenylalanine with substituted 1,4-benzoquinones in aqueous medium: Spectral and theoretical investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesh, K.; El-Mossalamy, E. H.; Satheshkumar, A.; Balraj, C.; Elango, K. P.

2013-12-01

Various spectral techniques such as UV-Vis, FT-IR, and fluorescence have been employed to investigate the charge transfer interaction of L-phenylalanine (LPA) with substituted 1,4-benzoquinones (MQ1-4). Kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the complexes were determined in aqueous medium at physiological condition (pH = 7). The interaction of MQ1-4 with L-phenylalanine (LPA) was found to proceed through the formation of donor-acceptor complex, yielding a radical anion. The stoichiometry of the complexes was determined by Jobs continuous variation method and was found to be 1:1 in all the cases. Fluorescence quenching studies showed that the interaction between the donor and the acceptors is spontaneous. The results indicated that the progressive replacement of chlorine atom (-I effect) by methoxy group (+M effect) in the quinone decreased the electron acceptor property of the quinone. The order of the experimentally measured association constant of these complexes was well supported by DFT/B3LYP calculations.

Kinetic modeling of electron transfer reactions in photosystem I complexes of various structures with substituted quinone acceptors.

PubMed

Milanovsky, Georgy E; Petrova, Anastasia A; Cherepanov, Dmitry A; Semenov, Alexey Yu

2017-09-01

The reduction kinetics of the photo-oxidized primary electron donor P 700 in photosystem I (PS I) complexes from cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 were analyzed within the kinetic model, which considers electron transfer (ET) reactions between P 700 , secondary quinone acceptor A 1 , iron-sulfur clusters and external electron donor and acceptors - methylviologen (MV), 2,3-dichloro-naphthoquinone (Cl 2 NQ) and oxygen. PS I complexes containing various quinones in the A 1 -binding site (phylloquinone PhQ, plastoquinone-9 PQ and Cl 2 NQ) as well as F X -core complexes, depleted of terminal iron-sulfur F A /F B clusters, were studied. The acceleration of charge recombination in F X -core complexes by PhQ/PQ substitution indicates that backward ET from the iron-sulfur clusters involves quinone in the A 1 -binding site. The kinetic parameters of ET reactions were obtained by global fitting of the P 700 + reduction with the kinetic model. The free energy gap ΔG 0 between F X and F A /F B clusters was estimated as -130 meV. The driving force of ET from A 1 to F X was determined as -50 and -220 meV for PhQ in the A and B cofactor branches, respectively. For PQ in A 1A -site, this reaction was found to be endergonic (ΔG 0  = +75 meV). The interaction of PS I with external acceptors was quantitatively described in terms of Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The second-order rate constants of ET from F A /F B , F X and Cl 2 NQ in the A 1 -site of PS I to external acceptors were estimated. The side production of superoxide radical in the A 1 -site by oxygen reduction via the Mehler reaction might comprise ≥0.3% of the total electron flow in PS I.

Enhanced nonlinear optical responses in donor-acceptor ionic complexes via photo induced energy transfer.

PubMed

Mamidala, Venkatesh; Polavarapu, Lakshminarayana; Balapanuru, Janardhan; Loh, Kian Ping; Xu, Qing-Hua; Ji, Wei

2010-12-06

By complexion of donor and acceptor using ionic interactions, the enhanced nonlinear optical responses of donor-acceptor ionic complexes in aqueous solution were studied with 7-ns laser pulses at 532 nm. The optical limiting performance of negatively charged gold nanoparticles or graphene oxide (Acceptor) was shown to be improved significantly when they were mixed with water-soluble, positively-charged porphyrin (Donor) derivative. In contrast, no enhancement was observed when mixing with negatively-charged porphyrin. Transient absorption studies of the donor-acceptor complexes confirmed that the addition of energy transfer pathway were responsible for excited-state deactivation, which results in the observed enhancement. Fluence, angle-dependent scattering and time correlated single photon counting measurements suggested that the enhanced nonlinear scattering due to faster nonradiative decay should play a major role in the enhanced optical limiting responses.

Weak interactions and cooperativity effects on disiloxane: a look at the building block of silicones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-Fernández, Carlos; Montero-Campillo, M. Merced; Alkorta, Ibon; Elguero, José

2018-06-01

The behaviour of disiloxane 1 towards a set of Lewis acids (LA) and Lewis bases (LB) forming complexes through its oxygen and silicon atoms, respectively, was studied at the MP2/aug‧-cc-pVTZ level of theory, exploring a wide variety of non-covalent interactions. Disiloxane is a moderate electron acceptor and a good electron donor, exhibiting in the latter case binding energies up to almost -100 kJ/mol with BeCl2. Cooperativity effects were also analysed by looking at ternary 1:LA:LB complexes. Shorter intermolecular distances than in the corresponding binary complexes and a negative contribution of the three-body term to the binding energy indicate that the non-covalent interactions allowed by disiloxane through its acid and basic centres cooperate between them to reinforce both donor-acceptor pairs. These effects are particularly strong in complexes involving beryllium and triel bonds, but are also relevant for complexes containing hydrogen bonds.

Excited state dynamics can be used to probe donor-acceptor distances for H-tunneling reactions catalyzed by flavoproteins.

PubMed

Hardman, Samantha J O; Pudney, Christopher R; Hay, Sam; Scrutton, Nigel S

2013-12-03

In enzyme systems where fast motions are thought to contribute to H-transfer efficiency, the distance between hydrogen donor and acceptor is a very important factor. Sub-ångstrom changes in donor-acceptor distance can have a large effect on the rate of reaction, so a sensitive probe of these changes is a vital tool in our understanding of enzyme function. In this study we use ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy to investigate the photoinduced electron transfer rates, which are also very sensitive to small changes in distance, between coenzyme analog, NAD(P)H4, and the isoalloxazine center in the model flavoenzymes morphinone reductase (wild-type and selected variants) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase (wild-type). It is shown that upon addition of coenzyme to the protein the rate of photoinduced electron transfer is increased. By comparing the magnitude of this increase with existing values for NAD(P)H4-FMN distances, based on charge-transfer complex absorbance and experimental kinetic isotope effect reaction data, we show that this method can be used as a sensitive probe of donor-acceptor distance in a range of enzyme systems. Copyright © 2013 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mechanisms for the adsorption of substituted nitrobenzenes by smectite clays.

PubMed

Boyd, S A; Sheng, G; Teppen, B J; Johnston, C T

2001-11-01

To more fully understand the potential for transport of nitroaromatic compounds in soils and subsoils,the adsorption of a series of para- and meta-substituted nitrobenzenes (SNBs) by K-smectite clay was measured. Adsorption isotherms were fit to the Freundlich equation, and the resultant Freundlich adsorption coefficients (log(Kf) were positively correlated with the Hammett substituent constant (r2 = 0.80). This relationship and a positive reaction constant (p = 1.15) indicate that the adsorption reaction is favored by electron-withdrawing substituents. These results are consistent with an electron donor (smectite)-acceptor (substituted nitrobenzene) mechanism offered previously. However, quantum calculations did not reveal any systematic relationship between the Hammett constant and the electron density on the aromatic ring, which would explain a donor-acceptor relationship. Rather, electron density donated by a second substituent on nitrobenzene appears to be appropriated by the nitro group leaving ring electron density unchanged. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed shifts in the -NO2 vibrational modes of 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB) upon adsorption to K+-smectite that were consistent with the complexation of K+ by -NO2 groups. Such TNB vibrational shifts were not observed for SWy-1 saturated with more strongly hydrated cations (i.e., Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Ba2+). The simultaneous interaction of multiple -NO2 groups with exchangeable K+ was indicated by molecular dynamic simulations. Adsorption of SNBs by smectite clays appears to result from the additive interactions of -NO2 groups and secondary substituents with interlayer K+ ions. Adsorption occurs to a greater or lesser extent depending on the abilities of substituents to complex additional interlayer cations and the water solubilities of SNBs. We conclude that the adsorption trends of SNBs on K-SAz-1 can be explained without recourse to hypothetical electron donor-acceptor complexes.

Dexter energy transfer pathways.

PubMed

Skourtis, Spiros S; Liu, Chaoren; Antoniou, Panayiotis; Virshup, Aaron M; Beratan, David N

2016-07-19

Energy transfer with an associated spin change of the donor and acceptor, Dexter energy transfer, is critically important in solar energy harvesting assemblies, damage protection schemes of photobiology, and organometallic opto-electronic materials. Dexter transfer between chemically linked donors and acceptors is bridge mediated, presenting an enticing analogy with bridge-mediated electron and hole transfer. However, Dexter coupling pathways must convey both an electron and a hole from donor to acceptor, and this adds considerable richness to the mediation process. We dissect the bridge-mediated Dexter coupling mechanisms and formulate a theory for triplet energy transfer coupling pathways. Virtual donor-acceptor charge-transfer exciton intermediates dominate at shorter distances or higher tunneling energy gaps, whereas virtual intermediates with an electron and a hole both on the bridge (virtual bridge excitons) dominate for longer distances or lower energy gaps. The effects of virtual bridge excitons were neglected in earlier treatments. The two-particle pathway framework developed here shows how Dexter energy-transfer rates depend on donor, bridge, and acceptor energetics, as well as on orbital symmetry and quantum interference among pathways.

Synthesis and characterization of highly conductive charge-transfer complexes using positron annihilation spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, Abdel Majid A.; Refat, Moamen S.; Sharshar, T.; Heiba, Z. K.

Molecular charge-transfer complexes of the tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) with picric acid (Pi-OH), benzene-1,4-diol (QL), tin(IV) tetrachloride (SnCl4), iodine, bromine, and zinc chloride (ZnCl2) have been synthesized and investigated by elemental and thermal analysis, electronic, infrared, Raman and proton-NMR, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. In this work, three types of acceptors π-acceptors (Pi-OH and QL), σ-acceptors (iodine and bromine), and vacant orbital acceptors (SnCl4 and ZnCl2) were covered. The results of elemental analysis indicated that the CT complexes were formed with ratios 1:1 and 1:2 for QL, SnCl4, and ZnCl2 acceptors and iodine, Pi-OH, and Br2 acceptors, respectively. The type of chelating between the TMEDA donor and the mentioned acceptors depends upon the behavior of both items. The positron annihilation lifetime parameters were found to be dependent on the structure, electronic configuration, and the power of acceptors. The correlation between these parameters and the molecular weight and biological activities of studied complexes was also observed. Regarding the electrical properties, the AC conductivity and the dielectric coefficients were measured as a function of frequency at room temperature. The TMEDA charge-transfer complexes were screened against antibacterial (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and antifungal (Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans) activities.

Transmembrane electric potential difference in the protein-pigment complex of photosystem 2.

PubMed

Mamedov, M D; Kurashov, V N; Petrova, I O; Semenov, A Yu

2012-09-01

The protein-pigment complex of photosystem 2 (PS2) localized in the thylakoid membranes of higher plants, algae, and cyanobacteria is the main source of oxygen on Earth. The light-induced functioning of PS2 is directly linked to electron and proton transfer across the membrane, which results in the formation of transmembrane electric potential difference (ΔΨ). The major contribution to ΔΨ of the PS2 reaction center is due to charge separation between the primary chlorophyll donor P(680) and the quinone acceptor Q(A), accompanied by re-reduction of P(680)(+) by the redox-active tyrosine residue Y(Z). The processes associated with the uptake and release of protons on the acceptor and donor sides of the enzyme, respectively, are also coupled with ΔΨ generation. The objective of this work was to describe the mechanisms of ΔΨ generation associated with the S-state transitions of the water-oxidizing complex in intact PS2 complex and in PS2 preparation depleted of Mn(4)Ca cluster in the presence of artificial electron donors. The findings elucidate the mechanisms of electrogenic reactions on the PS2 donor side and may be a basis for development of an effective solar energy conversion system.

Theoretical study of solvent effects on the electronic coupling matrix elements in rigidly linked donor-acceptor systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cave, R.J.; Newton, M.D.; Kumar, K.

1995-12-07

The recently developed generalized Mulliken-Hush approach for the calculation of the electronic coupling matrix element for electron-transfer processes is applied to two rigidly linked donor-bridge-acceptor systems having dimethoxyanthracene as the donor and a dicarbomethoxycyclobutene unit as the acceptor. The dependence of the electronic coupling matrix element as a function of bridge type is examined with and without solvent molecules present. For clamp-shaped bridge structures solvent can have a dramatic effect on the electronic coupling matrix element. The behavior with variation of solvent is in good agreement with that observed experimentally for these systems. 23 refs., 2 tabs.

On the origin of red and blue shifts of X-H and C-H stretching vibrations in formic acid (formate ion) and proton donor complexes.

PubMed

Tâme Parreira, Renato Luis; Galembeck, Sérgio Emanuel; Hobza, Pavel

2007-01-08

Complexes between formic acid or formate anion and various proton donors (HF, H(2)O, NH(3), and CH(4)) are studied by the MP2 and B3LYP methods with the 6-311++G(3df,3pd) basis set. Formation of a complex is characterized by electron-density transfer from electron donor to ligands. This transfer is much larger with the formate anion, for which it exceeds 0.1 e. Electron-density transfer from electron lone pairs of the electron donor is directed into sigma* antibonding orbitals of X--H bonds of the electron acceptor and leads to elongation of the bond and a red shift of the X--H stretching frequency (standard H-bonding). However, pronounced electron-density transfer from electron lone pairs of the electron donor also leads to reorganization of the electron density in the electron donor, which results in changes in geometry and vibrational frequency. These changes are largest for the C--H bonds of formic acid and formate anion, which do not participate in H-bonding. The resulting blue shift of this stretching frequency is substantial and amounts to almost 35 and 170 cm(-1), respectively.

Interplay between barrier width and height in electron tunneling: photoinduced electron transfer in porphyrin-based donor-bridge-acceptor systems.

PubMed

Pettersson, Karin; Wiberg, Joanna; Ljungdahl, Thomas; Mårtensson, Jerker; Albinsson, Bo

2006-01-12

The rate of electron tunneling in molecular donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) systems is determined both by the tunneling barrier width and height, that is, both by the distance between the donor and acceptor as well as by the energy gap between the donor and bridge moieties. These factors are therefore important to control when designing functional electron transfer systems, such as constructs for photovoltaics, artificial photosynthesis, and molecular scale electronics. In this paper we have investigated a set of D-B-A systems in which the distance and the energy difference between the donor and bridge states (DeltaEDB) are systematically varied. Zinc(II) and gold(III) porphyrins were chosen as electron donor and acceptor because of their suitable driving force for photoinduced electron transfer (-0.9 eV in butyronitrile) and well-characterized photophysics. We have previously shown, in accordance with the superexchange mechanism for electron transfer, that the electron transfer rate is proportional to the inverse of DeltaEDB in a series of zinc/gold porphyrin D-B-A systems with bridges of constant edge to edge distance (19.6 A) and varying DeltaEDB (3900-17 600 cm(-1)). Here, we use the same donor and acceptor but the bridge is shortened or extended giving a set of oligo-p-phenyleneethynylene bridges (OPE) with four different edge to edge distances ranging from 12.7 to 33.4 A. These two sets of D-B-A systems-ZnP-RB-AuP+ and ZnP-nB-AuP+-have one bridge in common, and hence, for the first time both the distance and DeltaEDB dependence of electron transfer can be studied simultaneously in a systematic way.

Non-fullerene electron acceptors for organic photovoltaic devices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jenekhe, Samson A.; Li, Haiyan; Earmme, Taeshik

Non-fullerene electron acceptors for highly efficient organic photovoltaic devices are described. The non-fullerene electron acceptors have an extended, rigid, .pi.-conjugated electron-deficient framework that can facilitate exciton and charge derealization. The non-fullerene electron acceptors can physically mix with a donor polymer and facilitate improved electron transport. The non-fullerene electron acceptors can be incorporated into organic electronic devices, such as photovoltaic cells.

A study of the nature of the emission centres and mechanisms of radiative recombination in semi-insulating GaAs crystals (in English)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komarov, V. G.; Motsnyi, F. V.; Motsnyi, V. F.; Zinets, O. S.

The low temperature photoluminescence spectra of semi-insulating GaAs crystals grown by Czochralski method at different technological conditions have been studied. One of the main background impurities in such materials is carbon. The traditional high temperature annealing of semi-insulating GaAs wafers significantly aggravates their structure perfection because near the surface the creation of conductive layers with the thickness of several microns takes place. The fine structure of the bands of 1.514 and 1.490 eV has been registered. This structure caused by a) polariton emission from upper and low polariton branches; b) radiative recombination of free holes on shallow neutral donors (D^0, h); c) radiative recombination of excitons bound to shallow neutral donors (D^0, X) and to shallow carbon acceptors (C^0_{As}, X); d) excitons bound to the point structure defects (d, X); e) electron transitions between the conduction band and shallow neutral carbon acceptor; f) the electron transitions between donor-acceptor pairs in which carbon and possibly zinc are acceptors in the ground 1S_{3/2} state. The lux-intensity dependencies of the polariton emission from upper polariton branch and photoluminescence of (D^0, h), (C^0_{As}, X), (d, X) complexes are in good agreement with the theory. It is shown that one of the best available semi-insulating GaAs materials is a new commercial AGCP-5V material which differs from others by considerable concentration of shallow donors and new acceptors alongside of the known shallow C^0_{As} acceptor centres.

Donor/acceptor coupling in mixed-valent dinuclear iron polypyridyl complexes: experimental and theoretical considerations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elliott, C.M.; Derr, D.L.; Ferrere, S.

1996-06-05

Coupling between donor and acceptor orbitals for optically-induced intervalence electron transfer processes has been considered for a series of rigid mixed-valent dinuclear tris(2,2`-bipyridine)iron complexes. Each of the four complexes considered ontains three saturated bridges which link the two tris(2,2`-bipyridine)iron moieties. The bridging linkages are -CH{sub 2}CH{sub 2}-, -CH{sub 2}CH{sub 2}CH{sub 2}-, -CH{sub 2}OCH{sub 2}-. Despite differences in the composition of the bridges X-ray diffraction and/or molecular dynamics calculations show that the metal-metal separation and relative bipyridine orientations among all four complexes are nearly identical. Consequently, the only factor which differs significantly among these complexes and which might affect the donor-acceptormore » coupling in the mixed-valent forms is their connectivity. Theses complexes thus provide a unique opportunity to focus on potential superexchange coupling in the absence of ambiguities introduced by other structural and energetic considerations. Theories developed by Mulliken and Hush have been applied to intervalence charge-transfer transitions in order to obtain values of the coupling matrix elements, H{sub 12}. Configuration interaction calculations were also carried out for each of the [Fe{sub 2}(L){sub 3}]{sub 5+} complexes to provide theoretical values of H{sub 12} and the effective donor/acceptor separation distances (r{sub DA}). Experimental and theoretical results for H{sub 12} are in excellent agreement. 31 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ran, Niva A.; Roland, Steffen; Love, John A.

Here, a long standing question in organic electronics concerns the effects of molecular orientation at donor/acceptor heterojunctions. Given a well-controlled donor/acceptor bilayer system, we uncover the genuine effects of molecular orientation on charge generation and recombination. These effects are studied through the point of view of photovoltaics—however, the results have important implications on the operation of all optoelectronic devices with donor/acceptor interfaces, such as light emitting diodes and photodetectors. Our findings can be summarized by two points. First, devices with donor molecules face-on to the acceptor interface have a higher charge transfer state energy and less non-radiative recombination, resulting inmore » larger open-circuit voltages and higher radiative efficiencies. Second, devices with donor molecules edge-on to the acceptor interface are more efficient at charge generation, attributed to smaller electronic coupling between the charge transfer states and the ground state, and lower activation energy for charge generation.« less

Codoping method for the fabrication of low-resistivity wide band-gap semiconductors in p-type GaN, p-type AlN and n-type diamond: prediction versus experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katayama-Yoshida, H.; Nishimatsu, T.; Yamamoto, T.; Orita, N.

2001-10-01

We review our new valence control method of a co-doping for the fabrication of low-resistivity p-type GaN, p-type AlN and n-type diamond. The co-doping method is proposed based upon ab initio electronic structure calculation in order to solve the uni-polarity and the compensation problems in the wide band-gap semiconductors. In the co-doping method, we dope both the acceptors and donors at the same time by forming the meta-stable acceptor-donor-acceptor complexes for the p-type or donor-acceptor-donor complexes for the n-type under thermal non-equilibrium crystal growth conditions. We propose the following co-doping method to fabricate the low-resistivity wide band-gap semiconductors; p-type GaN: [Si + 2 Mg (or Be)], [H + 2 Mg (or Be)], [O + 2 Mg (or Be)], p-type AlN: [O + 2 C] and n-type diamond: [B + 2 N], [H + S], [H + 2 P]. We compare our prediction of the co-doping method with the recent successful experiments to fabricate the low-resistivity p-type GaN, p-type AlN and n-type diamond. We show that the co-doping method is the efficient and universal doping method by which to avoid carrier compensation with an increase of the solubility of the dopant, to increase the activation rate by decreasing the ionization energy of acceptors and donors, and to increase the mobility of the carrier.

Native defects in Tl 6SI 4: Density functional calculations

DOE PAGES

Shi, Hongliang; Du, Mao -Hua

2015-05-05

In this study, Tl 6SI 4 is a promising room-temperature semiconductor radiation detection material. Here, we report density functional calculations of native defects and dielectric properties of Tl 6SI 4. Formation energies and defect levels of native point defects and defect complexes are calculated. Donor-acceptor defect complexes are shown to be abundant in Tl 6SI 4. High resistivity can be obtained by Fermi level pinning by native donor and acceptor defects. Deep donors that are detrimental to electron transport are identified and methods to mitigate such problem are discussed. Furthermore, we show that mixed ionic-covalent character of Tl 6SI 4more » gives rise to enhanced Born effective charges and large static dielectric constant, which provides effective screening of charged defects and impurities.« less

Enhancement of IR and VCD intensities due to charge transfer.

PubMed

Nicu, Valentin Paul; Autschbach, Jochen; Baerends, Evert Jan

2009-03-14

Donor-acceptor interactions such as the one between the Cl(-) base and the N-H sigma* acceptor orbitals encountered in the complexation of Cl(-) counterions to the [Co(en)(3)](3+) transition metal complex, have been shown to cause huge enhancement (between 1 and 2 orders of magnitude) of the VCD intensities of N-H stretching modes. This effect has been fully analyzed, and could be attributed to increased charge flow from the Cl(-) donors when the N-H bonds become stretched. The transfer of charge counteracts the movement of negative electronic charge that happens along with the motion of the H nuclei, effectively reversing the electronic part of the electric dipole transition moment (EDTM) in the direction of the charge flow (z, say), and of the magnetic transition dipole moment (MDTM) in the perpendicular direction. The consequences for the IR and VCD intensity follow: IR intensity is strongly increased if the EDTM is polarized in the z direction, e.g. in A(2) modes, but not so much if it is polarized in the xy plane (E modes), the VCD is strongly enhanced if the EDTM and MTDM are polarized in the xy plane (in E modes), but less so when they are polarized in the z direction (in A(2) modes). The explanation holds generally for complexation phenomena of this sort, including the donor-acceptor part of hydrogen bonding interactions, e.g. with solvent molecules.

Enhanced Efficiency in Fullerene-Free Polymer Solar Cell by Incorporating Fine-designed Donor and Acceptor Materials.

PubMed

Ye, Long; Sun, Kai; Jiang, Wei; Zhang, Shaoqing; Zhao, Wenchao; Yao, Huifeng; Wang, Zhaohui; Hou, Jianhui

2015-05-06

Among the diverse nonfullerene acceptors, perylene bisimides (PBIs) have been attracting much attention due to their excellent electron mobility and tunable molecular and electronic properties by simply engineering the bay and head linkages. Herein, guided by two efficient small molecular acceptors, we designed, synthesized, and characterized a new nonfullerene small molecule PPDI with fine-tailored alkyl chains. Notably, a certificated PCE of 5.40% is realized in a simple structured fullerene-free polymer solar cell comprising PPDI as the electron acceptor and a fine-tailored 2D-conjugated polymer PBDT-TS1 as the electron donor. Moreover, the device behavior, morphological feature, and origin of high efficiency in PBDT-TS1/PPDI-based fullerene-free PSC were investigated. The synchronous selection and design of donor and acceptor materials reported here offer a feasible strategy for realizing highly efficient fullerene-free organic photovoltaics.

Carbon-rich supramolecular metallacycles and metallacages

PubMed Central

Northrop, Brian H.; Chercka, Dennis; Stang, Peter J.

2008-01-01

Coordination-driven self-assembly via the directional-bonding approach utilizes rigid transition metal acceptors and electron-rich donors to allow for complex, nanoscale 2D polygons and 3D polyhedra to be prepared under mild conditions and in high yields. To ensure proper rigidity and directionality, many acceptor and donor precursors contain largely carbon-rich aromatic and/or acetylenic moieties. This article introduces self-assembly as an alternative means of synthesizing carbon-rich materials and discusses the development, design, synthesis, and applications of carbon-rich supramolecular metallacycles and metallacages as well as the self-assembly of new diastereomeric carbon-rich supramolecular triangles. PMID:20011029

Molecular complexes of l-phenylalanine with substituted 1,4-benzoquinones in aqueous medium: spectral and theoretical investigations.

PubMed

Ganesh, K; El-Mossalamy, E H; Satheshkumar, A; Balraj, C; Elango, K P

2013-12-01

Various spectral techniques such as UV-Vis, FT-IR, and fluorescence have been employed to investigate the charge transfer interaction of L-phenylalanine (LPA) with substituted 1,4-benzoquinones (MQ(1-4)). Kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the complexes were determined in aqueous medium at physiological condition (pH=7). The interaction of MQ(1-4) with L-phenylalanine (LPA) was found to proceed through the formation of donor-acceptor complex, yielding a radical anion. The stoichiometry of the complexes was determined by Jobs continuous variation method and was found to be 1:1 in all the cases. Fluorescence quenching studies showed that the interaction between the donor and the acceptors is spontaneous. The results indicated that the progressive replacement of chlorine atom (-I effect) by methoxy group (+M effect) in the quinone decreased the electron acceptor property of the quinone. The order of the experimentally measured association constant of these complexes was well supported by DFT/B3LYP calculations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Poly(trifluoromethyl)azulenes: structures and acceptor properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clikeman, Tyler T.; Bukovsky, Eric V.; Kuvychko, Igor V.

2014-07-10

Azulene is a non-alternant, non-benzenoid aromatic hydrocarbon with an intense blue colour, a dipole moment of 1.0 D,1 positive electron affinity, and an “anomalous” emission from the second excited state in violation of Kasha’s rule.2,3 Azulene’s unique properties have potential uses in molecular switches,4,5 molecular diodes,6 organic photovoltaics,7 and charge transfer complexes.8-12 Introduction of electron-withdrawing groups to the azulenic core, such as CN,8,13,14 halogens,15-19 and CF3,20,21 can enhance certain electrical and photophysical properties. In this work, we report six new trifluoromethyl derivatives of azulene (AZUL), three isomers of AZUL(CF3)3 and three isomers of AZUL(CF3)4, and the first X-ray structure ofmore » a π-stacked donor-acceptor complex of a trifluoromethyl azulene with donor pyrene.« less

Dexter energy transfer pathways

PubMed Central

Skourtis, Spiros S.; Liu, Chaoren; Antoniou, Panayiotis; Virshup, Aaron M.; Beratan, David N.

2016-01-01

Energy transfer with an associated spin change of the donor and acceptor, Dexter energy transfer, is critically important in solar energy harvesting assemblies, damage protection schemes of photobiology, and organometallic opto-electronic materials. Dexter transfer between chemically linked donors and acceptors is bridge mediated, presenting an enticing analogy with bridge-mediated electron and hole transfer. However, Dexter coupling pathways must convey both an electron and a hole from donor to acceptor, and this adds considerable richness to the mediation process. We dissect the bridge-mediated Dexter coupling mechanisms and formulate a theory for triplet energy transfer coupling pathways. Virtual donor–acceptor charge-transfer exciton intermediates dominate at shorter distances or higher tunneling energy gaps, whereas virtual intermediates with an electron and a hole both on the bridge (virtual bridge excitons) dominate for longer distances or lower energy gaps. The effects of virtual bridge excitons were neglected in earlier treatments. The two-particle pathway framework developed here shows how Dexter energy-transfer rates depend on donor, bridge, and acceptor energetics, as well as on orbital symmetry and quantum interference among pathways. PMID:27382185

Photoinduced Bimolecular Electron Transfer from Cyano Anions in Ionic Liquids

DOE PAGES

Wu, Boning; Liang, Min; Maroncelli, Mark; ...

2015-10-26

Ionic liquids with electron-donating anions are used to investigate rates and mechanisms of photoinduced bimolecular electron transfer to the photoexcited acceptor 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (9,10-DCNA). The set of five cyano anion ILs studied comprises the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cation paired with each of these five anions: selenocyanate, thiocyanate, dicyanamide, tricyanomethanide, and tetracyano-borate. Measurements with these anions dilute in acetonitrile and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)-amide show that the selenocyanate and tricyanomethanide anions are strong quenchers of the 9,10-DCNA fluorescence, thiocyanate is a moderately strong quencher, dicyanamide is a weak quencher, and no quenching is observed for tetracyanoborate. Quenching rates are obtained from both time-resolved fluorescence transients andmore » time-integrated spectra. Finally, application of a Smoluchowski diffusion-and-reaction model showed that the complex kinetics observed can be fit using only two adjustable parameters, D and V 0, where D is the relative diffusion coefficient between donor and acceptor and V 0 is the value of the electronic coupling at donor-acceptor contact.« less

Time-resolved EPR study on the photoexcited triplet state of the electron-donor-acceptor complex formed in the system of fac-tris[2-(4-octyl-phenyl) pyridine] iridium(III) and tetracene.

PubMed

Zhebin, Fu; Shuhei, Yoshioka; Hisao, Murai

2014-01-09

The physical properties of the phosphorescent organic light-emitting diode material fac-tris(phenylpyridine) iridium(III), Ir(ppy)3, have been reported with experimental and theoretical studies. Here, the photochemical properties of the excited triplet state of partially modified fac-tris[2-(4-octyl-phenyl) pyridine] iridium(III), Ir(C8ppy)3, were investigated using time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (tr-EPR) and optical methods by adding tetracene in the toluene solution. The tr-EPR observation at 77 K revealed the following two species: the excited triplet state of tetracene and another triplet species with zero field splitting parameters of |D| = 0.088 cm(-1) and |E| = 0.018 cm(-1) with characteristic spin polarization. The latter species was assigned to the electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) complex formed between Ir(C8ppy)3 and tetracene. The mechanism of formation and the properties of this EDA complex, including the information on the principal axes of (3)Ir(C8ppy)3*, are discussed.

Spectroscopic characterization of charge-transfer complexes of morpholine with chloranilic and picric acids in organic media: crystal structure of bis(morpholinium 2,4,6-trinitrocyclohexanolate).

PubMed

Refat, Moamen S; El-Zayat, Lamia A; Yeşilel, Okan Zafer

2010-02-01

Electron donor-acceptor interaction of morpholine (morp) with chloranilic acid (cla) and picric acid (pa) as pi-acceptors was investigated spectrophotometrically and found to form stable charge-transfer (CT) complexes (n-pi*) of [(Hmorp)(2)(cla)] and [(Hmorp)(pa)](2). The donor site involved in CT interaction is morpholine nitrogen. These complexes are easily synthesized from the reaction of morp with cla and pa within MeOH and CHCl(3) solvents, respectively. (1)HNMR, IR, elemental analyses, and UV-vis techniques characterize the two morpholinium charge-transfer complexes. Benesi-Hildebrand and its modification methods were applied to the determination of association constant (K), molar extinction coefficient (epsilon). The X-ray crystal structure was carried out for the interpretation the predict structure of the [(Hmorp)(pa)](2) complex. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spectroscopic characterization of charge-transfer complexes of morpholine with chloranilic and picric acids in organic media: Crystal structure of bis(morpholinium 2,4,6-trinitrocyclohexanolate)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Refat, Moamen S.; El-Zayat, Lamia A.; Yeşilel, Okan Zafer

2010-02-01

Electron donor-acceptor interaction of morpholine (morp) with chloranilic acid (cla) and picric acid (pa) as π-acceptors was investigated spectrophotometrically and found to form stable charge-transfer (CT) complexes (n-π*) of [(Hmorp) 2(cla)] and [(Hmorp)(pa)] 2. The donor site involved in CT interaction is morpholine nitrogen. These complexes are easily synthesized from the reaction of morp with cla and pa within MeOH and CHCl 3 solvents, respectively. 1HNMR, IR, elemental analyses, and UV-vis techniques characterize the two morpholinium charge-transfer complexes. Benesi-Hildebrand and its modification methods were applied to the determination of association constant ( K), molar extinction coefficient ( ɛ). The X-ray crystal structure was carried out for the interpretation the predict structure of the [(Hmorp)(pa)] 2 complex.

Fragment charge difference method for estimating donor-acceptor electronic coupling: Application to DNA π-stacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voityuk, Alexander A.; Rösch, Notker

2002-09-01

The purpose of this communication is two-fold. We introduce the fragment charge difference (FCD) method to estimate the electron transfer matrix element HDA between a donor D and an acceptor A, and we apply this method to several aspects of hole transfer electronic couplings in π-stacks of DNA, including systems with several donor-acceptor sites. Within the two-state model, our scheme can be simplified to recover a convenient estimate of the electron transfer matrix element HDA=(1-Δq2)1/2(E2-E1)/2 based on the vertical excitation energy E2-E1 and the charge difference Δq between donor and acceptor. For systems with strong charge separation, Δq≳0.95, one should resort to the FCD method. As favorable feature, we demonstrate the stability of the FCD approach for systems which require an approach beyond the two-state model. On the basis of ab initio calculations of various DNA related systems, we compared three approaches for estimating the electronic coupling: the minimum splitting method, the generalized Mulliken-Hush (GMH) scheme, and the FCD approach. We studied the sensitivity of FCD and GMH couplings to the donor-acceptor energy gap and found both schemes to be quite robust; they are applicable also in cases where donor and acceptor states are off resonance. In the application to π-stacks of DNA, we demonstrated for the Watson-Crick pair dimer [(GC),(GC)] how structural changes considerably affect the coupling strength of electron hole transfer. For models of three Watson-Crick pairs, we showed that the two-state model significantly overestimates the hole transfer coupling whereas simultaneous treatment of several states leads to satisfactory results.

Synthesis, characterization, spectrophotometric, structural and antimicrobial studies of the newly charge transfer complex of p-phenylenediamine with π acceptor picric acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Ishaat M.; Ahmad, Afaq; Oves, M.

2010-12-01

Charge transfer complex (CTC) of donor, p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and acceptor, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid) has been studied in methanol at room temperature. The CT complex was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR spectra, 1H NMR spectroscopy and electronic absorption spectra which indicate the CT interaction associated with proton migration from the acceptor to the donor followed by hydrogen bonding via N +-H⋯O -. The thermal stability of CT complex was studied using TGA and DTA analyses techniques. The CT complex was screened for its antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger (Laboratory isolate), Candida albicans (IQA-109) and Penicillium sp. (Laboratory isolate) and antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA 22) and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6051) and two Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (K 12) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 2488). It gives good antimicrobial activity. The stoichiometry of the CT complex was found to be 1:1. The physical parameters of CT complex were evaluated by the Benesi-Hildebrand equation. On the basis of the studies, the structure of CT complex is [(PPDH) +(PA) -], and a general mechanism for its formation is proposed.

Bistable mixed-valence molecular architectures for bit storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guihery, Nathalie; Durand, Gérard; Lepetit, Marie-Bernadette

1994-05-01

The work examines the possible realization of bit storage at the molecular scale using mixed valence compounds i.e. the existence of two stable and degenerate forms associated with the 0 and 1 positions of the bit. The proposed systems are constituted of two donors (D) and acceptor (A), or one donor and two acceptors, juxtaposed in DAD or ADA architectures. Our proposals take advantage of the possibility of donor—acceptor complexes to exhibit either complete or partial charge transfer. The first system we propose has an essentially neutral ground state. However, the potential energy surface (PES) presents two degenerated minima associated with a partial charge transfer between the donor and one of the two acceptor molecules (A δ-D δ+1 A and AD δ+ A δ-). Systems presenting a complete charge transfer give rise to two stable, weakly coupled, and degenerate ionic electronic states, A - A + A and AD + A - for an ADA architecture and D + A -D and DA -D + for a DAD In these cases, the two forms differ by both their intramolecular geometries and the relative positions of their constituents. It seems rather difficult to conceive such bistable molecular systems using closed-shell molecules, while a donor radical and a closed-shell acceptor or an acceptor radical and closed-shell donor can generate very stable ionic states. It is assumed that the relative positions of the donor and acceptor molecules can be fixed using chemical bridges constituted of rigid or flexible ligands. The writing and reading processes are discussed for each system as well as the information stability when a large number of bits are juxtaposed on a surface.

Two-photon or higher-order absorbing optical materials and methods of use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marder, Seth (Inventor); Perry, Joseph (Inventor)

2012-01-01

Compositions capable of simultaneous two-photon absorption and higher order absorptivities are provided. Compounds having a donor-pi-donor or acceptor-pi-acceptor structure are of particular interest, where the donor is an electron donating group, acceptor is an electron accepting group, and pi is a pi bridge linking the donor and/or acceptor groups. The pi bridge may additionally be substituted with electron donating or withdrawing groups to alter the absorptive wavelength of the structure. Also disclosed are methods of generating an excited state of such compounds through optical stimulation with light using simultaneous absorption of photons of energies individually insufficient to achieve an excited state of the compound, but capable of doing so upon simultaneous absorption of two or more such photons. Applications employing such methods are also provided, including controlled polymerization achieved through focusing of the light source(s) used.

Photoinduced electron transfer across a molecular wall: coumarin dyes as donors and methyl viologen and TiO2 as acceptors.

PubMed

Porel, Mintu; Klimczak, Agnieszka; Freitag, Marina; Galoppini, Elena; Ramamurthy, V

2012-02-21

Coumarins C-153, C-480, and C-1 formed 1:2 (guest:host) complexes with a water-soluble cavitand having eight carboxylic acid groups (OA) in aqueous borate buffer solution. The complexes were photoexcited in the presence of electron acceptors (methyl viologen, MV(2+), or TiO(2)) to probe the possibility of electron transfer between a donor and an acceptor physically separated by a molecular wall. In solution at basic pH, the dication MV(2+) was associated to the exterior of the complex C-153@OA(2), as suggested by diffusion constants (~1.2 × 10(-6) cm(2)/s) determined by DOSY NMR. The fluorescence of C-153@OA(2) was quenched in the presence of increasing amounts of MV(2+) and Stern-Volmer plots of I(o)/I and τ(o)/τ vs [MV(2+)] indicated that the quenching was static. As per FT-IR-ATR spectra, the capsule C-153@OA(2) was bound to TiO(2) nanoparticle films. Selective excitation (λ(exc) = 420) of the above bound complex resulted in fluorescence quenching. When adsorbed on insulating ZrO(2) nanoparticle films, excitation of the complex resulted in a broad fluorescence spectrum centered at 500 nm and consistent with C-153 being within the lipophilic capsule interior. Consistent with the above results, colloidal TiO(2) quenched the emission while colloidal ZrO(2) did not.

Understanding the Charge Transfer at the Interface of Electron Donors and Acceptors: TTF–TCNQ as an Example

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Changwon; Atalla, Viktor; Smith, Sean

Charge transfer between an electron donor and an electron acceptor is widely accepted as being independent of their relative configurations if the interaction between them is weak; however, the limit of this concept for an interacting system has not yet been well established. Our study of prototypical electron donor–acceptor molecules, tetrathiafulvalene–tetracyanoquinodimethane, using density functional theory based on an advanced functional, clearly demonstrates that for interacting molecules, their configurational arrangement is as important as their individual electronic properties in the asymptotic limit to determine the charge transfer direction. For the first time, we demonstrate that by changing their relative orientation, onemore » can reverse the charge transfer direction of the pair, causing the molecules to exchange roles as donor and acceptor. In conclusion, our theory has important implications for understanding the interfacial charge-transfer mechanism of hybrid systems and related phenomena.« less

Understanding the Charge Transfer at the Interface of Electron Donors and Acceptors: TTF–TCNQ as an Example

DOE PAGES

Park, Changwon; Atalla, Viktor; Smith, Sean; ...

2017-06-16

Charge transfer between an electron donor and an electron acceptor is widely accepted as being independent of their relative configurations if the interaction between them is weak; however, the limit of this concept for an interacting system has not yet been well established. Our study of prototypical electron donor–acceptor molecules, tetrathiafulvalene–tetracyanoquinodimethane, using density functional theory based on an advanced functional, clearly demonstrates that for interacting molecules, their configurational arrangement is as important as their individual electronic properties in the asymptotic limit to determine the charge transfer direction. For the first time, we demonstrate that by changing their relative orientation, onemore » can reverse the charge transfer direction of the pair, causing the molecules to exchange roles as donor and acceptor. In conclusion, our theory has important implications for understanding the interfacial charge-transfer mechanism of hybrid systems and related phenomena.« less

An Overview of Electron Acceptors in Microbial Fuel Cells

PubMed Central

Ucar, Deniz; Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

2017-01-01

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) have recently received increasing attention due to their promising potential in sustainable wastewater treatment and contaminant removal. In general, contaminants can be removed either as an electron donor via microbial catalyzed oxidization at the anode or removed at the cathode as electron acceptors through reduction. Some contaminants can also function as electron mediators at the anode or cathode. While previous studies have done a thorough assessment of electron donors, cathodic electron acceptors and mediators have not been as well described. Oxygen is widely used as an electron acceptor due to its high oxidation potential and ready availability. Recent studies, however, have begun to assess the use of different electron acceptors because of the (1) diversity of redox potential, (2) needs of alternative and more efficient cathode reaction, and (3) expanding of MFC based technologies in different areas. The aim of this review was to evaluate the performance and applicability of various electron acceptors and mediators used in MFCs. This review also evaluated the corresponding performance, advantages and disadvantages, and future potential applications of select electron acceptors (e.g., nitrate, iron, copper, perchlorate) and mediators. PMID:28469607

Photoinduced electron transfer in fixed distance chlorophyll-quinone donor-acceptor molecules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wasielewski, M.R.; Johnson, D.G.; Svec, W.A.

1987-01-01

A series of fixed distance chlorophyll-quinone donor-acceptor molecules have been prepared. The donor consists of either methyl pyropheophorbide a or methyl pyrochlorophyllide a, while the acceptor is either benzoquinone or naphthoquinone. The acceptors are fused to a triptycene spacer group, which in turn is attached to the donors at their vinyl groups. Picosecond transient absorption measurements have been used to identify electron transfer from the lowest excited singlet state of the donor to the acceptor as the mechanism of fluorescence quenching in these molecules. The charge separation rate constants increase from 2 x 10/sup 10/ s/sup -1/ to 4 xmore » 10/sup 11/ s/sup -1/ as the free energy of charge separation increases, while the radical pair recombination rate constants decrease from 1.2 x 10/sup 11/ s/sup -1/ to 2 x 10/sup 9/ s/sup -1/ as the free energy of recombination increases. The resulting total reorganization energy lambda = 0.9 eV.« less

Impact of interfacial molecular orientation on radiative recombination and charge generation efficiency

DOE PAGES

Ran, Niva A.; Roland, Steffen; Love, John A.; ...

2017-07-19

Here, a long standing question in organic electronics concerns the effects of molecular orientation at donor/acceptor heterojunctions. Given a well-controlled donor/acceptor bilayer system, we uncover the genuine effects of molecular orientation on charge generation and recombination. These effects are studied through the point of view of photovoltaics—however, the results have important implications on the operation of all optoelectronic devices with donor/acceptor interfaces, such as light emitting diodes and photodetectors. Our findings can be summarized by two points. First, devices with donor molecules face-on to the acceptor interface have a higher charge transfer state energy and less non-radiative recombination, resulting inmore » larger open-circuit voltages and higher radiative efficiencies. Second, devices with donor molecules edge-on to the acceptor interface are more efficient at charge generation, attributed to smaller electronic coupling between the charge transfer states and the ground state, and lower activation energy for charge generation.« less

Optoelectronics of organic nanofibers formed by co-assembly of porphyrin and perylenediimide.

PubMed

Li, Yuangang; Wang, Weina; Leow, Wan Ru; Zhu, Bowen; Meng, Fanben; Zheng, Liyan; Zhu, Jia; Chen, Xiaodong

2014-07-23

Organic nanofibers are formed by simple ionic co-assembly of positively charged porphyrin (electron donor) and negatively charged perylenediimide (electron acceptor) derivatives in aqueous solution. Two kinds of electron transfer routes between electron donor and electron acceptor under light excitation in nanofibers are confirmed by DFT calculations and experimental data. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design and Synthesis of Novel Block Copolymers for Efficient Opto-Electronic Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Sam-Shajing; Fan, Zhen; Wang, Yiqing; Taft, Charles; Haliburton, James; Maaref, Shahin

2002-01-01

It has been predicted that nano-phase separated block copolymer systems containing electron rich donor blocks and electron deficient acceptor blocks may facilitate the charge carrier separation and migration in organic photovoltaic devices due to improved morphology in comparison to polymer blend system. This paper presents preliminary data describing the design and synthesis of a novel Donor-Bridge-Acceptor (D-B-A) block copolymer system for potential high efficient organic optoelectronic applications. Specifically, the donor block contains an electron donating alkyloxy derivatized polyphenylenevinylene (PPV), the acceptor block contains an electron withdrawing alkyl-sulfone derivatized polyphenylenevinylene (PPV), and the bridge block contains an electronically neutral non-conjugated aliphatic hydrocarbon chain. The key synthetic strategy includes the synthesis of each individual block first, then couple the blocks together. While the donor block stabilizes and facilitates the transport of the holes, the acceptor block stabilizes and facilitates the transport of the electrons, the bridge block is designed to hinder the probability of electron-hole recombination. Thus, improved charge separation and stability are expected with this system. In addition, charge migration toward electrodes may also be facilitated due to the potential nano-phase separated and highly ordered block copolymer ultra-structure.

Investigations on the charge transfer mechanism at donor/acceptor interfaces in the quest for descriptors of organic solar cell performance.

PubMed

Muraoka, Azusa; Fujii, Mikiya; Mishima, Kenji; Matsunaga, Hiroki; Benten, Hiroaki; Ohkita, Hideo; Ito, Shinzaburo; Yamashita, Koichi

2018-05-07

Herein, we theoretically and experimentally investigated the mechanisms of charge separation processes of organic thin-film solar cells. PTB7, PTB1, and PTBF2 have been chosen as donors and PC 71 BM has been chosen as an acceptor considering that effective charge generation depends on the difference between the material combinations. Experimental results of transient absorption spectroscopy show that the hot process is a key step for determining external quantum efficiency (EQE) in these systems. From the quantum chemistry calculations, it has been found that EQE tends to increase as the transferred charge, charge transfer distance, and variation of dipole moments between the ground and excited states of the donor/acceptor complexes increase; this indicates that these physical quantities are a good descriptor to assess the donor-acceptor charge transfer quality contributing to the solar cell performance. We propose that designing donor/acceptor interfaces with large values of charge transfer distance and variation of dipole moments of the donor/acceptor complexes is a prerequisite for developing high-efficiency polymer/PCBM solar cells.

Impact of Thermal Annealing on Organic Photovoltaic Cells Using Regioisomeric Donor-Acceptor-Acceptor Molecules.

PubMed

Zhang, Tao; Han, Han; Zou, Yunlong; Lee, Ying-Chi; Oshima, Hiroya; Wong, Ken-Tsung; Holmes, Russell J

2017-08-02

We report a promising set of donor-acceptor-acceptor (D-A-A) electron-donor materials based on coplanar thieno[3,2-b]/[2,3-b]indole, benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole, and dicyanovinylene, which are found to show broadband absorption with high extinction coefficients. The role of the regioisomeric electron-donating thienoindole moiety on the physical and structural properties is examined. Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) based on the thieno[2,3-b]indole-based electron donor NTU-2, using C 70 as an electron acceptor, show a champion power conversion efficiency of 5.2% under AM 1.5G solar simulated illumination. This efficiency is limited by a low fill factor (FF), as has previously been the case in D-A-A systems. In order to identify the origin of the limited FF, further insight into donor layer charge-transport behavior is realized by examining planar heterojunction OPVs, with emphasis on the evolution of film morphology with thermal annealing. Compared to as-deposited OPVs that exhibit insufficient donor crystallinity, crystalline OPVs based on annealed thin films show an increase in the short-circuit current density, FF, and power conversion efficiency. These results suggest that that the crystallization of D-A-A molecules might not be realized spontaneously at room temperature and that further processing is needed to realize efficient charge transport in these materials.

Barrier experiment: Shock initiation under complex loading

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Menikoff, Ralph

2016-01-12

The barrier experiments are a variant of the gap test; a detonation wave in a donor HE impacts a barrier and drives a shock wave into an acceptor HE. The question we ask is: What is the trade-off between the barrier material and threshold barrier thickness to prevent the acceptor from detonating. This can be viewed from the perspective of shock initiation of the acceptor subject to a complex pressure drive condition. Here we consider key factors which affect whether or not the acceptor undergoes a shock-to-detonation transition. These include the following: shock impedance matches for the donor detonation wavemore » into the barrier and then the barrier shock into the acceptor, the pressure gradient behind the donor detonation wave, and the curvature of detonation front in the donor. Numerical simulations are used to illustrate how these factors affect the reaction in the acceptor.« less

Analysis of fast chlorophyll fluorescence rise (O-K-J-I-P) curves in green fruits indicates electron flow limitations at the donor side of PSII and the acceptor sides of both photosystems.

PubMed

Kalachanis, Dimitrios; Manetas, Yiannis

2010-07-01

Limited evidence up to now indicates low linear photosynthetic electron flow and CO(2) assimilation rates in non-foliar chloroplasts. In this investigation, we used chlorophyll fluorescence techniques to locate possible limiting steps in photosystem function in exposed, non-stressed green fruits (both pericarps and seeds) of three species, while corresponding leaves served as controls. Compared with leaves, fruit photosynthesis was characterized by less photon trapping and less quantum yields of electron flow, while the non-photochemical quenching was higher and potentially linked to enhanced carotenoid/chlorophyll ratios. Analysis of fast chlorophyll fluorescence rise curves revealed possible limitations both in the donor (oxygen evolving complex) and the acceptor (Q(A)(-)--> intermediate carriers) sides of photosystem II (PSII) indicating innately low PSII photochemical activity. On the other hand, PSI was characterized by faster reduction of its final electron acceptors and their small pool sizes. We argue that the fast reductive saturation of final PSI electron acceptors may divert electrons back to intermediate carriers facilitating a cyclic flow around PSI, while the partial inactivation of linear flow precludes strong reduction of plastoquinone. As such, the photosynthetic attributes of fruit chloroplasts may act to replenish the ATP lost because of hypoxia usually encountered in sink organs with high diffusive resistance to gas exchange.

Heat detection and compositions and devices therefor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rembaum, A. (Inventor)

1975-01-01

Temperature change of a substrate such as a microelectronic component is sensed and detected by means of a mixture of a weak molecular complex of an electron donor compound such as an organic amine and an electron acceptor compound such as nitroaromatic compound. The mixture is encapsulated in a clear binder such as a vinyl resin.

Experimental and first-principles study of photoluminescent and optical properties of Na-doped CuAlO2: the role of the NaAl-2Na i complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ruijian; Li, Yongfeng; Yao, Bin; Ding, Zhanhui; Deng, Rui; Zhang, Ligong; Zhao, Haifeng; Liu, Lei

2015-08-01

We report that a band-tail emission at 3.08 eV, lower than near-band-edge energy, is observed in photoluminescence measurements of bulk Na-doped CuAlO2. The band-tail emission is attributed to Na-related defects. Electronic structure calculations based on the first-principles method demonstrate that the donor-acceptor compensated complex of NaAl-2Na i in Na-doped CuAlO2 plays a key role in leading to the band-tail emission and bandgap narrowing. Furthermore, Hall effect measurements indicates that the hole concentration in CuAlO2 is independent on Na doping, which is well understood by the donor-acceptor compensation effect of NaAl-2Na i complex.

Proton transfer complexes based on some π-acceptors having acidic protons with 3-amino-6-[2-(2-thienyl)vinyl]-1,2,4-triazin-5(4 H)-one donor: Synthesis and spectroscopic characterizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Refat, Moamen S.; Saad, Hosam A.; Adam, Abdel Majid A.

2011-05-01

Charge transfer complexes based on 3-amino-6-[2-(2-thienyl)vinyl]-1,2,4-triazin-5(4 H)-one (ArNH 2) organic basic donor and pi-acceptors having acidic protons such as picric acid (PiA), hydroquinone (Q(OH) 2) and 3,5-dinitrobenzene (DNB) have been synthesized and spectroscopically studied. The sbnd NH3+ ammonium ion was formed under the acid-base theory through proton transfer from an acidic to basic centers in all charge transfer complexes resulted. The values of formation constant ( KCT) and molar extinction coefficient ( ɛCT) which were estimated from the spectrophotometric studies have a dramatic effect for the charge transfer complexes with differentiation of pi-acceptors. For further studies the vibrational spectroscopy of the [( ArNH3+)(PiA -)] (1), [( ArNH3+)(Q (OH)2-)] (2) and [( ArNH3+)(DNB -)] (3) of (1:1) charge transfer complexes of (donor: acceptor) were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectra, Raman spectra, 1H and 13CNMR spectra. The experimental data of elemental analyses of the charge transfer complexes (1), (2) and (3) were in agreement with calculated data. The IR and Raman spectra of (1), (2) and (3) are indicated to the presence of bands around 3100 and 1600 cm -1 distinguish to sbnd NH3+. The thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques were performed to give knowledge about thermal stability behavior of the synthesized charge transfer complexes. The morphological features of start materials and charge transfer complexes were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy.

Donor-bridge-acceptor energetics determine the distance dependence of electron tunneling in DNA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Frederick D.; Liu, Jianqin; Weigel, Wilfried; Rettig, Wolfgang; Kurnikov, Igor V.; Beratan, David N.

2002-10-01

Electron transfer (ET) processes in DNA are of current interest because of their involvement in oxidative strand cleavage reactions and their relevance to the development of molecular electronics. Two mechanisms have been identified for ET in DNA, a single-step tunneling process and a multistep charge-hopping process. The dynamics of tunneling reactions depend on both the distance between the electron donor and acceptor and the nature of the molecular bridge separating the donor and acceptor. In the case of protein and alkane bridges, the distance dependence is not strongly dependent on the properties of the donor and acceptor. In contrast, we show here that the distance decay of DNA ET rates varies markedly with the energetics of the donor and acceptor relative to the bridge. Specifically, we find that an increase in the energy of the bridge states by 0.25 eV (1 eV = 1.602 × 1019 J) relative to the donor and acceptor energies for photochemical oxidation of nucleotides, without changing the reaction free energy, results in an increase in the characteristic exponential distance decay constant for the ET rates from 0.71 to 1.1 Å1. These results show that, in the small tunneling energy gap regime of DNA ET, the distance dependence is not universal; it varies strongly with the tunneling energy gap. These DNA ET reactions fill a "missing link" or transition regime between the large barrier (rapidly decaying) tunneling regime and the (slowly decaying) hopping regime in the general theory of bridge-mediated ET processes.

Synthesis and photophysical properties of new catenated electron donor-acceptor materials with magnesium and free base porphyrins as donors and C60 as the acceptor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirner, Sabrina V.; Guldi, Dirk M.; Megiatto, Jackson D., Jr.; Schuster, David I.

2014-12-01

A new series of nanoscale electron donor-acceptor systems with [2]catenane architectures has been synthesized, incorporating magnesium porphyrin (MgP) or free base porphyrin (H2P) as electron donor and C60 as electron acceptor, surrounding a central tetrahedral Cu(i)-1,10-phenanthroline (phen) complex. Model catenated compounds incorporating only one or none of these photoactive moieties were also prepared. The synthesis involved the use of Sauvage's metal template protocol in combination with the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides and alkynes (``click chemistry''), as in other recent reports from our laboratories. Ground state electron interactions between the individual constituents was probed using electrochemistry and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, while events occurring following photoexcitation in tetrahydrofuran (under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions) at various wavelengths were followed by means of time-resolved transient absorption and emission spectroscopies on the femtosecond and nanosecond time scales, respectively, complemented by measurements of quantum yields for generation of singlet oxygen. From similar studies with model catenates containing one or neither of the chromophores, the events following photoexcitation could be elucidated. The results were compared with those previously reported for analogous catenates based on zinc porphyrin (ZnP). It was determined that a series of energy transfer (EnT) and electron transfer (ET) processes take place in the present catenates, ultimately generating long-distance charge separated (CS) states involving oxidized porphyrin and reduced C60 moieties, with lifetimes ranging from 400 to 1060 nanoseconds. Shorter lived short-distance CS states possessing oxidized copper complexes and reduced C60, with lifetimes ranging from 15 to 60 ns, were formed en route to the long-distance CS states. The dynamics of the ET processes were analyzed in terms of their thermodynamic driving forces. It was clear that intramolecular back ET was occurring in the inverted region of the Marcus parabola correlating rates and driving forces for electron transfer processes. In addition, evidence for triplet excited states as a product of either incomplete ET or back ET was found. The differences in behavior of the three catenates upon photoexcitation are analyzed in terms of the energy levels of the various intermediate states and the driving forces for EnT and ET processes.

Targeting ideal acceptor-donor materials based on hexabenzocoronene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos Silva, H.; Metz, Sebastian; Hiorns, Roger C.; Bégué, D.

2018-06-01

A series of new hybrid donor-acceptor materials based on hexabenzocoronenes (HBC) functionalized with electron donors is investigated by combining a variety of quantum mechanical and molecular dynamic methodologies for use in organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. Segments of a low band gap alternating copolymer constructed of benzo[1,2-b;3,4-b]dithiophene and thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione were attached to the conjugated HBC core. The copolymer was chosen for its known high performance in OPVs, and both moieties were singled out due to their exceptional resistance to photo-oxidation, an important requirement for such applications. The macromolecular topology of these systems are expected to induce supra-molecular columns, such as those common to discotic liquid crystals, conducive to the effective percolation of electrons in OPV devices. A challenge with these systems, that of the mixing of the electronic structures of the donor and acceptor moieties that result in excitonic losses and charge recombination, was diminished by trialling a range of linking units. It was found possible to propose ideal donor-acceptor structures with enhanced charge dissociations and transfers in the π-stacking direction for use in OPV and other organic electronic devices.

Mapping the Reactivity and Selectivity of 2-Azidofucosyl Donors for the Assembly of N-Acetylfucosamine-Containing Bacterial Oligosaccharides.

PubMed

Hagen, Bas; Ali, Sara; Overkleeft, Herman S; van der Marel, Gijsbert A; Codée, Jeroen D C

2017-01-20

The synthesis of complex oligosaccharides is often hindered by a lack of knowledge on the reactivity and selectivity of their constituent building blocks. We investigated the reactivity and selectivity of 2-azidofucosyl (FucN 3 ) donors, valuable synthons in the synthesis of 2-acetamido-2-deoxyfucose (FucNAc) containing oligosaccharides. Six FucN 3 donors, bearing benzyl, benzoyl, or tert-butyldimethylsilyl protecting groups at the C3-O and C4-O positions, were synthesized, and their reactivity was assessed in a series of glycosylations using acceptors of varying nucleophilicity and size. It was found that more reactive nucleophiles and electron-withdrawing benzoyl groups on the donor favor the formation of β-glycosides, while poorly reactive nucleophiles and electron-donating protecting groups on the donor favor α-glycosidic bond formation. Low-temperature NMR activation studies of Bn- and Bz-protected donors revealed the formation of covalent FucN 3 triflates and oxosulfonium triflates. From these results, a mechanistic explanation is offered in which more reactive acceptors preferentially react via an S N 2-like pathway, while less reactive acceptors react via an S N 1-like pathway. The knowledge obtained in this reactivity study was then applied in the construction of α-FucN 3 linkages relevant to bacterial saccharides. Finally, a modular synthesis of the Staphylococcus aureus type 5 capsular polysaccharide repeating unit, a trisaccharide consisting of two FucNAc units, is described.

Synthesis and Characterization of Organic Dyes Containing Various Donors and Acceptors

PubMed Central

Wu, Tzi-Yi; Tsao, Ming-Hsiu; Chen, Fu-Lin; Su, Shyh-Gang; Chang, Cheng-Wen; Wang, Hong-Paul; Lin, Yuan-Chung; Ou-Yang, Wen-Chung; Sun, I-Wen

2010-01-01

New organic dyes comprising carbazole, iminodibenzyl, or phenothiazine moieties, respectively, as the electron donors, and cyanoacetic acid or acrylic acid moieties as the electron acceptors/anchoring groups were synthesized and characterized. The influence of heteroatoms on carbazole, iminodibenzyl and phenothiazine donors, and cyano-substitution on the acid acceptor is evidenced by spectral, electrochemical, photovoltaic experiments, and density functional theory calculations. The phenothiazine dyes show solar-energy-to-electricity conversion efficiency (η) of 3.46–5.53%, whereas carbazole and iminodibenzyl dyes show η of 2.43% and 3.49%, respectively. PMID:20162019

Spectrophotometric study of the charge-transfer and ion-pair complexation of methamphetamine with some acceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahdousti, Parvin; Aghamohammadi, Mohammad; Alizadeh, Naader

2008-04-01

The charge-transfer (CT) complexes of methamphetamine (MPA) as a n-donor with several acceptors including bromocresolgreen (BCG), bromocresolpurple (BCP), chlorophenolred (CPR), picric acid (PIC), and 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) have been studied spectrophotometrically in chloroform solutions in order to obtain some information about their stoichiometry and stability of complexation. The oscillator strengths, transition dipole moments and resonance energy of the complex in the ground state for all complexes have been calculated. Vertical ionization potential of MPA and electron affinity of acceptors were determined by ab initio calculation. The acceptors were also used to utilize a simple and sensitive extraction-spectrophotometric method for the determination of MPA. The method is based on the formation of 1:1 ion-pair association complexes of MPA with BCG, BCP and PIC in chloroform medium. Beer's plots were obeyed in a general concentration range of 0.24-22 μg ml -1 for the investigated drug with different acceptors. The proposed methods were applied successfully for the determination of MAP in pure and abuse drug with good accuracy and precision.

Preparation and spectroscopic studies on charge-transfer complexes of 2,2'-bipyridine with picric and chloranilic acids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teleb, Said M.; Gaballa, Akmal S.

2005-11-01

Charge-transfer (CT) complexes formed on the reaction of 2,2'-bipyridine with some acceptors such as picric acid (HPA) and chloranilic acid (H 2CA) have been studied in CHCl 3 and MeOH at room temperature. Based on elemental analysis and IR spectra of the solid CT complexes along with the photometric titration curves for the reactions, the data obtained indicate the formation of 1:1 charge-transfer complexes [(bpyH)(PA)] and [(bpyH 2)(CA)], respectively. The infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopic data indicate a charge-transfer interaction associated with a proton migration from the acceptor to the donor followed by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The formation constants ( KC) for the complexes were shown to be dependent on the structure of the electron acceptors used.

Preparation and spectroscopic studies on charge-transfer complexes of 2,2'-bipyridine with picric and chloranilic acids.

PubMed

Teleb, Said M; Gaballa, Akmal S

2005-11-01

Charge-transfer (CT) complexes formed on the reaction of 2,2'-bipyridine with some acceptors such as picric acid (HPA) and chloranilic acid (H(2)CA) have been studied in CHCl(3) and MeOH at room temperature. Based on elemental analysis and IR spectra of the solid CT complexes along with the photometric titration curves for the reactions, the data obtained indicate the formation of 1:1 charge-transfer complexes [(bpyH)(PA)] and [(bpyH(2))(CA)], respectively. The infrared and (1)H NMR spectroscopic data indicate a charge-transfer interaction associated with a proton migration from the acceptor to the donor followed by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The formation constants (K(C)) for the complexes were shown to be dependent on the structure of the electron acceptors used.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel -D-B-A-B- Block Copolymer System for Light Harvesting Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Sam-Shajing; Fan, Zhen; Wang, Yiqing; Taft, Charles; Haliburton, James; Maaref, Shahin

2002-01-01

Supra-molecular or nano-structured electro-active polymers are potentially useful for developing variety inexpensive and flexible shaped opto-electronic devices. In the case of organic photovoltaic materials or devices, for instance, photo induced electrons and holes need to be separated and transported in organic acceptor (A) and donor (D) phases respectively. In this paper, preliminary results of synthesis and characterizations of a coupled block copolymers containing a conjugated donor block RO-PPV and a conjugated acceptor block SF-PPV and some of their electronic/optical properties are presented. While the donor block film has a strong PL emission at around 570 nm, and acceptor block film has a strong PL emission at around 590 nm, the PL emissions of final -B-D-B-A- block copolymer films were quenched over 99%. Experimental results demonstrated an effective photo induced electron transfer and charge separation due to the interfaces of donor and acceptor blocks. The system is very promising for variety light harvesting applications, including "plastic" photovoltaic devices.

FRET two-hybrid assay by linearly fitting FRET efficiency to concentration ratio between acceptor and donor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Mengyan; Yang, Fangfang; Mai, Zihao; Qu, Wenfeng; Lin, Fangrui; Wei, Lichun; Chen, Tongsheng

2018-04-01

We here introduce a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) two-hybrid assay method to measure the maximal donor(D)- and acceptor(A)-centric FRET efficiency (ED,max and EA,max) of the D-A complex and its stoichiometry by linearly fitting the donor-centric FRET efficiency (ED) to the acceptor-to-donor concentration ratio (RC) and acceptor-centric FRET efficiency (EA) to 1/RC, respectively. We performed this method on a wide-field fluorescence microscope for living HepG2 cells co-expressing FRET tandem constructs and free donor/acceptor and obtained correct ED, EA, and stoichiometry values of those tandem constructs. Evaluation on the binding of Bad with Bcl-XL in Hela cells showed that Bad interacted strongly with Bcl-XL to form a Bad-Bcl-XL complex on mitochondria, and one Bad interacted mainly with one Bcl-XL molecule in healthy cells, while with multiple (maybe 2) Bcl-XL molecules in apoptotic cells.

On chirality transfer in electron donor-acceptor complexes. A prediction for the sulfinimine···BF3 system.

PubMed

Rode, Joanna E; Dobrowolski, Jan Cz

2012-01-01

Stabilization energies of the electron donor-acceptor sulfinimine···BF(3) complexes calculated at either the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ or the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level do not allow to judge, whether the N- or O-atom in sulfinimine is stronger electron-donor to BF(3) . The problem seems to be solvable because chirality transfer phenomenon between chiral sulfinimine and achiral BF(3) is expected to be vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) active. Moreover, the bands associated with the achiral BF(3) molecule are predicted to be the most intense in the entire spectrum. However, the VCD band robustness analyses show that most of the chirality transfer modes of BF(3) are unreliable. Conversely, variation of VCD intensity with change of intermolecular distance, angle, and selected dihedrals between the complex partners shows that to establish the robustness of chirality transfer mode. It is also necessary to determine the influence of the potential energy surface (PES) shape on the VCD intensity. At the moment, there is still no universal criterion for the chirality transfer mode robustness and the conclusions formulated based on one system cannot be directly transferred even to a quite similar one. However, it is certain that more attention should be focused on relation of PES shape and the VCD mode robustness problem. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Determination of Molecular Quantities from Measurements on Macroscopic Systems.V. Existence and Properties of 1:1 and 2:1-Electron-Donor-Acceptor Complexes of Hexamethylbenzene with Tetracyanoethylene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liptay, Wolfgang; Rehm, Torsten; Wehning, Detlev; Schanne, Lothar; Baumann, Wolfram; Lang, Werner

1982-12-01

The formation of electron-donor-acceptor complexes of hexamethylbenzene (HMB) with tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) was investigated by measurements of the optical absorptions, the densities, the permittivities and the electro-optical absorptions of solutions in CCl4. The careful evaluation of data based on some previously reported models, has shown that the assumption of the formation of the 1: 1 and the 2 : 1 complex agrees with all experimental data, but that the assumption of the formation of only the 1: 1 complex is contradictory to experimental facts even if the activity effects on the equilibrium constant and of the solvent dependences of observed molar quantities are taken into account. The evaluation leads to the molar optical absorption coefficients and the molar volumes of both complexes and to their electric dipole moments in the electronic ground state and the considered excited state. According to these results the complexes are of the sandwich type HMB-TCNE and HMB-TCNE-HMB. In spite of the fact that the 2: 1 complex owns a center of symmetry, at least approximately, there is a rather large electric dipole moment in its excited state. Furthermore, values for the equilibrium constants and for the standard reaction enthalpies of both complex formation reactions are estimated from experimental data.

Synthesis, characterization, spectrophotometric, structural and antimicrobial studies of the newly charge transfer complex of p-phenylenediamine with π acceptor picric acid.

PubMed

Khan, Ishaat M; Ahmad, Afaq; Oves, M

2010-12-01

Charge transfer complex (CTC) of donor, p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and acceptor, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid) has been studied in methanol at room temperature. The CT complex was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR spectra, 1H NMR spectroscopy and electronic absorption spectra which indicate the CT interaction associated with proton migration from the acceptor to the donor followed by hydrogen bonding via N+-H⋯O-. The thermal stability of CT complex was studied using TGA and DTA analyses techniques. The CT complex was screened for its antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger (Laboratory isolate), Candida albicans (IQA-109) and Penicillium sp. (Laboratory isolate) and antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA 22) and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6051) and two Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (K 12) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 2488). It gives good antimicrobial activity. The stoichiometry of the CT complex was found to be 1:1. The physical parameters of CT complex were evaluated by the Benesi-Hildebrand equation. On the basis of the studies, the structure of CT complex is [(PPDH)+(PA)-], and a general mechanism for its formation is proposed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rise-Time of FRET-Acceptor Fluorescence Tracks Protein Folding

PubMed Central

Lindhoud, Simon; Westphal, Adrie H.; van Mierlo, Carlo P. M.; Visser, Antonie J. W. G.; Borst, Jan Willem

2014-01-01

Uniform labeling of proteins with fluorescent donor and acceptor dyes with an equimolar ratio is paramount for accurate determination of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiencies. In practice, however, the labeled protein population contains donor-labeled molecules that have no corresponding acceptor. These FRET-inactive donors contaminate the donor fluorescence signal, which leads to underestimation of FRET efficiencies in conventional fluorescence intensity and lifetime-based FRET experiments. Such contamination is avoided if FRET efficiencies are extracted from the rise time of acceptor fluorescence upon donor excitation. The reciprocal value of the rise time of acceptor fluorescence is equal to the decay rate of the FRET-active donor fluorescence. Here, we have determined rise times of sensitized acceptor fluorescence to study the folding of double-labeled apoflavodoxin molecules and show that this approach tracks the characteristics of apoflavodoxinʼs complex folding pathway. PMID:25535076

Molecular Engineering Strategy for High Efficiency Fullerene-Free Organic Solar Cells Using Conjugated 1,8-Naphthalimide and Fluorenone Building Blocks.

PubMed

Do, Thu Trang; Pham, Hong Duc; Manzhos, Sergei; Bell, John M; Sonar, Prashant

2017-05-24

We designed, synthesized, and characterized a series of novel electron deficient small molecule nonfullerene acceptors based on 1,8-naphthalimide (NAI) and 9-fluorenone (FN) with different branched alkyl chains using various techniques. These molecules are based on an acceptor-donor-acceptor-donor-acceptor (A1-D-A2-D-A1) molecular design configuration with NAI as the end-capping acceptor (A1), FN as electron-withdrawing central (A2) group, and thiophene ring as a donor (D) unit. These materials are named as NAI-FN-NAI (BO) and NAI-FN-NAI (HD) where BO and HD represent butyloctyl and hexyldecyl alkyl groups, respectively. To further modify energy levels of these materials, we converted the weak electron withdrawing ketonic group (C═O) attached to the FN moiety of NAI-FN-NAI (BO) to a stronger electron withdrawing cyano group (C≡N) to obtain the compound NAI-FCN-NAI (BO) by keeping the same alkyl chain. The optical, electrochemical, and thermal properties of the new acceptors were studied. The materials exhibited higher to medium band gaps, low lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels, and highly thermally stable properties. Organic solar cell devices employing conventional poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) a donor polymer and the newly designed small molecules as the acceptor were investigated. Among all new materials, organic solar cell devices based on NAI-FN-NAI (BO) as an acceptor exhibit the highest performance with an open circuit voltage (V OC ) of 0.88 V, a short-circuit current density (J SC ) of 9.1 mAcm -2 , a fill factor (FF) of 45%, and an overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.6%. This is the first report of 9-fluorenone based nonfullerene acceptor with P3HT donor in organic solar cell devices with such a promising performance.

Estimation of electronic coupling in π-stacked donor-bridge-acceptor systems: Correction of the two-state model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voityuk, Alexander A.

2006-02-01

Comparison of donor-acceptor electronic couplings calculated within two-state and three-state models suggests that the two-state treatment can provide unreliable estimates of Vda because of neglecting the multistate effects. We show that in most cases accurate values of the electronic coupling in a π stack, where donor and acceptor are separated by a bridging unit, can be obtained as Ṽda=(E2-E1)μ12/Rda+(2E3-E1-E2)2μ13μ23/Rda2, where E1, E2, and E3 are adiabatic energies of the ground, charge-transfer, and bridge states, respectively, μij is the transition dipole moments between the states i and j, and Rda is the distance between the planes of donor and acceptor. In this expression based on the generalized Mulliken-Hush approach, the first term corresponds to the coupling derived within a two-state model, whereas the second term is the superexchange correction accounting for the bridge effect. The formula is extended to bridges consisting of several subunits. The influence of the donor-acceptor energy mismatch on the excess charge distribution, adiabatic dipole and transition moments, and electronic couplings is examined. A diagnostic is developed to determine whether the two-state approach can be applied. Based on numerical results, we showed that the superexchange correction considerably improves estimates of the donor-acceptor coupling derived within a two-state approach. In most cases when the two-state scheme fails, the formula gives reliable results which are in good agreement (within 5%) with the data of the three-state generalized Mulliken-Hush model.

Estimation of electronic coupling in pi-stacked donor-bridge-acceptor systems: correction of the two-state model.

PubMed

Voityuk, Alexander A

2006-02-14

Comparison of donor-acceptor electronic couplings calculated within two-state and three-state models suggests that the two-state treatment can provide unreliable estimates of V(da) because of neglecting the multistate effects. We show that in most cases accurate values of the electronic coupling in a pi stack, where donor and acceptor are separated by a bridging unit, can be obtained as V(da) = (E(2)-E(1))mu(12)R(da) + (2E(3)-E(1)-E(2))2mu(13)mu(23)R(da) (2), where E(1), E(2), and E(3) are adiabatic energies of the ground, charge-transfer, and bridge states, respectively, mu(ij) is the transition dipole moments between the states i and j, and R(da) is the distance between the planes of donor and acceptor. In this expression based on the generalized Mulliken-Hush approach, the first term corresponds to the coupling derived within a two-state model, whereas the second term is the superexchange correction accounting for the bridge effect. The formula is extended to bridges consisting of several subunits. The influence of the donor-acceptor energy mismatch on the excess charge distribution, adiabatic dipole and transition moments, and electronic couplings is examined. A diagnostic is developed to determine whether the two-state approach can be applied. Based on numerical results, we showed that the superexchange correction considerably improves estimates of the donor-acceptor coupling derived within a two-state approach. In most cases when the two-state scheme fails, the formula gives reliable results which are in good agreement (within 5%) with the data of the three-state generalized Mulliken-Hush model.

Photochemical activity of a key donor-acceptor complex can drive stereoselective catalytic α-alkylation of aldehydes.

PubMed

Arceo, Elena; Jurberg, Igor D; Alvarez-Fernández, Ana; Melchiorre, Paolo

2013-09-01

Asymmetric catalytic variants of sunlight-driven photochemical processes hold extraordinary potential for the sustainable preparation of chiral molecules. However, the involvement of short-lived electronically excited states inherent to any photochemical reaction makes it challenging for a chiral catalyst to dictate the stereochemistry of the products. Here, we report that readily available chiral organic catalysts, with well-known utility in thermal asymmetric processes, can also confer a high level of stereocontrol in synthetically relevant intermolecular carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions driven by visible light. A unique mechanism of catalysis is proposed, wherein the catalyst is involved actively in both the photochemical activation of the substrates (by inducing the transient formation of chiral electron donor-acceptor complexes) and the stereoselectivity-defining event. We use this approach to enable transformations that are extremely difficult under thermal conditions, such as the asymmetric α-alkylation of aldehydes with alkyl halides, the formation of all-carbon quaternary stereocentres and the control of remote stereochemistry.

An Electron-Deficient Building Block Based on the B←N Unit: An Electron Acceptor for All-Polymer Solar Cells.

PubMed

Dou, Chuandong; Long, Xiaojing; Ding, Zicheng; Xie, Zhiyuan; Liu, Jun; Wang, Lixiang

2016-01-22

A double B←N bridged bipyridyl (BNBP) is a novel electron-deficient building block for polymer electron acceptors in all-polymer solar cells. The B←N bridging units endow BNBP with fixed planar configuration and low-lying LUMO/HOMO energy levels. As a result, the polymer based on BNBP units (P-BNBP-T) exhibits high electron mobility, low-lying LUMO/HOMO energy levels, and strong absorbance in the visible region, which is desirable for polymer electron acceptors. Preliminary all-polymer solar cell (all-PSC) devices with P-BNBP-T as the electron acceptor and PTB7 as the electron donor exhibit a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.38%, which is among the highest values of all-PSCs with PTB7 as the electron donor. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fabrication of ordered bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells using nanopatterning and electrohydrodynamic spray deposition methods.

PubMed

Park, Sung-Eun; Kim, Sehwan; Kim, Kangmin; Joe, Hang-Eun; Jung, Buyoung; Kim, Eunkyoung; Kim, Woochul; Min, Byung-Kwon; Hwang, Jungho

2012-12-21

Organic photovoltaic cells with an ordered heterojunction (OHJ) active layer are expected to show increased performance. In the study described here, OHJ cells were fabricated using a combination of nanoimprinting and electrohydrodynamic (EHD) spray deposition methods. After an electron donor material was nanoimprinted with a PDMS stamp (valley width: 230 nm, period: 590 nm) duplicated from a Si nanomold, an electron acceptor material was deposited onto the nanoimprinted donor layer using an EHD spray deposition method. The donor-acceptor interface layer was observed by obtaining cross-sectional images with a focused ion beam (FIB) microscope. The photocurrent generation performance of the OHJ cells was evaluated with the current density-voltage curve under air mass (AM) 1.5 conditions. It was found that the surface morphology of the electron acceptor layer affected the current and voltage outputs of the photovoltaic cells. When an electron acceptor layer with a smooth thin (250 nm above the valley of the electron donor layer) surface morphology was obtained, power conversion efficiency was as high as 0.55%. The electrohydrodynamic spray deposition method used to produce OHJ photovoltaic cells provides a means for the adoption of large area, high throughput processes.

Synthesis, spectroscopic, thermal and antimicrobial investigations of charge-transfer complexes formed from the drug procaine hydrochloride with quinol, picric acid and TCNQ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, Abdel Majid A.

2012-12-01

Intermolecular charge-transfer or proton-transfer complexes between the drug procaine hydrochloride (PC-HCl) as a donor and quinol (QL), picric acid (PA) or 7,7',8,8'-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) as a π-acceptor have been synthesized and spectroscopically studied in methanol at room temperature. Based on elemental analyses and photometric titrations, the stoichiometry of the complexes (donor:acceptor molar ratios) was determined to be 1:1 for all three complexes. The formation constant (KCT), molar extinction coefficient (ɛCT) and other spectroscopic data have been determined using the Benesi-Hildebrand method and its modifications. The newly synthesized CT complexes have been characterized via elemental analysis, IR, Raman, 1H NMR, and electronic absorption spectroscopy. The morphological features of these complexes were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the sharp, well-defined Bragg reflections at specific 2θ angles have been identified from the powder X-ray diffraction patterns. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGAs) and kinetic thermodynamic parameters were also used to investigate the thermal stability of the synthesized solid CT complexes. Finally, the CT complexes were screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities against various bacterial and fungal strains, and only the complex obtained using picric acid exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against all of the tested strains.

Generalization of the Förster resonance energy transfer theory for quantum mechanical modulation of the donor-acceptor coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Seogjoo

2007-11-01

The Förster resonance energy transfer theory is generalized for inelastic situations with quantum mechanical modulation of the donor-acceptor coupling. Under the assumption that the modulations are independent of the electronic excitation of the donor and the acceptor, a general rate expression is derived, which involves two dimensional frequency-domain convolution of the donor emission line shape, the acceptor absorption line shape, and the spectral density of the modulation of the donor-acceptor coupling. For two models of modulation, detailed rate expressions are derived. The first model is the fluctuation of the donor-acceptor distance, approximated as a quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to a bath of other quantum harmonic oscillators. The distance fluctuation results in additional terms in the rate, which in the small fluctuation limit depend on the inverse eighth power of the donor-acceptor distance. The second model is the fluctuation of the torsional angle between the two transition dipoles, which is modeled as a quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to a bath of quantum harmonic oscillators and causes sinusoidal modulation of the donor-acceptor coupling. The rate expression has new elastic and inelastic terms, depending sensitively on the value of the minimum energy torsional angle. Experimental implications of the present theory and some of the open theoretical issues are discussed.

Organic photosensitive devices

DOEpatents

Peumans, Peter; Forrest, Stephen R.

2013-01-22

A photoactive device is provided. The device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a photoactive region disposed between and electrically connected to the first and second electrodes. The photoactive region further includes an organic donor layer and an organic acceptor layer that form a donor-acceptor heterojunction. The mobility of holes in the organic donor region and the mobility of electrons in the organic acceptor region are different by a factor of at least 100, and more preferably a factor of at least 1000. At least one of the mobility of holes in the organic donor region and the mobility of electrons in the organic acceptor region is greater than 0.001 cm.sup.2/V-sec, and more preferably greater than 1 cm.sup.2/V-sec. The heterojunction may be of various types, including a planar heterojunction, a bulk heterojunction, a mixed heterojunction, and a hybrid planar-mixed heterojunction.

Pressure-Photoluminescence Study of the Zn Vacancy and Donor Zn-Vacancy Complexes in ZnSe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iota, V.; Weinstein, B. A.

1997-03-01

We report photoluminescence (PL) results to 65kbar (at 8K) on n-type electron irradiated ZnSe containing high densities of isolated Zn vacancies (V_Zn) and donor-V_Zn complexes (A-centers).^1 Isotropic pressure is applied using a diamond-anvil cell with He medium, and laser excitations above and below the ZnSe bandgap (2.82eV) are employed. The 1 atm. spectra exhibit excitonic lines, shallow donor-acceptor pair (DAP) peaks, and two broad bands due to DAP transitions between shallow donors and deep acceptor states at A-centers (2.07eV) or V_Zn (1.72eV). At all pressures, these broad bands are prominent only for sub-gap excitation, which results in: i) A-center PL at energies above the laser line, and ii) strong enhancement of the first LO-replica in the shallow DAP series compared to 3.41eV UV excitation. This suggests that sub-gap excitation produces long-lived metastable acceptor states. The broad PL bands shift to higher energy with pressure faster than the ZnSe direct gap, indicating that compression causes the A-center and V_Zn deep acceptor levels to approach the hole continuum. This behavior is similar to that found by our group for P and As deep acceptor levels in ZnSe, supporting the view that deep substitutional defects often resemble the limiting case of a vacancy. ^1D. Y. Jeon, H. P. Gislason, G. D. Watkins Phys. Rev. B 48, 7872 (1993); we thank G. D. Watkins for providing the samples. (figures)

Effects of heteroatom substitution in conjugated heterocyclic compounds on photovoltaic performance: from sulfur to tellurium.

PubMed

Park, Y S; Kale, T S; Nam, C-Y; Choi, D; Grubbs, R B

2014-07-28

We report a general strategy for fine-tuning the bandgap of donor-acceptor-donor based organic molecules by modulating the electron-donating ability of the donor moiety by changing the benzochalcogenophene donor groups from benzothiophenes to benzoselenophenes to benzotellurophenes. These molecules show red-shifts in absorption and external quantum efficiency maxima from sulfur to selenium to tellurium. In bulk heterojunction solar cell devices, the benzoselenophene derivative shows a power conversion efficiency as high as 5.8% with PC61BM as the electron acceptor.

Single molecule-level study of donor-acceptor interactions and nanoscale environment in blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quist, Nicole; Grollman, Rebecca; Rath, Jeremy; Robertson, Alex; Haley, Michael; Anthony, John; Ostroverkhova, Oksana

2017-02-01

Organic semiconductors have attracted considerable attention due to their applications in low-cost (opto)electronic devices. The most successful organic materials for applications that rely on charge carrier generation, such as solar cells, utilize blends of several types of molecules. In blends, the local environment strongly influences exciton and charge carrier dynamics. However, relationship between nanoscale features and photophysics is difficult to establish due to the lack of necessary spatial resolution. We use functionalized fluorinated pentacene (Pn) molecule as single molecule probes of intermolecular interactions and of the nanoscale environment in blends containing donor and acceptor molecules. Single Pn donor (D) molecules were imaged in PMMA in the presence of acceptor (A) molecules using wide-field fluorescence microscopy. Two sample configurations were realized: (i) a fixed concentration of Pn donor molecules, with increasing concentration of acceptor molecules (functionalized indenflouorene or PCBM) and (ii) a fixed concentration of acceptor molecules with an increased concentration of the Pn donor. The D-A energy transfer and changes in the donor emission due to those in the acceptor- modified polymer morphology were quantified. The increase in the acceptor concentration was accompanied by enhanced photobleaching and blinking of the Pn donor molecules. To better understand the underlying physics of these processes, we modeled photoexcited electron dynamics using Monte Carlo simulations. The simulated blinking dynamics were then compared to our experimental data, and the changes in the transition rates were related to the changes in the nanoscale environment. Our study provides insight into evolution of nanoscale environment during the formation of bulk heterojunctions.

Cyan-emitting and orange-emitting fluorescent proteins as a donor/acceptor pair for fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

PubMed

Karasawa, Satoshi; Araki, Toshio; Nagai, Takeharu; Mizuno, Hideaki; Miyawaki, Atsushi

2004-07-01

GFP (green fluorescent protein)-based FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) technology has facilitated the exploration of the spatio-temporal patterns of cellular signalling. While most studies have used cyan- and yellow-emitting FPs (fluorescent proteins) as FRET donors and acceptors respectively, this pair of proteins suffers from problems of pH-sensitivity and bleeding between channels. In the present paper, we demonstrate the use of an alternative additional donor/acceptor pair. We have cloned two genes encoding FPs from stony corals. We isolated a cyan-emitting FP from Acropara sp., whose tentacles exhibit cyan coloration. Similar to GFP from Renilla reniformis, the cyan FP forms a tight dimeric complex. We also discovered an orange-emitting FP from Fungia concinna. As the orange FP exists in a complex oligomeric structure, we converted this protein into a monomeric form through the introduction of three amino acid substitutions, recently reported to be effective for converting DsRed into a monomer (Clontech). We used the cyan FP and monomeric orange FP as a donor/acceptor pair to monitor the activity of caspase 3 during apoptosis. Due to the close spectral overlap of the donor emission and acceptor absorption (a large Förster distance), substantial pH-resistance of the donor fluorescence quantum yield and the acceptor absorbance, as well as good separation of the donor and acceptor signals, the new pair can be used for more effective quantitative FRET imaging.

Tuning the Rectification Ratio by Changing the Electronic Nature (Open-Shell and Closed-Shell) in Donor-Acceptor Self-Assembled Monolayers.

PubMed

Souto, Manuel; Yuan, Li; Morales, Dayana C; Jiang, Li; Ratera, Imma; Nijhuis, Christian A; Veciana, Jaume

2017-03-29

This Communication describes the mechanism of charge transport across self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of two donor-acceptor systems consisting of a polychlorotriphenylmethyl (PTM) electron-acceptor moiety linked to an electron-donor ferrocene (Fc) unit supported by ultraflat template-stripped Au and contacted by a eutectic alloy of gallium and indium top contacts. The electronic and supramolecular structures of these SAMs were well characterized. The PTM unit can be switched between the nonradical and radical forms, which influences the rectification behavior of the junction. Junctions with nonradical units rectify currents via the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) with a rectification ratio R = 99, but junctions with radical units have a new accessible state, a single-unoccupied molecular orbital (SUMO), which turns rectification off and drops R to 6.

In situ synthesis, photometric and spectroscopic studies of chelating system during the 1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane charge transfer reaction with different acceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossan, Aisha S. M.; Abou-Melha, Hanaa M.; Refat, Moamen S.

2011-08-01

Electron donor acceptor complexes (EDA) of the 1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane (18-crown-6) as a rich donor were spectrophotometrically discussed and synthesized in solid form according the interactions with different nine of usual π-acceptors like 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorocyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione (p-chloranil; p-CHL), tetrachloro-1,2-benzoquinone (o-chloranil; o-CHL), 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ), tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), 2,6-dichloroquinone-4-chloroimide (DCQ), 2,6-dibromoquinone-4-chloroimide (DBQ), 2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (chloranilic acid; CLA), N-bromosuccinimide (NBS), 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid; PA). Spectroscopic and physical data such as formation constant ( KCT), molar extinction coefficient ( ɛCT), standard free energy (Δ G°), oscillator strength ( f), transition dipole moment ( μ), resonance energy ( RN) and ionization potential ( Ip) were estimated in chloroform or methanol at 25 °C. Based on the elemental analysis and photometric titrations the CT-complexes were formed indicated the formation of 1:1 charge-transfer complexes for the o-CHL, TCNQ, DCQ, DBQ and NBS acceptors but 1:3 ratio for p-CHL, DDQ, CLA and PA, respectively. The charge-transfer interactions were interpretative according to the formation of dative ion pairs [18C6 rad +, A rad -], where A is acceptor. All of the resulting charge transfer complexes were isolated in amorphous form and the complexes formations on IR and 1H NMR spectra were discussed.

Preparation, spectroscopic and antibacterial studies on charge-transfer complexes of 2-hydroxypyridine with picric acid and 7,7‧,8,8‧-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaballa, Akmal S.; Amin, Alaa S.

2015-06-01

The reactions of electron acceptors such as picric acid (HPA) and 7,7‧,8,8‧-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TCNQ) with 2-hydroxypyridine (HPyO) have been investigated in EtOH at room temperature. Based on elemental analysis and IR spectra of the solid CT-complexes along with the photometric titration curves for the reactions, the data obtained indicate the formation of 1:1 charge transfer complexes [(H2PyO)(PA)] and [(PyO)(HTCNQ)], respectively. The infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopic data indicate a charge transfer interaction associated with a proton migration from the acceptor to the donor followed by intramolecular hydrogen bonding in [(H2PyO)(PA)] complex. Another charge transfer interaction was observed in [(PyO)(HTCNQ)] complex. The formation constants (KCT) for the CT-complexes are shown to be strongly dependent on the type and structure of the electron acceptors. Factors affecting the CT-processes and the kinetics of thermal decomposition of the complexes have been studied. The CT complexes were screened for their antibacterial activities against selected bacterial strains.

Preparation, spectroscopic and antibacterial studies on charge-transfer complexes of 2-hydroxypyridine with picric acid and 7,7',8,8'-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane.

PubMed

Gaballa, Akmal S; Amin, Alaa S

2015-06-15

The reactions of electron acceptors such as picric acid (HPA) and 7,7',8,8'-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TCNQ) with 2-hydroxypyridine (HPyO) have been investigated in EtOH at room temperature. Based on elemental analysis and IR spectra of the solid CT-complexes along with the photometric titration curves for the reactions, the data obtained indicate the formation of 1:1 charge transfer complexes [(H2PyO)(PA)] and [(PyO)(HTCNQ)], respectively. The infrared and (1)H NMR spectroscopic data indicate a charge transfer interaction associated with a proton migration from the acceptor to the donor followed by intramolecular hydrogen bonding in [(H2PyO)(PA)] complex. Another charge transfer interaction was observed in [(PyO)(HTCNQ)] complex. The formation constants (KCT) for the CT-complexes are shown to be strongly dependent on the type and structure of the electron acceptors. Factors affecting the CT-processes and the kinetics of thermal decomposition of the complexes have been studied. The CT complexes were screened for their antibacterial activities against selected bacterial strains. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Theory for electron transfer from a mixed-valence dimer with paramagnetic sites to a mononuclear acceptor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bominaar, E. L.; Achim, C.; Borshch, S. A.

1999-06-01

Polynuclear transition-metal complexes, such as Fe-S clusters, are the prosthetic groups in a large number of metalloproteins and serve as temporary electron storage units in a number of important redox-based biological processes. Polynuclearity distinguishes clusters from mononuclear centers and confers upon them unique properties, such as spin ordering and the presence of thermally accessible excited spin states in clusters with paramagnetic sites, and fractional valencies in clusters of the mixed-valence type. In an earlier study we presented an effective-mode (EM) analysis of electron transfer from a binuclear mixed-valence donor with paramagnetic sites to a mononuclear acceptor which revealed that the cluster-specific attributes have an important impact on the kinetics of long-range electron transfer. In the present study, the validity of these results is tested in the framework of more detailed theories which we have termed the multimode semiclassical (SC) model and the quantum-mechanical (QM) model. It is found that the qualitative trends in the rate constant are the same in all treatments and that the semiclassical models provide a good approximation of the more rigorous quantum-mechanical description of electron transfer under physiologically relevant conditions. In particular, the present results corroborate the importance of electron transfer via excited spin states in reactions with a low driving force and justify the use of semiclassical theory in cases in which the QM model is computationally too demanding. We consider cases in which either one or two donor sites of a dimer are electronically coupled to the acceptor. In the case of multiconnectivity, the rate constant for electron transfer from a valence-delocalized (class-III) donor is nonadditive with respect to transfer from individual metal sites of the donor and undergoes an order-of-magnitude change by reversing the sign of the intradimer metal-metal resonance parameter (β). In the case of single connectivity, the rate constant for electron transfer from a valence-localized (class-II) donor can readily be tuned over several orders of magnitude by introducing differences in the electronic potentials at the two metal sites of the donor. These results indicate that theories of cluster-based electron transfer, in order to be realistic, need to consider both intrinsic electronic structure and extrinsic interactions of the cluster with the protein environment.

Novel High Efficient Organic Photovoltaic Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Sam; Haliburton, James; Wang, Yi-Qing; Fan, Zhen; Taft, Charles; Maaref, Shahin; Bailey, Sheila (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

Solar energy is a renewable, nonpolluting, and most abundant energy source for human exploration of a remote site or outer space. In order to generate appreciable electrical power in space or on the earth, it is necessary to collect sunlight from large areas and with high efficiency due to the low density of sunlight. Future organic or polymer (plastic) solar cells appear very attractive due to their unique features such as light weight, flexible shape, tunability of energy band-gaps via versatile molecular or supramolecular design, synthesis, processing and device fabrication schemes, and much lower cost on large scale industrial production. It has been predicted that supramolecular and nano-phase separated block copolymer systems containing electron rich donor blocks and electron deficient acceptor blocks may facilitate the charge carrier separation and migration due to improved electronic ultrastructure and morphology in comparison to polymer composite system. This presentation will describe our recent progress in the design, synthesis and characterization of a novel block copolymer system containing donor and acceptor blocks covalently attached. Specifically, the donor block contains an electron donating alkyloxy derivatized polyphenylenevinylene (RO-PPV), the acceptor block contains an electron withdrawing alkyl-sulfone derivatized polyphenylenevinylene (SF-PPV). The key synthetic strategy includes the synthesis of each individual block first, then couple the blocks together. While the donor block has a strong PL emission at around 560 nm, and acceptor block has a strong PL emission at around 520 nm, the PL emissions of final block copolymers are severely quenched. This verifies the expected electron transfer and charge separation due to interfaces of donor and acceptor nano phase separated blocks. The system therefore has potential for variety light harvesting applications, including high efficient photovoltaic applications.

Spectroscopic and physical measurements on charge-transfer complexes: Interactions between norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin drugs with picric acid and 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid acceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Refat, Moamen S.; Elfalaky, A.; Elesh, Eman

2011-03-01

Charge-transfer complexes formed between norfloxacin (nor) or ciprofloxacin (cip) drugs as donors with picric acid (PA) and/or 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid (DNB) as π-acceptors have been studied spectrophotometrically in methanol solvent at room temperature. The results indicated the formation of CT-complexes with molar ratio1:1 between donor and acceptor at maximum CT-bands. In the terms of formation constant ( KCT), molar extinction coefficient ( ɛCT), standard free energy (Δ Go), oscillator strength ( f), transition dipole moment (μ), resonance energy ( RN) and ionization potential ( ID) were estimated. IR, H NMR, UV-Vis techniques, elemental analyses (CHN) and TG-DTG investigations were used to characterize the structural of charge-transfer complexes. It indicates that the CT interaction was associated with a proton migration from each acceptor to nor or cip donors which followed by appearing intermolecular hydrogen bond. In addition, X-ray investigation was carried out to scrutinize the crystal structure of the resulted CT-complexes.

Self-Assembly Strategies for Integrating Light Harvesting and Charge Separation in Artificial Photosynthetic Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wasielewski, Michael R.

In natural photosynthesis, organisms optimize solar energy conversion through organized assemblies of photofunctional chromophores and catalysts within proteins that provide specifically tailored environments for chemical reactions. As with their natural counterparts, artificial photosynthetic systems for practical solar fuels production must collect light energy, separate charge, and transport charge to catalytic sites where multielectron redox processes will occur. While encouraging progress has been made on each aspect of this complex problem, researchers have not yet developed self-ordering and self-assembling components and the tailored environments necessary to realize a fully-functional artificial system. Previously researchers have used complex, covalent molecular systems comprised ofmore » chromophores, electron donors, and electron acceptors to mimic both the light-harvesting and the charge separation functions of photosynthetic proteins. These systems allow for study of the dependencies of electron transfer rate constants on donor?acceptor distance and orientation, electronic interaction, and the free energy of the reaction. The most useful and informative systems are those in which structural constraints control both the distance and the orientation between the electron donors and acceptors. Self-assembly provides a facile means for organizing large numbers of molecules into supramolecular structures that can bridge length scales from nanometers to macroscopic dimensions. The resulting structures must provide pathways for migration of light excitation energy among antenna chromophores, and from antennas to reaction centers. They also must incorporate charge conduits, that is, molecular 'wires' that can efficiently move electrons and holes between reaction centers and catalytic sites. The central scientific challenge is to develop small, functional building blocks with a minimum number of covalent linkages, which also have the appropriate molecular recognition properties to facilitate self-assembly of complete, functional artificial photosynthetic systems. In this Account, we explore how self-assembly strategies involving ?-stacking can be used to integrate light harvesting with charge separation and transport.« less

Exploring the formation pathways of donor-acceptor catenanes in aqueous dynamic combinatorial libraries.

PubMed

Cougnon, Fabien B L; Au-Yeung, Ho Yu; Pantoş, G Dan; Sanders, Jeremy K M

2011-03-09

The discovery through dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) of a new generation of donor-acceptor [2]catenanes highlights the power of DCC to access unprecedented structures. While conventional thinking has limited the scope of donor-acceptor catenanes to strictly alternating stacks of donor (D) and acceptor (A) aromatic units, DCC is demonstrated in this paper to give access to unusual DAAD, DADD, and ADAA stacks. Each of these catenanes has specific structural requirements, allowing control of their formation. On the basis of these results, and on the observation that the catenanes represent kinetic bottlenecks in the reaction pathway, we propose a mechanism that explains and predicts the structures formed. Furthermore, the spontaneous assembly of catenanes in aqueous dynamic systems gives a fundamental insight into the role played by hydrophobic effect and donor-acceptor interactions when building such complex architectures.

The fate of electron-hole pairs in polymer:fullerene blends for organic photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Causa', Martina; de Jonghe-Risse, Jelissa; Scarongella, Mariateresa; Brauer, Jan C.; Buchaca-Domingo, Ester; Moser, Jacques-E.; Stingelin, Natalie; Banerji, Natalie

2016-09-01

There has been long-standing debate on how free charges are generated in donor:acceptor blends that are used in organic solar cells, and which are generally comprised of a complex phase morphology, where intermixed and neat phases of the donor and acceptor material co-exist. Here we resolve this question, basing our conclusions on Stark effect spectroscopy data obtained in the absence and presence of externally applied electric fields. Reconciling opposing views found in literature, we unambiguously demonstrate that the fate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs--whether they will dissociate to free charges or geminately recombine--is determined at ultrafast times, despite the fact that their actual spatial separation can be much slower. Our insights are important to further develop rational approaches towards material design and processing of organic solar cells, assisting to realize their purported promise as lead-free, third-generation energy technology that can reach efficiencies over 10%.

Insight into the kinetics and thermodynamics of the hydride transfer reactions between quinones and lumiflavin: a density functional theory study.

PubMed

Reinhardt, Clorice R; Jaglinski, Tanner C; Kastenschmidt, Ashly M; Song, Eun H; Gross, Adam K; Krause, Alyssa J; Gollmar, Jonathan M; Meise, Kristin J; Stenerson, Zachary S; Weibel, Tyler J; Dison, Andrew; Finnegan, Mackenzie R; Griesi, Daniel S; Heltne, Michael D; Hughes, Tom G; Hunt, Connor D; Jansen, Kayla A; Xiong, Adam H; Hati, Sanchita; Bhattacharyya, Sudeep

2016-09-01

The kinetics and equilibrium of the hydride transfer reaction between lumiflavin and a number of substituted quinones was studied using density functional theory. The impact of electron withdrawing/donating substituents on the redox potentials of quinones was studied. In addition, the role of these substituents on the kinetics of the hydride transfer reaction with lumiflavin was investigated in detail under the transition state (TS) theory assumption. The hydride transfer reactions were found to be more favorable for an electron-withdrawing substituent. The activation barrier exhibited a quadratic relationship with the driving force of these reactions as derived under the formalism of modified Marcus theory. The present study found a significant extent of electron delocalization in the TS that is stabilized by enhanced electrostatic, polarization, and exchange interactions. Analysis of geometry, bond-orders, and energetics revealed a predominant parallel (Leffler-Hammond) effect on the TS. Closer scrutiny reveals that electron-withdrawing substituents, although located on the acceptor ring, reduce the N-H bond order of the donor fragment in the precursor complex. Carried out in the gas-phase, this is the first ever report of a theoretical study of flavin's hydride transfer reactions with quinones, providing an unfiltered view of the electronic effect on the nuclear reorganization of donor-acceptor complexes.

Spectroscopic and thermal investigations on the charge transfer interaction between risperidone as a schizophrenia drug with some traditional π-acceptors: Part 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Habeeb, Abeer A.; Al-Saif, Foziah A.; Refat, Moamen S.

2013-03-01

The focus of present investigation was to assess the utility of non-expensive techniques in the evaluation of risperidone (Ris) in solid and solution states with different traditional π-acceptors and subsequent incorporation of the analytical determination into pharmaceutical formulation for a faster release of risperidone. Charge-transfer complexes (CTC) of risperidone with picric acid (PA), 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinon (DDQ), tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), tetracyano ethylene (TCNE), tetrabromo-p-quinon (BL) and tetrachloro-p-quinon (CL) have been studied spectrophotometrically in absolute methanol at room temperature. The stoichiometries of the complexes were found to be 1:1 ratio by the photometric molar ratio between risperidone and the π-acceptors. The equilibrium constants, molar extinction coefficient (ɛCT) and spectroscopic-physical parameters (standard free energy (ΔGo), oscillator strength (f), transition dipole moment (μ), resonance energy (RN) and ionization potential (ID)) of the complexes were determined upon the modified Benesi-Hildebrand equation. Risperidone in pure form was applied in this study. The results indicate that the formation constants for the complexes depend on the nature of electron acceptors and donor, and also the spectral studies of the complexes were determined by (infrared, Raman, and 1H NMR) spectra and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The most stable mono-protonated form of Ris is characterized by the formation of +Nsbnd H (pyrimidine ring) intramolecular hydrogen bonded. In the high-wavenumber spectral region ˜3400 cm-1, the bands of the +Nsbnd H stretching vibrations and of the pyrimidine nitrogen atom could be potentially useful to discriminate the investigated forms of Ris. The infrared spectra of both Ris complexes are confirming the participation of +Nsbnd H pyrimidine ring in the donor-acceptor interaction.

The electronic structure and second-order nonlinear optical properties of donor-acceptor acetylenes - A detailed investigation of structure-property relationships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stiegman, A. E.; Graham, Eva; Khundkar, Lutfur R.; Perry, Joseph W.; Cheng, L.-T.; Perry, Kelly J.

1991-01-01

A series of donor-acceptor acetylene compounds was synthesized in which systematic changes in both the conjugation length and the donor-acceptor strength were made. The effect of these structural changes on the spectroscopic and electronic properties of the molecules and, ultimately, on the measured second-order molecular hyperpolarizabilities (beta) was investigated. It was found that increases in the donor-acceptor strength resulted in increases in the magnitude of beta. For this class of molecules, the increase is dominated by the energy of the intramolecular charge-transfer transition, while factors such as the ground to excited-state dipole moment change and the transition-moment integral are much less important. Increasing the conjugation length from one to two acetylene linkers did not result in an increase in the value of beta; however, beta increased sharply in going from two acetylenes to three. This increase is attributed to the superposition of several nearly isoenergetic excited states.

Distinguishing between Protein Dynamics and Dye Photophysics in Single-Molecule FRET Experiments

PubMed Central

Chung, Hoi Sung; Louis, John M.; Eaton, William A.

2010-01-01

Abstract Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiency distributions in single-molecule experiments contain both structural and dynamical information. Extraction of this information from these distributions requires a careful analysis of contributions from dye photophysics. To investigate how mechanisms other than FRET affect the distributions obtained by counting donor and acceptor photons, we have measured single-molecule fluorescence trajectories of a small α/β protein, i.e., protein GB1, undergoing two-state, folding/unfolding transitions. Alexa 488 donor and Alexa 594 acceptor dyes were attached to cysteines at positions 10 and 57 to yield two isomers—donor10/acceptor57 and donor57/acceptor10—which could not be separated in the purification. The protein was immobilized via binding of a histidine tag added to a linker sequence at the N-terminus to cupric ions embedded in a polyethylene-glycol–coated glass surface. The distribution of FRET efficiencies assembled from the trajectories is complex with widths for the individual peaks in large excess of that caused by shot noise. Most of this complexity can be explained by two interfering photophysical effects—a photoinduced red shift of the donor dye and differences in the quantum yield of the acceptor dye for the two isomers resulting from differences in quenching rate by the cupric ion. Measurements of steady-state polarization, calculation of the donor-acceptor cross-correlation function from photon trajectories, and comparison of the single molecule and ensemble kinetics all indicate that conformational distributions and dynamics do not contribute to the complexity. PMID:20159166

Distinguishing between protein dynamics and dye photophysics in single-molecule FRET experiments.

PubMed

Chung, Hoi Sung; Louis, John M; Eaton, William A

2010-02-17

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiency distributions in single-molecule experiments contain both structural and dynamical information. Extraction of this information from these distributions requires a careful analysis of contributions from dye photophysics. To investigate how mechanisms other than FRET affect the distributions obtained by counting donor and acceptor photons, we have measured single-molecule fluorescence trajectories of a small alpha/beta protein, i.e., protein GB1, undergoing two-state, folding/unfolding transitions. Alexa 488 donor and Alexa 594 acceptor dyes were attached to cysteines at positions 10 and 57 to yield two isomers-donor(10)/acceptor(57) and donor(57)/acceptor(10)-which could not be separated in the purification. The protein was immobilized via binding of a histidine tag added to a linker sequence at the N-terminus to cupric ions embedded in a polyethylene-glycol-coated glass surface. The distribution of FRET efficiencies assembled from the trajectories is complex with widths for the individual peaks in large excess of that caused by shot noise. Most of this complexity can be explained by two interfering photophysical effects-a photoinduced red shift of the donor dye and differences in the quantum yield of the acceptor dye for the two isomers resulting from differences in quenching rate by the cupric ion. Measurements of steady-state polarization, calculation of the donor-acceptor cross-correlation function from photon trajectories, and comparison of the single molecule and ensemble kinetics all indicate that conformational distributions and dynamics do not contribute to the complexity. Copyright 2010 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The adsorption properties of titanium dioxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanin, S. N.; Vlasenko, E. V.; Kovaleva, N. V.; Zung, Fam Tien

2008-12-01

The adsorption properties of titanium dioxide were studied by gas chromatography. We used organic compounds from different classes, namely, n-alkanes, n-alkenes (C6-C8), and polar compounds (electron donors and acceptors) as test adsorbates. The differential heats of adsorption and the contributions of dispersion and specific intermolecular interaction energies were determined for the systems from the experimental retention data. The electron-donor and electron-acceptor characteristics of the ultimately hydroxylated surface of TiO2 were evaluated.

Structural correlations in the generation of polaron pairs in low-bandgap polymers for photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tautz, Raphael; da Como, Enrico; Limmer, Thomas; Feldmann, Jochen; Egelhaaf, Hans-Joachim; von Hauff, Elizabeth; Lemaur, Vincent; Beljonne, David; Yilmaz, Seyfullah; Dumsch, Ines; Allard, Sybille; Scherf, Ullrich

2012-07-01

Polymeric semiconductors are materials where unique optical and electronic properties often originate from a tailored chemical structure. This allows for synthesizing conjugated macromolecules with ad hoc functionalities for organic electronics. In photovoltaics, donor-acceptor co-polymers, with moieties of different electron affinity alternating on the chain, have attracted considerable interest. The low bandgap offers optimal light-harvesting characteristics and has inspired work towards record power conversion efficiencies. Here we show for the first time how the chemical structure of donor and acceptor moieties controls the photogeneration of polaron pairs. We show that co-polymers with strong acceptors show large yields of polaron pair formation up to 24% of the initial photoexcitations as compared with a homopolymer (η=8%). π-conjugated spacers, separating the donor and acceptor centre of masses, have the beneficial role of increasing the recombination time. The results provide useful input into the understanding of polaron pair photogeneration in low-bandgap co-polymers for photovoltaics.

Nonadiabatic rate constants for proton transfer and proton-coupled electron transfer reactions in solution: Effects of quadratic term in the vibronic coupling expansion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soudackov, Alexander V.; Hammes-Schiffer, Sharon

2015-11-21

Rate constant expressions for vibronically nonadiabatic proton transfer and proton-coupled electron transfer reactions are presented and analyzed. The regimes covered include electronically adiabatic and nonadiabatic reactions, as well as high-frequency and low-frequency proton donor-acceptor vibrational modes. These rate constants differ from previous rate constants derived with the cumulant expansion approach in that the logarithmic expansion of the vibronic coupling in terms of the proton donor-acceptor distance includes a quadratic as well as a linear term. The analysis illustrates that inclusion of this quadratic term in the framework of the cumulant expansion framework may significantly impact the rate constants at highmore » temperatures for proton transfer interfaces with soft proton donor-acceptor modes that are associated with small force constants and weak hydrogen bonds. The effects of the quadratic term may also become significant in these regimes when using the vibronic coupling expansion in conjunction with a thermal averaging procedure for calculating the rate constant. In this case, however, the expansion of the coupling can be avoided entirely by calculating the couplings explicitly for the range of proton donor-acceptor distances sampled. The effects of the quadratic term for weak hydrogen-bonding systems are less significant for more physically realistic models that prevent the sampling of unphysical short proton donor-acceptor distances. Additionally, the rigorous relation between the cumulant expansion and thermal averaging approaches is clarified. In particular, the cumulant expansion rate constant includes effects from dynamical interference between the proton donor-acceptor and solvent motions and becomes equivalent to the thermally averaged rate constant when these dynamical effects are neglected. This analysis identifies the regimes in which each rate constant expression is valid and thus will be important for future applications to proton transfer and proton-coupled electron transfer in chemical and biological processes.« less

Fluorinated arene, imide and unsaturated pyrrolidinone based donor acceptor conjugated polymers: Synthesis, structure-property and device studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liyanage, Arawwawala Don Thilanga

After the discovery of doped polyacetylene, organic semiconductor materials are widely studied as high impending active components in consumer electronics. They have received substantial consideration due to their potential for structural tailoring, low cost, large area and mechanically flexible alternatives to common inorganic semiconductors. To acquire maximum use of these materials, it is essential to get a strong idea about their chemical and physical nature. Material chemist has an enormous role to play in this novel area, including development of efficient synthetic methodologies and control the molecular self-assembly and (opto)-electronic properties. The body of this thesis mainly focuses on the substituent effects: how different substituents affect the (opto)-electronic properties of the donor-acceptor (D-A) conjugated polymers. The main priority goes to understand, how different alkyl substituent effect to the polymer solubility, crystallinity, thermal properties (e.g.: glass transition temperature) and morphological order. Three classes of D-A systems were extensively studied in this work. The second chapter mainly focuses on the synthesis and structure-property study of fluorinated arene (TFB) base polymers. Here we used commercially available 1,4-dibromo-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzene (TFB) as the acceptor material and prepare several polymers using 3,3'-dialkyl(3,3'-R2T2) or 3,3'-dialkoxy bithiophene (3,3'-RO2T2) units as electron donors. A detail study was done using 3,3'-bithiophene donor units incorporating branched alkoxy-functionalities by systematic variation of branching position and chain length. The study allowed disentangling the branching effects on (i) aggregation tendency, intermolecular arrangement, (iii) solid state optical energy gaps, and (iv) electronic properties in an overall consistent picture, which might guide future polymer synthesis towards optimized materials for opto-electronic applications. The third chapter mainly focused on the structure-property study of imide functionalized D-A polymers. Here we used thiophene-imide (TPD) as the acceptor moiety and prepare several D-A polymers by varying the donor units. When selecting the donor units, more priority goes to the fused ring systems. One main reason to use imide functionality is due to the, open position of the imide nitrogen, which provides an attaching position to alkyl substituent. Through this we can easily manipulate solubility and solid state packing arrangement. Also these imide acceptors have low-lying LUMOs due to their electron deficient nature and this will allow tuning the optical energy gap by careful choice of donor materials with different electron donating ability. The fourth chapter mainly contribute to the synthesis and structure property study of a completely novel electron acceptor moiety consist of a unsaturated pyrrolidinone unit known as Pechmann dye (PD) core. Pechmann dyes are closely related to the Indigo family. This can refer as 3-butenolide dimer connected via an alkene bridge, containing a benzene ring at the 5 and 5' positions of the lactone rings. We have prepared several D-A polymers using this PD system with benzodithiophene (BDT) as the donor unit. Different to common D-A polymers the HOMO and LUMO of the PD acceptor moiety are energetically located within the gap of the BDT, so that the electronic and optical properties (HOMO-LUMO transition) are dictated by the PD properties. The promising electronic properties, band gaps, high absorption coefficients and broad absorption suggest this new D-A polymers as an interesting donor material for organic solar cell (OSC) applications. KEY WORDS: Organic semiconductor materials, Self assembly, (opto)-electronic properties, Donor-Acceptor conjugated polymers, Fluorinated arene, 3,3'-bithiophene donors, Thiophene-imide (TPD), Pechmann dye, benzodithiophene, organic solar cell.

Reinforced self-assembly of donor-acceptor π-conjugated molecules to DNA templates by dipole-dipole interactions together with complementary hydrogen bonding interactions for biomimetics.

PubMed

Yang, Wanggui; Chen, Yali; Wong, Man Shing; Lo, Pik Kwan

2012-10-08

One of the most important criteria for the successful DNA-templated polymerization to generate fully synthetic biomimetic polymers is to design the complementary structural monomers, which assemble to the templates strongly and precisely before carrying polymerization. In this study, water-soluble, laterally thymine-substituted donor-acceptor π-conjugated molecules were designed and synthesized to self-assemble with complementary oligoadenines templates, dA(20) and dA(40), into stable and tubular assemblies through noncovalent interactions including π-π stacking, dipole-dipole interactions, and the complementary adenine-thymine (A-T) hydrogen-bonding. UV-vis, fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques were used to investigate the formation of highly robust nanofibrous structures. Our results have demonstrated for the first time that the dipole-dipole interactions are stronger and useful to reinforce the assembly of donor-acceptor π-conjugated molecules to DNA templates and the formation of the stable and robust supramolecular nanofibrous complexes together with the complementary hydrogen bonding interactions. This provides an initial step toward DNA-templated polymerization to create fully synthetic DNA-mimetic polymers for biotechnological applications. This study also presents an opportunity to precisely position donor-acceptor type molecules in a controlled manner and tailor-make advanced materials for various biotechnological applications.

Two-Electron Transfer Pathways.

PubMed

Lin, Jiaxing; Balamurugan, D; Zhang, Peng; Skourtis, Spiros S; Beratan, David N

2015-06-18

The frontiers of electron-transfer chemistry demand that we develop theoretical frameworks to describe the delivery of multiple electrons, atoms, and ions in molecular systems. When electrons move over long distances through high barriers, where the probability for thermal population of oxidized or reduced bridge-localized states is very small, the electrons will tunnel from the donor (D) to acceptor (A), facilitated by bridge-mediated superexchange interactions. If the stable donor and acceptor redox states on D and A differ by two electrons, it is possible that the electrons will propagate coherently from D to A. While structure-function relations for single-electron superexchange in molecules are well established, strategies to manipulate the coherent flow of multiple electrons are largely unknown. In contrast to one-electron superexchange, two-electron superexchange involves both one- and two-electron virtual intermediate states, the number of virtual intermediates increases very rapidly with system size, and multiple classes of pathways interfere with one another. In the study described here, we developed simple superexchange models for two-electron transfer. We explored how the bridge structure and energetics influence multielectron superexchange, and we compared two-electron superexchange interactions to single-electron superexchange. Multielectron superexchange introduces interference between singly and doubly oxidized (or reduced) bridge virtual states, so that even simple linear donor-bridge-acceptor systems have pathway topologies that resemble those seen for one-electron superexchange through bridges with multiple parallel pathways. The simple model systems studied here exhibit a richness that is amenable to experimental exploration by manipulating the multiple pathways, pathway crosstalk, and changes in the number of donor and acceptor species. The features that emerge from these studies may assist in developing new strategies to deliver multiple electrons in condensed-phase redox systems, including multiple-electron redox species, multimetallic/multielectron redox catalysts, and multiexciton excited states.

Development and Characterization of New Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Polymers and Fullerene Nanoparticles for High Performance Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-14

thieno[3,4-c] pyrrole -4,6-dione (TPD)–based donor–acceptor polymer, PBTTPD, that exhibits high crystallinity and a low-lying highest occupied molecular...release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Bithiophene/thieno[3,4-c] pyrrole -4,6-dione (TPD)?based donor?acceptor polymer...nearby fullerene acceptors. The electron-deficient thieno[3,4-c] pyrrole -4,6-dione (TPD) moiety exhibits a symmetric, rigidly fused, coplanar

Cytochromes and iron sulfur proteins in sulfur metabolism of phototrophic bacteria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischer, U.

1985-01-01

Dissimilatory sulfur metabolism in phototrophic sulfur bacteria provides the bacteria with electrons for photosynthetic electron transport chain and, with energy. Assimilatory sulfate reduction is necessary for the biosynthesis of sulfur-containing cell components. Sulfide, thiosulfate, and elemental sulfur are the sulfur compounds most commonly used by phototrophic bacteria as electron donors for anoxygenic photosynthesis. Cytochromes or other electron transfer proteins, like high-potential-iron-sulfur protein (HIPIP) function as electron acceptors or donors for most enzymatic steps during the oxidation pathways of sulfide or thiosulfate. Yet, heme- or siroheme-containing proteins themselves undergo enzymatic activities in sulfur metabolism. Sirohemes comprise a porphyrin-like prosthetic group of sulfate reductase. eenzymatic reactions involve electron transfer. Electron donors or acceptors are necessary for each reaction. Cytochromes and iron sulfur problems, are able to transfer electrons.

Thio-arylglycosides with Various Aglycon Para-Substituents, a Probe for Studying Chemical Glycosylation Reactions

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaoning; Huang, Lijun; Hu, Xiche; Huang, Xuefei

2009-01-01

Summary Three series of thioglycosyl donors differing only in their respective aglycon substituents within each series have been prepared as representatives of typical glycosyl donors. The relative anomeric reactivities of these donors were quantified under competitive glycosylation conditions with various reaction time, promoters, solvents and acceptors. Over three orders of magnitude reactivity difference were generated by simple transformation of the para-substituent on the aglycon with methanol as the acceptor, while chemoselectivities became lower with carbohydrate acceptors. Excellent linear correlations were attained between relative reactivity values of donors and σp values of the substituents in the Hammett plots. This indicates that the glycosylation mechanism remains the same over a wide range of reactivities and glycosylation conditions. The negative slopes of the Hammett plots suggested that electron donating substituents expedite the reactions and the magnitudes of slopes can be rationalized by neighboring group participation as well as electronic properties of the glycon protective groups. Within the same series of donors, less nucleophilic acceptors gave smaller slopes in their Hammett plots. This is consistent with the notion that acceptor nucleophilic attack onto the reactive intermediate is part of the rate limiting step of the glycosylation reaction. Excellent linear Hammett correlations were obtained between relative reactivity values of three series of donors differing only in their aglycon substituents and σp values of the substituents. PMID:19081954

Resonance Raman study of a two-chromophore system. The 2:1 complex of hexamethylbenzene with tetracyanoethylene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mark Britt, B.; McHale, Jeanne L.

1997-05-01

Raman excitation profiles are presented for the 2:1 electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex of hexamethylbenzene (HMB) and tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) in cyclohexane. Though the absorption and Raman spectra of the 1:1 and 2:1 complexes are similar, distinct differences are found in the Raman excitation profiles (REPs) of vibrational modes common to both systems. REPs of the 2:1 complex show intensity cancellation that is taken as evidence for interference of two charge-transfer excited states. The implications of the observed spectra concerning excited state electron delocalization are considered.

Local Intermolecular Order Controls Photoinduced Charge Separation at Donor/Acceptor Interfaces in Organic Semiconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feier, Hilary M.; Reid, Obadiah G.; Pace, Natalie A.

2016-03-23

How free charge is generated at organic donor-acceptor interfaces is an important question, as the binding energy of the lowest energy (localized) charge transfer states should be too high for the electron and hole to escape each other. Recently, it has been proposed that delocalization of the electronic states participating in charge transfer is crucial, and aggregated or otherwise locally ordered structures of the donor or the acceptor are the precondition for this electronic characteristic. The effect of intermolecular aggregation of both the polymer donor and fullerene acceptor on charge separation is studied. In the first case, the dilute electronmore » acceptor triethylsilylhydroxy-1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octabutoxyphthalocyaninatosilicon(IV) (SiPc) is used to eliminate the influence of acceptor aggregation, and control polymer order through side-chain regioregularity, comparing charge generation in 96% regioregular (RR-) poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) with its regiorandom (RRa-) counterpart. In the second case, ordered phases in the polymer are eliminated by using RRa-P3HT, and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) is used as the acceptor, varying its concentration to control aggregation. Time-resolved microwave conductivity, time-resolved photoluminescence, and transient absorption spectroscopy measurements show that while ultrafast charge transfer occurs in all samples, long-lived charge carriers are only produced in films with intermolecular aggregates of either RR-P3HT or PC61BM, and that polymer aggregates are just as effective in this regard as those of fullerenes.« less

Tumor cell membrane-targeting pH-dependent electron donor-acceptor fluorescence systems with low background signals.

PubMed

Han, Liang; Liu, Mingming; Ye, Deyong; Zhang, Ning; Lim, Ed; Lu, Jing; Jiang, Chen

2014-03-01

Minimizing the background signal is crucial for developing tumor-imaging techniques with sufficient specificity and sensitivity. Here we use pH difference between healthy tissues and tumor and tumor targeting delivery to achieve this goal. We synthesize fluorophore-dopamine conjugate as pH-dependent electron donor-acceptor fluorescence system. Fluorophores are highly sensitive to electron-transfer processes, which can alter their optical properties. The intrinsic redox properties of dopamine are oxidation of hydroquinone to quinone at basic pH and reduction of quinone to hydroquinone at acidic pH. Quinone can accept electron then quench fluorescence. We design tumor cell membrane-targeting carrier for delivery. We demonstrate quenched fluorophore-quinone can be specially transferred to tumor extracellular environment and tumor-accumulated fluorophore can be activated by acidic pH. These tumor-targeting pH-dependent electron donor-acceptor fluorescence systems may offer new opportunity for developing tumor-imaging techniques. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel processes for anaerobic sulfate production from elemental sulfur by sulfate-reducing bacteria

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lovley, D.R.; Phillips, E.J.P.

1994-01-01

Sulfate reducers and related organisms which had previously been found to reduce Fe(III) with H2 or organic electron donors oxidized S0 to sulfate when Mn(IV) was provided as an electron acceptor. Organisms catalyzing this reaction in washed cell suspensions included Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, Desulfomicrobium baculatum. Desulfobacterium autotrophicum, Desulfuromonas acetoxidans, and Geobacter metallireducens. These organisms produced little or no sulfate from S0 with Fe(III) as a potential electron acceptor or in the absence of an electron acceptor. In detailed studies with Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, the stoichiometry of sulfate and Mn(II) production was consistent with the reaction S0 + 3 MnO2 + 4H+ ???SO42- + 3Mn(II) + 2H2O. None of the organisms evaluated could be grown with S0 as the sole electron donor and Mn(IV) as the electron acceptor. In contrast to the other sulfate reducers evaluated, Desulfobulbus propionicus produced sulfate from S0 in the absence of an electron acceptor and Fe(III) oxide stimulated sulfate production. Sulfide also accumulated in the absence of Mn(IV) or Fe(III). The stoichiometry of sulfate and sulfide production indicated that Desulfobulbus propionicus disproportionates S0 as follows: 4S0 + 4H2O???SO42- + 3HS- + 5 H+. Growth of Desulfobulbus propionicus with S0 as the electron donor and Fe(III) as a sulfide sink and/or electron acceptor was very slow. The S0 oxidation coupled to Mn(IV) reduction described here provides a potential explanation for the Mn(IV)-dependent sulfate production that previous studies have observed in anoxic marine sediments. Desulfobulbus propionicus is the first example of a pure culture known to disproportionate S0.

Blinking fluorescence of single donor-acceptor pairs: important role of "dark'' states in resonance energy transfer via singlet levels.

PubMed

Osad'ko, I S; Shchukina, A L

2012-06-01

The influence of triplet levels on Förster resonance energy transfer via singlet levels in donor-acceptor (D-A) pairs is studied. Four types of D-A pair are considered: (i) two-level donor and two-level acceptor, (ii) three-level donor and two-level acceptor, (iii) two-level donor and three-level acceptor, and (iv) three-level donor and three-level acceptor. If singlet-triplet transitions in a three-level acceptor molecule are ineffective, the energy transfer efficiency E=I_{A}/(I_{A}+I_{D}), where I_{D} and I_{A} are the average intensities of donor and acceptor fluorescence, can be described by the simple theoretical equation E(F)=FT_{D}/(1+FT_{D}). Here F is the rate of energy transfer, and T_{D} is the donor fluorescence lifetime. In accordance with the last equation, 100% of the donor electronic energy can be transferred to an acceptor molecule at FT_{D}≫1. However, if singlet-triplet transitions in a three-level acceptor molecule are effective, the energy transfer efficiency is described by another theoretical equation, E(F)=F[over ¯](F)T_{D}/[1+F[over ¯](F)T_{D}]. Here F[over ¯](F) is a function of F depending on singlet-triplet transitions in both donor and acceptor molecules. Expressions for the functions F[over ¯](F) are derived. In this case the energy transfer efficiency will be far from 100% even at FT_{D}≫1. The character of the intensity fluctuations of donor and acceptor fluorescence indicates which of the two equations for E(F) should be used to find the value of the rate F. Therefore, random time instants of photon emission in both donor and acceptor fluorescence are calculated by the Monte Carlo method for all four types of D-A pair. Theoretical expressions for start-stop correlators (waiting time distributions) in donor and acceptor fluorescence are derived. The probabilities w_{N}^{D}(t) and w_{N}^{A}(t) of finding N photons of donor and acceptor fluorescence in the time interval t are calculated for various values of the energy transfer rate F and for all four types of D-A pair. Comparison of the calculated D and A fluorescence trajectories with those measured by Weiss and co-workers proves the important role of triplet levels in energy transfer via singlet levels.

Uranium(VI) Reduction by Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans Strain 2CP-C

PubMed Central

Wu, Qingzhong; Sanford, Robert A.; Löffler, Frank E.

2006-01-01

Previous studies demonstrated growth of Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans strain 2CP-C with acetate or hydrogen as the electron donor and Fe(III), nitrate, nitrite, fumarate, oxygen, or ortho-substituted halophenols as electron acceptors. In this study, we explored and characterized U(VI) reduction by strain 2CP-C. Cell suspensions of fumarate-grown 2CP-C cells reduced U(VI) to U(IV). More-detailed growth studies demonstrated that hydrogen was the required electron donor for U(VI) reduction and could not be replaced by acetate. The addition of nitrate to U(VI)-reducing cultures resulted in a transitory increase in U(VI) concentration, apparently caused by the reoxidation of reduced U(IV), but U(VI) reduction resumed following the consumption of N-oxyanions. Inhibition of U(VI) reduction occurred in cultures amended with Fe(III) citrate, or citrate. In the presence of amorphous Fe(III) oxide, U(VI) reduction proceeded to completion but the U(VI) reduction rates decreased threefold compared to control cultures. Fumarate and 2-chlorophenol had no inhibitory effects on U(VI) reduction, and both electron acceptors were consumed concomitantly with U(VI). Since cocontaminants (e.g., nitrate, halogenated compounds) and bioavailable ferric iron are often encountered at uranium-impacted sites, the metabolic versatility makes Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans a promising model organism for studying the complex interaction of multiple electron acceptors in U(VI) reduction and immobilization. PMID:16672509

Electronic coupling in long-range electron transfer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Newton, M.D.

1996-12-31

One of the quantities crucial in controlling electron transfer (et) kinetics is the donor/acceptor electronic coupling integral (HDA). Recent theoretical models for HDA will be presented, and the results of ab initio computational implementation will be reported and analyzed for several metal-to-metal ligand charge transfer processes in complex molecular aggregates. New procedures for defining diabatic states, including a generalization of the Mulliken-Hush model, allow applications to optical and excited state as well as ground state et in a many-state framework.

Improvement of photovoltaic performance by substituent effect of donor and acceptor structure of TPA-based dye-sensitized solar cells.

PubMed

Inostroza, Natalia; Mendizabal, Fernando; Arratia-Pérez, Ramiro; Orellana, Carlos; Linares-Flores, Cristian

2016-01-01

We report a computational study of a series of organic dyes built with triphenylamine (TPA) as an electron donor group. We designed a set of six dyes called (TPA-n, where n = 0-5). In order to enhance the electron-injection process, the electron-donor effect of some specific substituent was studied. Thus, we gave insights into the rational design of organic TPA-based chromophores for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In addition, we report the HOMO, LUMO, the calculated excited state oxidized potential E(dye*)(eV) and the free energy change for electron-injection ΔGinject(eV), and the UV-visible absorption bands for TPA-n dyes by a time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) procedure at the B3LYP and CAM-B3LYP levels with solvent effect. The results demonstrate that the introduction of the electron-acceptor groups produces an intramolecular charge transfer showing a shift of the absorption wavelengths of TPA-n under studies. Graphical Abstract Several organic dyes TPA-n with different donors and acceptors are modeled. A strong conjugation acrros the donor and anchoring groips (TPA-n) bas been studied. Candidate TPA-3 shows a promising results.

Defining donor and acceptor strength in conjugated copolymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hedström, Svante; Wang, Ergang; Persson, Petter

2017-03-01

The progress in efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices is largely driven by the development of new donor-acceptor (D-A) copolymers. The number of possible D-A combinations escalates rapidly with the ever-increasing number of donor and acceptor units, and the design process often involves a trial-and-error approach. We here present a computationally efficient methodology for the prediction of optical and electronic properties of D-A copolymers based on density functional theory calculations of donor- and acceptor-only homopolymers. Ten donors and eight acceptors are studied, as well as all of their 80 D-A copolymer combinations, showing absorption energies of 1.3-2.3 eV, and absorption strengths varying by up to a factor of 2.5. Focus lies on exhibited trends in frontier orbital energies, optical band gaps, and absorption intensities, as well as their relation to the molecular structure. Based on the results, we define the concept of donor and acceptor strength, and calculate this quantity for all investigated units. The light-harvesting capabilities of the 80 D-A copolymers were also assessed. This gives a valuable theoretical guideline to the design of D-A copolymers with the potential to reduce the synthesis efforts in the development of new polymers.

Intrinsic and extrinsic doping of ZnO and ZnO alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellmer, Klaus; Bikowski, André

2016-10-01

In this article the doping of the oxidic compound semiconductor ZnO is reviewed with special emphasis on n-type doping. ZnO naturally exhibits n-type conductivity, which is used in the application of highly doped n-type ZnO as a transparent electrode, for instance in thin film solar cells. For prospective application of ZnO in other electronic devices (LEDs, UV photodetectors or power devices) p-type doping is required, which has been reported only minimally. Highly n-type doped ZnO can be prepared by doping with the group IIIB elements B, Al, Ga, and In, which act as shallow donors according to the simple hydrogen-like substitutional donor model of Bethe (1942 Theory of the Boundary Layer of Crystal Rectifiers (Boston, MA: MIT Rad Lab.)). Group IIIA elements (Sc, Y, La etc) are also known to act as shallow donors in ZnO, similarly explainable by the shallow donor model of Bethe. Some reports showed that even group IVA (Ti, Zr, Hf) and IVB (Si, Ge) elements can be used to prepare highly doped ZnO films—which, however, can no longer be explained by the simple hydrogen-like substitutional donor model. More probably, these elements form defect complexes that act as shallow donors in ZnO. On the other hand, group V elements on oxygen lattice sites (N, P, As, and Sb), which were viewed for a long time as typical shallow acceptors, behave instead as deep acceptors, preventing high hole concentrations in ZnO at room temperature. Also, ‘self’-compensation, i.e. the formation of a large number of intrinsic donors at high acceptor concentrations seems to counteract the p-type doping of ZnO. At donor concentrations above about 1020 cm-3, the electrical activation of the dopant elements is often less than 100%, especially in polycrystalline thin films. Reasons for the electrical deactivation of the dopant atoms are (i) the formation of dopant-defect complexes, (ii) the compensation of the electrons by acceptors (Oi, VZn) or (iii) the formation of secondary phases, for instance Al2O3, Ga2O3 etc. The strong influence of the different deposition methods and annealing conditions on the doping of ZnO is discussed. This review shows that, though it is one of the best-investigated oxide compound semiconductors over many decades, understanding of the details of the doping properties and mechanisms of zinc oxide is still in its infancy. Based on this review, prospective research opportunities are devised.

Theoretical and experimental study of electron-deficient core substitution effect of diketopyrrolopyrrole derivatives on optoelectrical and charge transport properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Guodong; Mahmood, Asif; Tang, Ailing; Chen, Fan; Zhou, Erjun

2018-01-01

Three new diketopyrrolopyrrole based compounds with Acceptor-Donor-Acceptor-Donor-Acceptor (A-D-A-D-A) skeletons were designed and synthesized through varying the electron-deficient core from diphenylquinoxaline (DP-Qx), thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione (DP-TPD) to 2-dodecyl-6,7-diphenyl-2H-[1,2,3]triazole[4,5-g]quinoxaline (DP-TQx). We have calculated and studied the effect of central acceptor units on electronic, optical and non-optical properties. As well as, we have predicted the charge transport properties. Results indicate that change of central acceptor unit remarkably affects the molecular electronic, optical and non-optical properties. And the molecular band gap and UV/vis adsorption spectra are significantly changed. It should be noted that Compound 3 with 2-dodecyl-6,7-diphenyl-2H-[1,2,3]triazole[4,5-g]quinoxaline as core show superior non-optical properties as compare to other compounds. Our study here indicate that inserting the strong electron-deficient moieties improves intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and charge transport properties dramatically.

Tuning the electronic and optical properties of NDT-based conjugated polymers by adopting fused heterocycles as acceptor units: a theoretical study.

PubMed

Cheng, Na; Zhang, Changqiao; Liu, Yongjun

2017-08-01

Donor-acceptor conjugated polymers have been successfully applied in bulk heterojunction solar cell devices. Tuning their donor and acceptor units allows the design of new polymers with desired electronic and optical properties. Here, to screen new candidate polymers based on a newly synthesized donor unit, dithieo[2,3-d:2',3'-d']naphtho[1,2-b:3,4-b']dithiophene (NDT), a series of model polymers with different acceptor units were designed and denoted NDT-A 0 to NDT-A 12 , and the structures and optical properties of those polymers were investigated using DFT and TDDFT calculations. The results of the calculations revealed that the electronic and optical properties of these polymers depend on the acceptor unit present; specifically, their HOMO energies ranged from -4.89 to -5.38 eV, their HOMO-LUMO gaps ranged from 1.30 to 2.80 eV, and their wavelengths of maximum absorption ranged from 538 to 1212 nm. The absorption spectra of NDT-A 1 to NDT-A 6 , NDT-A 8 , NDT-A 9 , and NDT-A 12 occur within the visible region (<900 nm), indicating that these polymers are potential candidates for use in solar cells. On the other hand, the absorption spectra of NDT-A 7 , NDT-A 10 , and NDT-A 11 extend much further into the near-infrared region, implying that they absorb near-infrared light. These polymers could meet the requirements of donor units for use in tandem and ternary solar cells. Graphical abstract Theoretical calculations by TD-DFT reveal that the optical properties of NDT-based conjugated polymers can be well tuned by adopting different acceptor units, and these ploymers are potential donor materials for tandem and ternary solar cells.

A general framework for the solvatochromism of pyridinium phenolate betaine dyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezende, Marcos Caroli; Aracena, Andrés

2013-02-01

A general framework for the solvatochromic behavior of pyridinium phenolate betaine dyes is presented, based on the variations with the medium of the electrophilic Fukui functions of their electron-pair donor and acceptor moieties. The model explains the ‘anomalous' solvatochromic behavior of large betaines, which change their behavior from negative to inverted, when electron-pair donor and acceptor groups are separated by a conjugated chain of variable size.

Proteomics of the organohalide-respiring Epsilonproteobacterium Sulfurospirillum multivorans adapted to tetrachloroethene and other energy substrates

PubMed Central

Goris, Tobias; Schiffmann, Christian L.; Gadkari, Jennifer; Schubert, Torsten; Seifert, Jana; Jehmlich, Nico; von Bergen, Martin; Diekert, Gabriele

2015-01-01

Organohalide respiration is an environmentally important but poorly characterized type of anaerobic respiration. We compared the global proteome of the versatile organohalide-respiring Epsilonproteobacterium Sulfurospirillum multivorans grown with different electron acceptors (fumarate, nitrate, or tetrachloroethene [PCE]). The most significant differences in protein abundance were found for gene products of the organohalide respiration region. This genomic region encodes the corrinoid and FeS cluster containing PCE reductive dehalogenase PceA and other proteins putatively involved in PCE metabolism such as those involved in corrinoid biosynthesis. The latter gene products as well as PceA and a putative quinol dehydrogenase were almost exclusively detected in cells grown with PCE. This finding suggests an electron flow from the electron donor such as formate or pyruvate via the quinone pool and a quinol dehydrogenase to PceA and the terminal electron acceptor PCE. Two putative accessory proteins, an IscU-like protein and a peroxidase-like protein, were detected with PCE only and might be involved in PceA maturation. The proteome of cells grown with pyruvate instead of formate as electron donor indicates a route of electrons from reduced ferredoxin via an Epsilonproteobacterial complex I and the quinone pool to PCE. PMID:26387727

Nuclear Hyperfine Structure in the Donor – Acceptor Complexes (CH3)3N-BF3 and (CH)33N-B(CH3)3

EPA Science Inventory

The donor-acceptor complexes (CH3)3N-BF3 and (CH3)3N-B(CH3)3 have been reinvestigated at high resolution by rotational spectroscopy in a supersonic jet. Nuclear hyperfine structure resulting from both nitrogen and boron has been resolved and quadrupole coupling constants have bee...

Next Generation Highly Conducting Organic Films Using Novel Donor-Acceptor Molecules for Opto-electronic Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

addition, a new class of donor molecules was invented in the course of the DRI program. 2.1 Polymer Based Donor-acceptor Material The following work by...average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data...information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information

Tetracationic cyclophanes and their use in the sequestration of polyaromatic hydrocarbons by way of complexation

DOEpatents

Stoddart, J. Fraser; Barnes, Jonathan C.; Juri, Michal

2016-03-22

Novel tetracationic cyclophanes incorporating .pi.-electron poor organic compounds into their ring structures, as well as methods of making the cyclophanes, are provided. The cyclophanes are able to form electron donor-acceptor complexes with a variety of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) ranging in size, shape, and electron density. Also provided are methods of using the cyclophanes in the sequestration of PAHs in liquid or gaseous samples, the separation of PAHs from liquid or gaseous samples, the detection of PAHs in liquid samples, and the exfoliation of graphene via pseudopolyrotaxane formation.

Preparation, spectroscopic and thermal characterization of new charge-transfer complexes of ethidium bromide with π-acceptors. In vitro biological activity studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eldaroti, Hala H.; Gadir, Suad A.; Refat, Moamen S.; Adam, Abdel Majid A.

2013-05-01

Ethidium bromide (EtBr) is a strong DNA binder and has been widely used to probe DNA structure in drug-DNA and protein-DNA interaction. Four new charge-transfer (CT) complexes consisting of EtBr as donor and quinol (QL), picric acid (PA), tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) or dichlorodicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ) as acceptors, were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, electronic absorption, spectrophotometric titration, IR, Raman, 1H NMR and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) techniques. The stoichiometry of these complexes was found to be 1:2 ratio and having the formula [(EtBr)(acceptor)]. The thermal stability of the synthesized CT complexes was investigated using thermogravimetric (TG) analyses, and the morphology and particle size of these complexes were obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The CT complexes were also tested for its antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and two Gram-negative bacteria; Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeuroginosa strains by using Tetracycline as standard and antifungal property against Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans by using amphotericin B as standard. The results were compared with the standard drugs and significant conclusions were obtained. The results indicated that the [(EtBr)(QL)2] complex had exerted excellent inhibitory activity against the growth of the tested bacterial strains.

Direct view at colossal permittivity in donor-acceptor (Nb, In) co-doped rutile TiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Suman; Pal, Somnath; Kundu, Asish K.; Menon, Krishnakumar S. R.; Hazarika, Abhijit; Rioult, Maxime; Belkhou, Rachid

2016-08-01

Topical observations of colossal permittivity (CP) with low dielectric loss in donor-acceptor cations co-doped rutile TiO2 have opened up several possibilities in microelectronics and energy-storage devices. Yet, the precise origin of the CP behavior, knowledge of which is essential to empower the device integration suitably, is highly disputed in the literature. From spectromicroscopic approach besides dielectric measurements, we explore that microscopic electronic inhomogeneities along with the nano-scale phase boundaries and the low temperature polaronic relaxation are mostly responsible for such a dielectric behavior, rather than electron-pinned defect-dipoles/grain-boundary effects as usually proposed. Donor-acceptor co-doping results in a controlled carrier-hopping inevitably influencing the dielectric loss while invariably upholding the CP value.

Synthesis, spectral and thermal studies of the newly hydrogen bonded charge transfer complex of o-phenylenediamine with π acceptor picric acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Ishaat M.; Ahmad, Afaq

2010-10-01

Newly proton or charge transfer complex [(OPDH) +(PA) -] was synthesized by the reaction of the donor, o-phenylenediamine (OPD) with acceptor, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (PAH). The chemical reaction has occurred via strong hydrogen bonding followed by migration of proton from acceptor to donor. UV-vis, 1H NMR and FTIR spectra, in addition to the thermal and elemental analysis were used to confirm the proposed occurrence of the chemical reaction and to investigate the newly synthesized solid CT complex. The stoichiometry of the CT complex was found to be 1:1. The formation constant and molar extinction coefficient of the CT complex were evaluated by the Benesi-Hildebrand equation.

Effective Tuning of Ketocyanine Derivatives through Acceptor Substitution.

PubMed

Poe, Ambata; Della Pelle, Andrea; Byrnes, Sean; Thayumanavan, S

2015-05-18

A series of ketocyanine derivatives possessing bis(diarylamino)fluorenyl donors and variable acceptors installed at the bridging carbon atom were synthesized to investigate how the electronic structure of the dye can be systemically tuned through stabilization of the cyanine-like character of the donor by increasing the acceptor strength. Analysis of the (1) H NMR spectra indicates that the "charge-separated" species dominates in these dyes, given that carbons possessing a positive or negative charge in the resonance structures of this state purposefully shift downfield or upfield, respectively, depending on the strength of the acceptor moiety. In DAA-Fl-PI, the acceptor strength and the gain of acceptor aromaticity indicates a predisposition of the separated state, indicated by asymmetry in the (1) H NMR spectrum, as well as uneven distribution of the HOMO on the fluorenyl donor. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Point defects in ZnO: an approach from first principles

PubMed Central

Oba, Fumiyasu; Choi, Minseok; Togo, Atsushi; Tanaka, Isao

2011-01-01

Recent first-principles studies of point defects in ZnO are reviewed with a focus on native defects. Key properties of defects, such as formation energies, donor and acceptor levels, optical transition energies, migration energies and atomic and electronic structure, have been evaluated using various approaches including the local density approximation (LDA) and generalized gradient approximation (GGA) to DFT, LDA+U/GGA+U, hybrid Hartree–Fock density functionals, sX and GW approximation. Results significantly depend on the approximation to exchange correlation, the simulation models for defects and the post-processes to correct shortcomings of the approximation and models. The choice of a proper approach is, therefore, crucial for reliable theoretical predictions. First-principles studies have provided an insight into the energetics and atomic and electronic structures of native point defects and impurities and defect-induced properties of ZnO. Native defects that are relevant to the n-type conductivity and the non-stoichiometry toward the O-deficient side in reduced ZnO have been debated. It is suggested that the O vacancy is responsible for the non-stoichiometry because of its low formation energy under O-poor chemical potential conditions. However, the O vacancy is a very deep donor and cannot be a major source of carrier electrons. The Zn interstitial and anti-site are shallow donors, but these defects are unlikely to form at a high concentration in n-type ZnO under thermal equilibrium. Therefore, the n-type conductivity is attributed to other sources such as residual impurities including H impurities with several atomic configurations, a metastable shallow donor state of the O vacancy, and defect complexes involving the Zn interstitial. Among the native acceptor-type defects, the Zn vacancy is dominant. It is a deep acceptor and cannot produce a high concentration of holes. The O interstitial and anti-site are high in formation energy and/or are electrically inactive and, hence, are unlikely to play essential roles in electrical properties. Overall defect energetics suggests a preference for the native donor-type defects over acceptor-type defects in ZnO. The O vacancy, Zn interstitial and Zn anti-site have very low formation energies when the Fermi level is low. Therefore, these defects are expected to be sources of a strong hole compensation in p-type ZnO. For the n-type doping, the compensation of carrier electrons by the native acceptor-type defects can be mostly suppressed when O-poor chemical potential conditions, i.e. low O partial pressure conditions, are chosen during crystal growth and/or doping. PMID:27877390

Acceptor Type Vacancy Complexes In As-Grown ZnO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubiaga, A.; Tuomisto, F.; Zuñiga-Pérez, J.

2010-11-01

One of the many technological areas that ZnO is interesting for is the construction of opto-electronic devices working in the blue-UV range as its large band gap (˜3.4 eV at 10 K) makes them suitable for that purpose. As-grown ZnO shows generally n-type conductivity partially due to the large concentration of unintentional shallow donors, like H, but impurities can also form complexes with acceptor type defects (Zn vacancy) leading to the creation of compensating defects. Recently, LiZn and NaZn acceptors have been measured and H could form similar type of defects. Doppler Broadening Positron Annihilation spectroscopy experimental results on the observation of Zn related vacancy complexes in ZnO thin films, as-grown, O implanted and Al doped will be presented. Results show that as-grown ZnO film show small Zn vacancy related complexed that could be related to presence of H as a unintentional doping element.

Photo-induced electron transfer method

DOEpatents

Wohlgemuth, R.; Calvin, M.

1984-01-24

The efficiency of photo-induced electron transfer reactions is increased and the back transfer of electrons in such reactions is greatly reduced when a photo-sensitizer zinc porphyrin-surfactant and an electron donor manganese porphyrin-surfactant are admixed into phospholipid membranes. The phospholipids comprising said membranes are selected from phospholipids whose head portions are negatively charged. Said membranes are contacted with an aqueous medium in which an essentially neutral viologen electron acceptor is admixed. Catalysts capable of transferring electrons from reduced viologen electron acceptor to hydrogen to produce elemental hydrogen are also included in the aqueous medium. An oxidizable olefin is also admixed in the phospholipid for the purpose of combining with oxygen that coordinates with oxidized electron donor manganese porphyrin-surfactant.

Increasing Saturated Electron-Drift Velocity in Donor-Acceptor Doped pHEMT Heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Protasov, D. Yu.; Gulyaev, D. V.; Bakarov, A. K.; Toropov, A. I.; Erofeev, E. V.; Zhuravlev, K. S.

2018-03-01

Field dependences of the electron-drift velocity in typical pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (pHEMT) heteroepitaxial structures (HESs) and in those with donor-acceptor doped (DApHEMT) heterostructures with quantum-well (QW) depth increased by 0.8-0.9 eV with the aid of acceptor layers have been studied by a pulsed technique. It is established that the saturated electron-drift velocity in DA-pHEMT-HESs is 1.2-1.3 times greater than that in the usual pHEMT-HESs. The electroluminescence (EL) spectra of DA-pHEMT-HESs do not contain emission bands related to the recombination in widebandgap layers (QW barriers). The EL intensity in these HESs is not saturated with increasing electric field. This is indicative of a suppressed real-space transfer of hot electrons from QW to barrier layers, which accounts for the observed increase in the saturated electron-drift velocity.

Electronic structure and vibrational analysis of AHA⋯HX complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Kaustubh A.; Gejji, Shridhar P.

2005-10-01

Electronic structures of the binary complexes of acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) and hydrogen halides, HX (X = F, Cl, Br) have been investigated using the second order perturbation theory. In the lowest energy structure of AHA⋯HF complex, hydrogen fluoride acts as a proton-donor with carbonyl oxygen and simultaneously as a proton-acceptor with the hydroxyl group. For chloro- and bromo-substituted derivatives, however, the lowest minimum possesses hydrogen-bonded interactions with the carbonyl oxygen in addition to those from the methyl proton of AHA. Frequency shifts of NH and CN stretching vibrations enable one to distinguish different conformers of AHA⋯HX complexes.

Complete Oxidation of Propionate, Valerate, Succinate, and Other Organic Compounds by Newly Isolated Types of Marine, Anaerobic, Mesophilic, Gram-Negative, Sulfur-Reducing Eubacteria

PubMed Central

Finster, Kai; Bak, Friedhelm

1993-01-01

Anaerobic enrichment cultures with either propionate, succinate, lactate, or valerate and elemental sulfur and inocula from shallow marine or deep-sea sediments were dominated by rod-shaped motile bacteria after three transfers. By application of deep-agar dilutions, five eubacterial strains were obtained in pure culture and designated Kyprop, Gyprop, Kysw2, Gylac, and Kyval. All strains were gram negative and grew by complete oxidation of the electron donors and concomitant stoichiometric reduction of elemental sulfur to hydrogen sulfide. The isolates used acetate, propionate, succinate, lactate, pyruvate, oxaloacetate, maleate, glutamate, alanine, aspartate, and yeast extract. All isolates, except strain Gylac, used citrate as an electron donor but valerate was oxidized only by strain Kyval. Fumarate and malate were degraded by all strains without an additional electron donor or acceptor. Kyprop, Gyprop, and Gylac utilized elemental sulfur as the sole inorganic electron acceptor, while Kysw2 and Kyval also utilized nitrate, dimethyl sulfoxide, or Fe(III)-citrate as an electron acceptor. Images PMID:16348934

Donor acceptor electronic couplings in π-stacks: How many states must be accounted for?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voityuk, Alexander A.

2006-04-01

Two-state model is commonly used to estimate the donor-acceptor electronic coupling Vda for electron transfer. However, in some important cases, e.g. for DNA π-stacks, this scheme fails to provide accurate values of Vda because of multistate effects. The Generalized Mulliken-Hush method enables a multistate treatment of Vda. In this Letter, we analyze the dependence of calculated electronic couplings on the number of the adiabatic states included in the model. We suggest a simple scheme to determine this number. The superexchange correction of the two-state approximation is shown to provide good estimates of the electronic coupling.

Organic Materials in the Undergraduate Laboratory: Microscale Synthesis and Investigation of a Donor-Acceptor Molecule

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pappenfus, Ted M.; Schliep, Karl B.; Dissanayake, Anudaththa; Ludden, Trevor; Nieto-Ortega, Belen; Lopez Navarrete, Juan T.; Ruiz Delgado, M. Carmen; Casado, Juan

2012-01-01

A series of experiments for undergraduate courses (e.g., organic, physical) have been developed in the area of small molecule organic materials. These experiments focus on understanding the electronic and redox properties of a donor-acceptor molecule that is prepared in a convenient one-step microscale reaction. The resulting intensely colored…

Highly regioselective Lewis acid-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of alkynes with donor-acceptor oxiranes by selective carbon-carbon bond cleavage of epoxides.

PubMed

Liu, Renrong; Zhang, Mei; Zhang, Junliang

2011-12-28

A novel, efficient, highly regioselective Sc(OTf)(3)-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of electron-rich alkynes with donor-acceptor oxiranes via highly chemoselective C-C bond cleavage under mild conditions was developed. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

Long-Lived Charge Separation at Heterojunctions between Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Perylene Diimide Electron Acceptors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kang, Hyun Suk; Sisto, Thomas J.; Peurifoy, Samuel

Nonfullerene electron acceptors have facilitated a recent surge in the efficiencies of organic solar cells, although fundamental studies of the nature of exciton dissociation at interfaces with nonfullerene electron acceptors are still relatively sparse. Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs), unique one-dimensional electron donors with molecule-like absorption and highly mobile charges, provide a model system for studying interfacial exciton dissociation. Here, we investigate excited-state photodynamics at the heterojunction between (6,5) s-SWCNTs and two perylene diimide (PDI)-based electron acceptors. Each of the PDI-based acceptors, hPDI2-pyr-hPDI2 and Trip-hPDI2, is deposited onto (6,5) s-SWCNT films to form a heterojunction bilayer. Transient absorption measurements demonstratemore » that photoinduced hole/electron transfer occurs at the photoexcited bilayer interfaces, producing long-lived separated charges with lifetimes exceeding 1.0 us. Both exciton dissociation and charge recombination occur more slowly for the hPDI2-pyr-hPDI2 bilayer than for the Trip-hPDI2 bilayer. To explain such differences, we discuss the potential roles of the thermodynamic charge transfer driving force available at each interface and the different molecular structure and intermolecular interactions of PDI-based acceptors. As a result, detailed photophysical analysis of these model systems can develop the fundamental understanding of exciton dissociation between organic electron donors and nonfullerene acceptors, which has not been systematically studied.« less

Long-Lived Charge Separation at Heterojunctions between Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Perylene Diimide Electron Acceptors

DOE PAGES

Kang, Hyun Suk; Sisto, Thomas J.; Peurifoy, Samuel; ...

2018-04-13

Nonfullerene electron acceptors have facilitated a recent surge in the efficiencies of organic solar cells, although fundamental studies of the nature of exciton dissociation at interfaces with nonfullerene electron acceptors are still relatively sparse. Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs), unique one-dimensional electron donors with molecule-like absorption and highly mobile charges, provide a model system for studying interfacial exciton dissociation. Here, we investigate excited-state photodynamics at the heterojunction between (6,5) s-SWCNTs and two perylene diimide (PDI)-based electron acceptors. Each of the PDI-based acceptors, hPDI2-pyr-hPDI2 and Trip-hPDI2, is deposited onto (6,5) s-SWCNT films to form a heterojunction bilayer. Transient absorption measurements demonstratemore » that photoinduced hole/electron transfer occurs at the photoexcited bilayer interfaces, producing long-lived separated charges with lifetimes exceeding 1.0 us. Both exciton dissociation and charge recombination occur more slowly for the hPDI2-pyr-hPDI2 bilayer than for the Trip-hPDI2 bilayer. To explain such differences, we discuss the potential roles of the thermodynamic charge transfer driving force available at each interface and the different molecular structure and intermolecular interactions of PDI-based acceptors. As a result, detailed photophysical analysis of these model systems can develop the fundamental understanding of exciton dissociation between organic electron donors and nonfullerene acceptors, which has not been systematically studied.« less

Intramolecular Charge-Transfer Interaction of Donor-Acceptor-Donor Arrays Based on Anthracene Bisimide.

PubMed

Iwanaga, Tetsuo; Ogawa, Marina; Yamauchi, Tomokazu; Toyota, Shinji

2016-05-20

We designed anthracene bisimide (ABI) derivatives having two triphenylamine (TPA) groups as donor units at the 9,10-positions to form a novel π-conjugated donor-acceptor system. These compounds and their analogues with ethynylene linkers were synthesized by Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira coupling reactions, respectively. In UV-vis spectra, the linker-free derivatives showed broad absorption bands arising from intramolecular charge-transfer interactions. Introducing ethynylene linkers resulted in a considerable red shift of the absorption bands. In fluorescence spectra, the ethynylene derivatives showed intense emission bands at 600-650 nm. Their photophysical and electrochemical properties were compared with those of the corresponding mono TPA derivatives on the basis of theoretical calculations and cyclic voltammetry to evaluate the intramolecular electronic interactions between the donor and acceptor units.

Self-assembly properties of semiconducting donor-acceptor-donor bithienyl derivatives of tetrazine and thiadiazole-effect of the electron accepting central ring.

PubMed

Zapala, Joanna; Knor, Marek; Jaroch, Tomasz; Maranda-Niedbala, Agnieszka; Kurach, Ewa; Kotwica, Kamil; Nowakowski, Robert; Djurado, David; Pecaut, Jacques; Zagorska, Malgorzata; Pron, Adam

2013-11-26

Scanning tunneling microscopy was used to study the effect of the electron-accepting unit and the alkyl substituent's position on the type and extent of 2D supramolecular organization of penta-ring donor-acceptor-donor (DAD) semiconductors, consisting of either tetrazine or thiadiazole central acceptor ring symmetrically attached to two bithienyl groups. Microscopic observations of monomolecular layers on HOPG of four alkyl derivatives of the studied adsorbates indicate significant differences in their 2D organizations. Ordered monolayers of thiadiazole derivatives are relatively loose and, independent of the position of alkyl substituents, characterized by large intermolecular separation of acceptor units in the adjacent molecules located in the face-to-face configuration. The 2D supramolecular architecture in both derivatives of thiadiazole is very sensitive to the alkyl substituent's position. Significantly different behavior is observed for derivatives of tetrazine (which is a stronger electron acceptor). Stronger intermolecular DA interactions in these adsorbates generate an intermolecular shift in the monolayer, which is a dominant factor determining the 2D structural organization. As a consequence of this molecular arrangement, tetrazine groups (A segments) face thiophene rings (D segments) of the neighboring molecules. Monolayers of tetrazine derivatives are therefore much more densely packed and characterized by similar π-stacking of molecules independently of the position of alkyl substituents. Moreover, a comparative study of 3D supramolecular organization, deduced from the X-ray diffraction patterns, is also presented clearly confirming the polymorphism of the studied adsorbates.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park Y. S.; Kale, T.; Wu, Q.

A series of diketopyrrolopyrrole(DPP)-based small molecules have been synthesized by palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. Electron-donating moieties (benzothiophene, benzoselenophene, and benzotellurophene) are bridged by an electron-withdrawing DPP unit to generate donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) type molecules. We observe red-shifts in absorption spectra of these compounds by varying heteroatoms from sulfur to tellurium. In bulk heterojunction solar cells with [6,6]phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) as acceptor, we obtain power conversion efficiencies of 2.4% (benzothiophene), 4.1% (benzoselenophene), and 3.0% (benzotellurophene), respectively.

Optical signature of Mg-doped GaN: Transfer processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Callsen, G.; Wagner, M. R.; Kure, T.; Reparaz, J. S.; Bügler, M.; Brunnmeier, J.; Nenstiel, C.; Hoffmann, A.; Hoffmann, M.; Tweedie, J.; Bryan, Z.; Aygun, S.; Kirste, R.; Collazo, R.; Sitar, Z.

2012-08-01

Mg doping of high quality, metal organic chemical vapor deposition grown GaN films results in distinct traces in their photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectra. We analyze GaN:Mg grown on sapphire substrates and identify two Mg related acceptor states, one additional acceptor state and three donor states that are involved in the donor-acceptor pair band transitions situated at 3.26-3.29 eV in GaN:Mg. The presented determination of the donor-acceptor pair band excitation channels by photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy in conjunction with temperature-dependent photoluminescence measurements results in a direct determination of the donor and acceptor binding, localization, and activation energies, which is put into a broader context based on Haynes's rule. Furthermore, we analyze the biexponential decay dynamics of the photoluminescence signal of the acceptor and donor bound excitons. As all observed lifetimes scale with the localization energy of the donor and acceptor related bound excitons, defect and complex bound excitons can be excluded as their origin. Detailed analysis of the exciton transfer processes in the close energetic vicinity of the GaN band edge reveals excitation via free and bound excitonic channels but also via an excited state as resolved for the deepest localized Mg related acceptor bound exciton. For the two Mg acceptor states, we determine binding energies of 164 ± 5 and 195 ± 5 meV, which is in good agreement with recent density functional theory results. This observation confirms and quantifies the general dual nature of acceptor states in GaN based on the presented analysis of the photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectra.

Synthesis, spectral and thermal studies of the newly hydrogen bonded charge transfer complex of o-phenylenediamine with pi acceptor picric acid.

PubMed

Khan, Ishaat M; Ahmad, Afaq

2010-10-01

Newly proton or charge transfer complex [(OPDH)(+)(PA)(-)] was synthesized by the reaction of the donor, o-phenylenediamine (OPD) with acceptor, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (PAH). The chemical reaction has occurred via strong hydrogen bonding followed by migration of proton from acceptor to donor. UV-vis, (1)H NMR and FTIR spectra, in addition to the thermal and elemental analysis were used to confirm the proposed occurrence of the chemical reaction and to investigate the newly synthesized solid CT complex. The stoichiometry of the CT complex was found to be 1:1. The formation constant and molar extinction coefficient of the CT complex were evaluated by the Benesi-Hildebrand equation. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structure and electronic properties of Alq3 derivatives with electron acceptor/donor groups at the C4 positions of the quinolate ligands: a theoretical study.

PubMed

Rao, Joshi Laxmikanth; Bhanuprakash, Kotamarthi

2011-12-01

The molecular structures of the ground (S(0)) and first singlet excited (S(1)) states of Alq3 derivatives in which pyrazolyl and 3-methylpyrazolyl groups are substituted at the C4 positions of the 8-hydroxyquinolate ligands as electron acceptors, and piperidinyl and N-methylpiperazinyl groups are substituted at the same positions as electron donors, have been optimized using the B3LYP/6-31G and CIS/6-31G methods, respectively. In order to analyze the electronic transitions in these derivatives, the frontier molecular orbital characteristics were analyzed systematically, and it was found that the highest occupied molecular orbital is localized on the A ligand while the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is localized on the B ligand in their ground states, similar to what is seen for mer-Alq3. The absorption and emission spectra were evaluated at the TD-PBE0/6-31G level, and it was observed that electron acceptor substitution causes a red-shift in the emission spectra, which is also seen experimentally. The reorganization energies were calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G level and the results show that acceptor/donor substitution has a significant effect on the intrinsic charge mobilities of these derivatives as compared to mer-Alq3.

Structural and spectroscopic characterizations on the charge-transfer interactions of the second generation poly(propylene amine) dendrimers with iodine and picric acid acceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Sayed, Mohamed Y.; Refat, Moamen S.

2015-02-01

Herein, this study was focused to get a knowledge about the intermolecular charge transfer complexes between the second generation of poly(propylene amine) dendrimer (PPD2) with picric acid (PA) and iodine (I2) as π and σ-acceptors. The charge-transfer interaction of the PPD2 electron donor and the PA acceptor has been studied in CHCl3. The resulted data refereed to the formation of the new CT-complex with the general formula [(PPD2)(PA)4]. The 1:4 stoichiometry of the reaction was discussed upon the on elemental analysis and photometric titration. On the other hand, the 1:3½ iodine-PPD2 heptaiodide (I7-) charge-transfer complex has been studied spectrophotometrically in chloroform at room temperature with general formula [(PPD2)]+I7-. The electronic absorption bands of 2I2·I3- (I7-) are observed at 358 and 294 nm. Raman laser spectrum of the brown solid heptaiodide complex has two clearly vibration bands at 155 and 110 cm-1 due to symmetric stretching νs(Isbnd I) outer and inner bonds, respectively. The 1H NMR spectra and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data of PPD2 charge-transfer complexes were discussed.

Photoinduced Charge Transfer and Electrochemical Properties of Triphenylamine Ih-Sc3N@C80 Donor-Acceptor Conjugates

PubMed Central

Pinzón, Julio R.; Gasca, Diana C.; Shankara, Gayathri. S; Bottari, Giovanni; Torres, Tomás; Guldi, Dirk M.; Echegoyen, Luis

2009-01-01

Two isomeric [5,6]-pyrrolidine-Ih-Sc3N@C80 electron donor acceptor conjugates containing triphenylamine (TPA) as the donor system were synthesized. Electrochemical and photophysical studies of the novel conjugates were made and compared with those of their C60 analogues, in order to determine i) the effect of the linkage position (N-substituted versus 2-substituted pyrrolidine) of the donor system in the formation of photoinduced charge separated states, ii) the thermal stability towards the retro-cycloaddition reaction and iii) the effect of changing C60 for Ih-Sc3N@C80 as the electron acceptor. It was found that when the donor is connected to the pyrrolidine nitrogen atom, the resulting dyad produces a significantly longer lived radical pair than the corresponding 2-substituted isomer for both the C60 and Ih-Sc3N@C80 dyads. In addition to that, the N-substituted TPA-Ih-Sc3N@C80 dyad has much better thermal stability than the 2-subtituted one. Finally, the Ih-Sc3N@C80 dyads have considerably longer lived charge separated states than their C60 analogues, thus approving the advantage of using Ih-Sc3N@C80 instead of C60 as the acceptor for the construction of fullerene based donor acceptor conjugates. These findings are important for the design and future application of Ih-Sc3N@C80 dyads as materials for the construction of plastic organic solar cells. PMID:19445462

Simplified charge separation energetics in a two-dimensional model for polymer-based photovoltaic cells.

PubMed

Sylvester-Hvid, Kristian O; Ratner, Mark A

2005-01-13

An extension of our two-dimensional working model for photovoltaic behavior in binary polymer and/or molecular photoactive blends is presented. The objective is to provide a more-realistic description of the charge generation and charge separation processes in the blend system. This is achieved by assigning an energy to each of the possible occupation states, describing the system according to a simple energy model for exciton and geminate electron-hole pair configurations. The energy model takes as primary input the ionization potential, electron affinity and optical gap of the components of the blend. The underlying photovoltaic model considers a nanoscopic subvolume of a photoactive blend and represents its p- and n-type domain morphology, in terms of a two-dimensional network of donor and acceptor sites. The nearest-neighbor hopping of charge carriers in the illuminated system is described in terms of transitions between different occupation states. The equations governing the dynamics of these states are cast into a linear master equation, which can be solved for arbitrary two-dimensional donor-acceptor networks, assuming stationary conditions. The implications of incorporating the energy model into the photovoltaic model are illustrated by simulations of the short circuit current versus thickness of the photoactive blend layer for different choices of energy parameters and donor-acceptor topology. The results suggest the existence of an optimal thickness of the photoactive film in bulk heterojunctions, based on kinetic considerations alone, and that this optimal thickness is very sensitive to the choice of energy parameters. The results also indicate space-charge limiting effects for interpenetrating donor-acceptor networks with characteristic domain sizes in the nanometer range and high driving force for the photoinduced electron transfer across the donor-acceptor internal interface.

Tunable Rh 2(II,II) Light Absorbers as Excited State Electron Donors and Acceptors Accessible with Red/Near-IR Irradiation

DOE PAGES

Whittemore, Tyler; Millet, Agustin; Sayre, Hannah; ...

2018-04-04

In this study, a series of dirhodium(II,II) paddlewheeel complexes of the type cis-[Rh 2(μ-DTolF) 2(μ-L) 2][BF 4] 2, where DTolF = N,N'-di(p-tolyl)formamidinate and L = 1,8-naphthyridine (np), 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1,8-naphthyridine (pynp), 2-(quinolin-2-yl)-1,8-naphthyridine (qnnp), and 2-(1,8-naphthyridin-2-yl)quinoxaline (qxnp), were synthesized and characterized. These molecules feature new tridentate ligands that concomitantly bridge the dirhodium core and cap the axial positions. The complexes absorb light strongly throughout the ultraviolet/visible range and into the near-infrared region and exhibit relatively long-lived triplet excited-state lifetimes. Both the singlet and triplet excited states exhibit metal/ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (ML-LCT) in nature as determined by transient absorption spectroscopy and spectroelectrochemistry measurements. Whenmore » irradiated with low-energy light, these black dyes are capable of undergoing reversible bimolecular electron transfer both to the electron acceptor methyl viologen and from the electron donor p-phenylenediamine. Photoinduced charge transfer in the latter was inaccessible with previous Rh 2(II,II) complexes. Finally, these results underscore the fact that the excited state of this class of molecules can be readily tuned for electron-transfer reactions upon simple synthetic modification and highlight their potential as excellent candidates for p- and n-type semiconductor applications and for improved harvesting of low-energy light to drive useful photochemical reactions.« less

Tunable Rh 2(II,II) Light Absorbers as Excited State Electron Donors and Acceptors Accessible with Red/Near-IR Irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whittemore, Tyler; Millet, Agustin; Sayre, Hannah

In this study, a series of dirhodium(II,II) paddlewheeel complexes of the type cis-[Rh 2(μ-DTolF) 2(μ-L) 2][BF 4] 2, where DTolF = N,N'-di(p-tolyl)formamidinate and L = 1,8-naphthyridine (np), 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1,8-naphthyridine (pynp), 2-(quinolin-2-yl)-1,8-naphthyridine (qnnp), and 2-(1,8-naphthyridin-2-yl)quinoxaline (qxnp), were synthesized and characterized. These molecules feature new tridentate ligands that concomitantly bridge the dirhodium core and cap the axial positions. The complexes absorb light strongly throughout the ultraviolet/visible range and into the near-infrared region and exhibit relatively long-lived triplet excited-state lifetimes. Both the singlet and triplet excited states exhibit metal/ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (ML-LCT) in nature as determined by transient absorption spectroscopy and spectroelectrochemistry measurements. Whenmore » irradiated with low-energy light, these black dyes are capable of undergoing reversible bimolecular electron transfer both to the electron acceptor methyl viologen and from the electron donor p-phenylenediamine. Photoinduced charge transfer in the latter was inaccessible with previous Rh 2(II,II) complexes. Finally, these results underscore the fact that the excited state of this class of molecules can be readily tuned for electron-transfer reactions upon simple synthetic modification and highlight their potential as excellent candidates for p- and n-type semiconductor applications and for improved harvesting of low-energy light to drive useful photochemical reactions.« less

Photoinduced Electron Transfer and Hole Migration in Nanosized Helical Aromatic Oligoamide Foldamers.

PubMed

Li, Xuesong; Markandeya, Nagula; Jonusauskas, Gediminas; McClenaghan, Nathan D; Maurizot, Victor; Denisov, Sergey A; Huc, Ivan

2016-10-07

A series of photoactive triads have been synthesized and investigated in order to elucidate photoinduced electron transfer and hole migration mechanism across nanosized, rigid helical foldamers. The triads are comprised of a central helical oligoamide foldamer bridge with 9, 14, 18, 19, or 34 8-amino-2-quinolinecarboxylic acid repeat units, and of two chromophores, an N-terminal oligo(para-phenylenevinylene) electron donor and a C-terminal perylene bis-imide electron acceptor. Time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopic studies showed that, following photoexcitation of the electron acceptor, fast electron transfer occurs initially from the oligoquinoline bridge to the acceptor chromophore on the picosecond time scale. The oligo(para-phenylenevinylene) electron donor is oxidized after a time delay during which the hole migrates across the foldamer from the acceptor to the donor. The charge separated state that is finally generated was found to be remarkably long-lived (>80 μs). While the initial charge injection rate is largely invariant for all foldamer lengths (ca. 60 ps), the subsequent hole transfer to the donor varies from 1 × 10 9 s -1 for the longest sequence to 17 × 10 9 s -1 for the shortest. In all cases, charge transfer is very fast considering the foldamer length. Detailed analysis of the process in different media and at varying temperatures is consistent with a hopping mechanism of hole transport through the foldamer helix, with individual hops occurring on the subpicosecond time scale (k ET = 2.5 × 10 12 s -1 in CH 2 Cl 2 ). This work demonstrates the possibility of fast long-range hole transfer over 300 Å (through bonds) across a synthetic modular bridge, an achievement that had been previously observed principally with DNA structures.

Comparison of exciplex generation under optical and X-ray excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kipriyanov, A. A.; Melnikov, A. R.; Stass, D. V.; Doktorov, A. B.

2017-09-01

Exciplex generation under optical and X-ray excitation in identical conditions is experimentally compared using a specially chosen model donor-acceptor system, anthracene (electron acceptor) and N,N-dimethylaniline (electron donor) in non-polar solution, and the results are analyzed and interpreted based on analytically calculated luminescence quantum yields. Calculations are performed on the basis of kinetic equations for multistage schemes of bulk exciplex production reaction under optical excitation and combination of bulk and geminate reactions of radical ion pairs under X-ray excitation. These results explain the earlier experimentally found difference in the ratio of the quantum yields of exciplexes and excited electron acceptors (exciplex generation efficiency) and the corresponding change in the exciplex generation efficiency under X-irradiation as compared to the reaction under optical excitation.

Comparison of exciplex generation under optical and X-ray excitation.

PubMed

Kipriyanov, A A; Melnikov, A R; Stass, D V; Doktorov, A B

2017-09-07

Exciplex generation under optical and X-ray excitation in identical conditions is experimentally compared using a specially chosen model donor-acceptor system, anthracene (electron acceptor) and N,N-dimethylaniline (electron donor) in non-polar solution, and the results are analyzed and interpreted based on analytically calculated luminescence quantum yields. Calculations are performed on the basis of kinetic equations for multistage schemes of bulk exciplex production reaction under optical excitation and combination of bulk and geminate reactions of radical ion pairs under X-ray excitation. These results explain the earlier experimentally found difference in the ratio of the quantum yields of exciplexes and excited electron acceptors (exciplex generation efficiency) and the corresponding change in the exciplex generation efficiency under X-irradiation as compared to the reaction under optical excitation.

Methods for the synthesis of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomilov, Yu V.; Menchikov, L. G.; Novikov, R. A.; Ivanova, O. A.; Trushkov, I. V.

2018-03-01

The interest in cyclopropane derivatives is caused by the facts that, first, the three-carbon ring is present in quite a few natural and biologically active compounds and, second, compounds with this ring are convenient building blocks for the synthesis of diverse molecules (acyclic, alicyclic and heterocyclic). The carbon–carbon bonds in cyclopropane are kinetically rather inert; hence, they need to be activated to be involved in reactions. An efficient way of activation is to introduce vicinal electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents into the ring; these substrates are usually referred to as donor-acceptor cyclopropanes. This review gives a systematic account of the key methods for the synthesis of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes. The most important among them are reactions of nucleophilic alkenes with diazo compounds and iodonium ylides and approaches based on reactions of electrophilic alkenes with sulfur ylides (the Corey–Chaykovsky reaction). Among other methods used for this purpose, noteworthy are cycloalkylation of CH-acids, addition of α-halocarbonyl compounds to alkenes, cyclization via 1,3-elimination, reactions of alkenes with halocarbenes followed by reduction, the Simmons–Smith reaction and some other. The scope of applicability and prospects of various methods for the synthesis of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes are discussed. The bibliography includes 530 references.

Photo-induced electron transfer method

DOEpatents

Wohlgemuth, Roland; Calvin, Melvin

1984-01-01

The efficiency of photo-induced electron transfer reactions is increased and the back transfer of electrons in such reactions is greatly reduced when a photo-sensitizer zinc porphyrin-surfactant and an electron donor manganese porphyrin-surfactant are admixed into phospho-lipid membranes. The phospholipids comprising said membranes are selected from phospholipids whose head portions are negatively charged. Said membranes are contacted with an aqueous medium in which an essentially neutral viologen electron acceptor is admixed. Catalysts capable of transfering electrons from reduced viologen electron acceptor to hydrogen to produce elemental hydrogen are also included in the aqueous medium. An oxidizable olefin is also admixed in the phospholipid for the purpose of combining with oxygen that coordinates with oxidized electron donor manganese porphyrin-surfactant.

Photoinduced electron transfer in rigidly linked dimethoxynapthalene-N-methylpyridinium donor-acceptor molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clayton, Andrew H. A.; Ghiggino, Kenneth P.; Wilson, Gerard J.; Keyte, Peter J.; Paddon-Row, Michael N.

1992-07-01

Photoinduced electron transfer (ET) is studied in a series of novel molecules containing a dimethoxynaphthalene (DMN) donor and either a pyridine (P) or N-methylpyridinium (P-Me +) acceptor covalently linked via a rigid nonbornalogous bridge ( n sigma bonds in length). ET rates of the order of 10 10 s -1 were measured for the DMN- n-P-Me + series ( n = 4, 6), while no appreciable ET was observed for the DMN- n-P compounds. Electronic and nuclear factors are discussed and the results rationalized in terms of Marcus—Hush and non-adiabatic ET theories.

Non-Fullerene Electron Acceptors for Use in Organic Solar Cells

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Conspectus The active layer in a solution processed organic photovoltaic device comprises a light absorbing electron donor semiconductor, typically a polymer, and an electron accepting fullerene acceptor. Although there has been huge effort targeted to optimize the absorbing, energetic, and transport properties of the donor material, fullerenes remain as the exclusive electron acceptor in all high performance devices. Very recently, some new non-fullerene acceptors have been demonstrated to outperform fullerenes in comparative devices. This Account describes this progress, discussing molecular design considerations and the structure–property relationships that are emerging. The motivation to replace fullerene acceptors stems from their synthetic inflexibility, leading to constraints in manipulating frontier energy levels, as well as poor absorption in the solar spectrum range, and an inherent tendency to undergo postfabrication crystallization, resulting in device instability. New acceptors have to address these limitations, providing tunable absorption with high extinction coefficients, thus contributing to device photocurrent. The ability to vary and optimize the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy level for a specific donor polymer is also an important requirement, ensuring minimal energy loss on electron transfer and as high an internal voltage as possible. Initially perylene diimide acceptors were evaluated as promising acceptor materials. These electron deficient aromatic molecules can exhibit good electron transport, facilitated by close packed herringbone crystal motifs, and their energy levels can be synthetically tuned. The principal drawback of this class of materials, their tendency to crystallize on too large a length scale for an optimal heterojunction nanostructure, has been shown to be overcome through introduction of conformation twisting through steric effects. This has been primarily achieved by coupling two units together, forming dimers with a large intramolecular twist, which suppresses both nucleation and crystal growth. The generic design concept of rotationally symmetrical aromatic small molecules with extended π orbital delocalization, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons, phthalocyanines, etc., has also provided some excellent small molecule acceptors. In most cases, additional electron withdrawing functionality, such as imide or ester groups, can be incorporated to stabilize the LUMO and improve properties. New calamitic acceptors have been developed, where molecular orbital hybridization of electron rich and poor segments can be judiciously employed to precisely control energy levels. Conformation and intermolecular associations can be controlled by peripheral functionalization leading to optimization of crystallization length scales. In particular, the use of rhodanine end groups, coupled electronically through short bridged aromatic chains, has been a successful strategy, with promising device efficiencies attributed to high lying LUMO energy levels and subsequently large open circuit voltages. PMID:26505279

THz emission of donor and acceptor doped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well structures with inserted thin AlAs monolayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Dommelen, Paphavee; Daengngam, Chalongrat; Kalasuwan, Pruet

2018-04-01

In this paper, we explore THz range optical intersubband transition energies in a donor doped quantum well of a GaAs/AlGaAs system as a function of the insertion position of an AlAs monolayer in the GaAs quantum well. In simulated models, the optical transition energies between electron subband levels 1 and 2 were higher in the doped structure than in the undoped structure. This may be because the envelope wave function of the second electron subband strongly overlapped the envelope wave function of the first electron subband and influenced the optical intersubband transition between the two levels in the THz range. At different levels of bias voltage at the Schottky barrier on the donor doped structure, the electric field in the growth direction of the structure linearly increased the further away the AlAs monolayer was placed from the reference position. We also simulated the optical transition energies between acceptor energy levels of the acceptor doped structure as a function of the insertion position of the AlAs monolayer. The acceptor doped structure induced THz range emission whereas the undoped structure induced mid-IR emission.

Photo-driven electron transfer from the highly reducing excited state of naphthalene diimide radical anion to a CO 2 reduction catalyst within a molecular triad

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martinez, Jose F.; La Porte, Nathan T.; Mauck, Catherine M.

2017-01-01

The naphthalene-1,4:5,8-bis(dicarboximide) radical anion (NDI -˙), which is easily produced by mild chemical or electrochemical reduction (-0.5 Vvs.SCE), can be photoexcited at wavelengths as long as 785 nm, and has an excited state (NDI -˙*) oxidation potential of -2.1 Vvs.SCE, making it a very attractive choice for artificial photosynthetic systems that require powerful photoreductants, such as CO 2 reduction catalysts. However, once an electron is transferred from NDI -˙* to an acceptor directly bound to it, a combination of strong electronic coupling and favorable free energy change frequently make the back electron transfer rapid. To mitigate this effect, we havemore » designed a molecular triad system comprising an NDI -˙ chromophoric donor, a 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) intermediate acceptor, and a Re(dmb)(CO) 3carbon dioxide reduction catalyst, where dmb is 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, as the terminal acceptor. Photoexcitation of NDI -˙ to NDI -˙* is followed by ultrafast reduction of DPA to DPA -˙, which then rapidly reduces the metal complex. The overall time constant for the forward electron transfer to reduce the metal complex is τ = 20.8 ps, while the time constant for back-electron transfer is six orders of magnitude longer, τ = 43.4 μs. Achieving long-lived, highly reduced states of these metal complexes is a necessary condition for their use as catalysts. The extremely long lifetime of the reduced metal complex is attributed to careful tuning of the redox potentials of the chromophore and intermediate acceptor. The NDI -˙–DPA fragment presents many attractive features for incorporation into other photoinduced electron transfer assemblies directed at the long-lived photosensitization of difficult-to-reduce catalytic centers.« less

Highly efficient exciplex organic light-emitting diodes incorporating a heptazine derivative as an electron acceptor.

PubMed

Li, Jie; Nomura, Hiroko; Miyazaki, Hiroshi; Adachi, Chihaya

2014-06-11

Highly efficient exciplex systems incorporating a heptazine derivative () as an electron acceptor and 1,3-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl)benzene () as an electron donor are developed. An organic light-emitting diode containing 8 wt% : as an emitting layer exhibits a maximum external quantum efficiency of 11.3%.

Utilization of charge-transfer complexation for the detection of carcinogenic substances in foods: Spectroscopic characterization of ethyl carbamate with some traditional π-acceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, Abdel Majid A.; Refat, Moamen S.; Saad, Hosam A.

2013-04-01

The study of toxic and carcinogenic substances in foods represents one of the most demanding areas in food safety, due to their repercussions for public health. One potentially toxic compound for humans is ethyl carbamate (EC). EC is a multi-site genotoxic carcinogen of widespread occurrence in fermented foods and alcoholic beverages. Structural and thermal stability of charge-transfer complexes formed between EC as a donor with quinol (QL), picric acid (PA), chloranilic acid (CLA), p-chloranil (p-CHL) and 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB) as acceptors were reported. Elemental analysis (CHN), electronic absorption spectra, photometric titration, IR, and 1H NMR spectra show that the interaction between EC and acceptors was stabilized by hydrogen bonding, via a 1:1 stoichiometry. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis indicates that the formation of molecular CT complexes was stable, exothermic and spontaneous. Finally, the CT complexes were screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. The results indicated that the [(EC)(QL)] complex exhibited strong antimicrobial activities against various bacterial and fungal strains compared with standard drugs.

Edge-on and face-on functionalized Pc on enriched semiconducting SWCNT hybrids.

PubMed

Arellano, Luis M; Martín-Gomis, Luis; Gobeze, Habtom B; Molina, Desiré; Hermosa, Cristina; Gómez-Escalonilla, María J; Fierro, José Luis G; Sastre-Santos, Ángela; D'Souza, Francis; Langa, Fernando

2018-03-15

Enriched semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT (6,5) and SWCNT (7,6)) and HiPco nanotubes were covalently functionalized with either zinc phthalocyanine or silicon phthalocyanine as electron donors. The synthetic strategy resulted in edge-on and face-on geometries with respect to the phthalocyanine geometry, with both phthalocyanines held by an electronically conducting diphenylacetylene linker. The extent of functionalization in the MPc-SWCNT (M = Zn or Si) donor-acceptor nanohybrids was determined by systematic studies involving AFM, TGA, XPS, optical and Raman techniques. Intramolecular interactions in MPc-SWCNT nanohybrids were probed by studies involving optical absorbance, Raman, luminescence and electrochemical studies. Different degrees of interactions were observed depending on the type of MPc and mode of attachment. Substantial quenching of MPc fluorescence in these hybrids was observed from steady-state and three-dimensional fluorescence mapping, which suggests the occurrence of excited state events. Evidence for the occurrence of excited state charge transfer type interactions was subsequently secured from femtosecond transient absorption studies covering both the visible and near-infrared regions. Furthermore, electron-pooling experiments performed in the presence of a sacrificial electron donor and a second electron acceptor revealed accumulation of one-electron reduced product upon continuous irradiation of the nanohybrids. In such experiments, the ZnPc-SWCNT (6,5) nanohybrid outperformed other nanohybrids and this suggests that this is a superior donor-acceptor system for photocatalytic applications.

Modular Electron Donor Group Tuning Of Frontier Energy Levels In Diarylaminofluorenone Push-Pull Molecules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Homnick, Paul J.; Lahti, P. M.

2012-01-01

Push–pull organic molecules composed of electron donor diarylamines at the 2- and 2,7-positions of fluorenone exhibit intramolecular charge-transfer behaviour in static absorption and emission spectra. Electrochemical and spectral data combined in a modular electronic analysis model show how the donor HOMO and acceptor LUMO act as major determinants of the frontier molecular orbital energy levels.

Interaction of Humic Acids with Organic Toxicants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tchaikovskaya, O. N.; Yudina, N. V.; Maltseva, E. V.; Nechaev, L. V.; Svetlichnyi, V. A.

2016-08-01

Interaction of humic acids with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (naphthalene and anthracene) and triazole series fungicides (cyproconazole (CC) and tebuconazole (TC)) is investigated by the method of fluorescence quenching depending on the concentration of substances in solutions and their structural features. Humic acids were modified by mechanochemical activation in a planetary mill. The complex character of intermolecular interactions between PAH and fungicides with humic acids, including donor-acceptor and hydrophobic binding, is established. Thermodynamically stable conformations of biocide molecules were estimated using ChemOffice CS Chem3D 8.0 by methods of molecular mechanics (MM2) and molecular dynamics. Biocide molecules with pH 7 are in energetically favorable position when the benzene and triazole rings are almost parallel to each other. After acidification of solutions to pH 4.5, the CC molecule retains the geometry for which donor-acceptor interactions are possible: the benzene ring in the molecule represents the electron donor, and triazole is the acceptor. In this case, the electron density in CC is redistributed easier, which is explained by a smaller number of carbon atoms between the triazole and benzene rings, unlike TC. As a result, the TC triazole ring is protonated to a greater degree, acquiring a positive charge, and enters into donoracceptor interactions with humic acid (HA) samples. The above-indicated bond types allow HA to participate actively in sorption processes and to provide their interaction with biocides and PAH and hence, to act as detoxifying agents for recultivation of the polluted environment.

A single molecule rectifier with strong push-pull coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saraiva-Souza, Aldilene; Macedo de Souza, Fabricio; Aleixo, Vicente F. P.; Girão, Eduardo Costa; Filho, Josué Mendes; Meunier, Vincent; Sumpter, Bobby G.; Souza Filho, Antônio Gomes; Del Nero, Jordan

2008-11-01

We theoretically investigate the electronic charge transport in a molecular system composed of a donor group (dinitrobenzene) coupled to an acceptor group (dihydrophenazine) via a polyenic chain (unsaturated carbon bridge). Ab initio calculations based on the Hartree-Fock approximations are performed to investigate the distribution of electron states over the molecule in the presence of an external electric field. For small bridge lengths (n =0-3) we find a homogeneous distribution of the frontier molecular orbitals, while for n >3 a strong localization of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is found. The localized orbitals in between the donor and acceptor groups act as conduction channels when an external electric field is applied. We also calculate the rectification behavior of this system by evaluating the charge accumulated in the donor and acceptor groups as a function of the external electric field. Finally, we propose a phenomenological model based on nonequilibrium Green's function to rationalize the ab initio findings.

Nonadiabatic rate constants for proton transfer and proton-coupled electron transfer reactions in solution: Effects of quadratic term in the vibronic coupling expansion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soudackov, Alexander; Hammes-Schiffer, Sharon

2015-11-17

Rate constant expressions for vibronically nonadiabatic proton transfer and proton-coupled electron transfer reactions are presented and analyzed. The regimes covered include electronically adiabatic and nonadiabatic reactions, as well as high-frequency and low-frequency regimes for the proton donor-acceptor vibrational mode. These rate constants differ from previous rate constants derived with the cumulant expansion approach in that the logarithmic expansion of the vibronic coupling in terms of the proton donor-acceptor distance includes a quadratic as well as a linear term. The analysis illustrates that inclusion of this quadratic term does not significantly impact the rate constants derived using the cumulant expansion approachmore » in any of the regimes studied. The effects of the quadratic term may become significant when using the vibronic coupling expansion in conjunction with a thermal averaging procedure for calculating the rate constant, however, particularly at high temperatures and for proton transfer interfaces with extremely soft proton donor-acceptor modes that are associated with extraordinarily weak hydrogen bonds. Even with the thermal averaging procedure, the effects of the quadratic term for weak hydrogen-bonding systems are less significant for more physically realistic models that prevent the sampling of unphysical short proton donor-acceptor distances, and the expansion of the coupling can be avoided entirely by calculating the couplings explicitly for the range of proton donor-acceptor distances. This analysis identifies the regimes in which each rate constant expression is valid and thus will be important for future applications to proton transfer and proton-coupled electron transfer in chemical and biological processes. We are grateful for support from National Institutes of Health Grant GM056207 (applications to enzymes) and the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (applications to molecular electrocatalysts).« less

Structural characterization of molecular complexes formed by trimethoprim and cimitidine with 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balraj, C.; Ganesh, K.; Elango, K. P.

2011-07-01

Spectroscopic and spectrofluorimetric techniques have been employed to investigate the structure of the charge transfer (CT) complexes of Trimethoprim (TMP) and Cimitidine (CTD) drugs with 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone ( p-chloranil, p-CHL). The stoichiometry of the complexes was found to be 1:2 for TMP- p-CHL system and 1:1 for CTD- p-CHL system. The thermodynamic results indicated that the formation of molecular complex between the donors and the acceptor is spontaneous and endothermic. The results of electronic spectral studies indicated that the formation constant for CTD- p-CHL system is found to be higher than that for TMP- p-CHL system. The observation is well supported by the results of fluorescence quenching studies and the association constants calculated for CTD- p-CHL system is 36.2 × 10 3 mol L -1 and that for TMP- p-CHL system is 2.6 × 10 3 mol L -1. The kinetic results, in both the cases, indicated that the interaction is first order each with respect to the concentration of the donor and the acceptor. The physico-chemical parameters viz. oscillator strength, dipole moment, ionization potential and dissociation energy of the complexes were also determined and discussed. Structural characterization of the complexes were done using FT-IR and 1H NMR spectral techniques and the results indicated that, in TMP, the free NH 2 group while in CTD the pyrazole N sbnd H moiety involves in complexation with the acceptor, p-CHL.

UV-Vis spectroscopy and density functional study of solvent effect on the charge transfer band of the n → σ* complexes of 2-Methylpyridine and 2-Chloropyridine with molecular iodine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogoi, Pallavi; Mohan, Uttam; Borpuzari, Manash Protim; Boruah, Abhijit; Baruah, Surjya Kumar

2017-03-01

UV-Vis spectroscopy has established that Pyridine substitutes form n→σ* charge transfer (CT) complexes with molecular Iodine. This study is a combined approach of purely experimental UV-Vis spectroscopy, Multiple linear regression theory and Computational chemistry to analyze the effect of solvent upon the charge transfer band of 2-Methylpyridine-I2 and 2-Chloropyridine-I2 complexes. Regression analysis verifies the dependence of the CT band upon different solvent parameters. Dielectric constant and refractive index are considered among the bulk solvent parameters and Hansen, Kamlet and Catalan parameters are taken into consideration at the molecular level. Density Functional Theory results explain well the blue shift of the CT bands in polar medium as an outcome of stronger donor acceptor interaction. A logarithmic relation between the bond length of the bridging atoms of the donor and the acceptor with the dielectric constant of the medium is established. Tauc plot and TDDFT study indicates a non-vertical electronic transition in the complexes. Buckingham and Lippert Mataga equations are applied to check the Polarizability effect on the CT band.

Development of Spiro[cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b']dithiophene-4,9'-fluorene]-Based A-π-D-π-A Small Molecules with Different Acceptor Units for Efficient Organic Solar Cells.

PubMed

Wang, Wengong; Shen, Ping; Dong, Xinning; Weng, Chao; Wang, Guo; Bin, Haijun; Zhang, Jing; Zhang, Zhi-Guo; Li, Yongfang

2017-02-08

Three acceptor-π-donor-π-acceptor (A-π-D-π-A) small molecules (STFYT, STFRDN, and STFRCN) with spiro[cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b']dithiophene-4,9'-fluorene] (STF) as the central donor unit, terthiophene as the π-conjugated bridge, indenedione, 3-ethylrhodanine, or 2-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)rhodanine as the acceptor unit are designed, synthesized, and characterized as electron donor materials in solution-processing organic solar cells (OSCs). The effects of the spiro STF-based central core and different acceptors on the molecular configuration, absorption properties, electronic energy levels, carrier transport properties, the morphology of active layers, and photovoltaic properties are investigated in detail. The three molecules exhibit desirable physicochemical features: wide absorption bands (300-850 nm) and high molar absorption coefficients (4.82 × 10 4 to 7.56 × 10 4 M -1 cm -1 ) and relatively low HOMO levels (-5.15 to -5.38 eV). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the spiro STF central core benefits to reduce the steric hindrance effect between the central donor block and terthiophene bridge and suppress excessive intermolecular aggregations. The optimized OSCs based on these molecules deliver power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 6.68%, 3.30%, and 4.33% for STFYT, STFRDN, and STFRCN, respectively. The higher PCE of STFYT-based OSCs should be ascribed to its better absorption ability, higher and balanced hole and electron mobilities, and superior active layer morphology as compared to the other two compounds. So far, this is the first example of developing the A-π-D-π-A type small molecules with a spiro central donor core for high-performance OSC applications. Meanwhile, these results demonstrate that using spiro central block to construct A-π-D-π-A molecule is an alternative and effective strategy for achieving high-performance small molecule donor materials.

Predictive Models for the Free Energy of Hydrogen Bonded Complexes with Single and Cooperative Hydrogen Bonds.

PubMed

Glavatskikh, Marta; Madzhidov, Timur; Solov'ev, Vitaly; Marcou, Gilles; Horvath, Dragos; Varnek, Alexandre

2016-12-01

In this work, we report QSPR modeling of the free energy ΔG of 1 : 1 hydrogen bond complexes of different H-bond acceptors and donors. The modeling was performed on a large and structurally diverse set of 3373 complexes featuring a single hydrogen bond, for which ΔG was measured at 298 K in CCl 4 . The models were prepared using Support Vector Machine and Multiple Linear Regression, with ISIDA fragment descriptors. The marked atoms strategy was applied at fragmentation stage, in order to capture the location of H-bond donor and acceptor centers. Different strategies of model validation have been suggested, including the targeted omission of individual H-bond acceptors and donors from the training set, in order to check whether the predictive ability of the model is not limited to the interpolation of H-bond strength between two already encountered partners. Successfully cross-validating individual models were combined into a consensus model, and challenged to predict external test sets of 629 and 12 complexes, in which donor and acceptor formed single and cooperative H-bonds, respectively. In all cases, SVM models outperform MLR. The SVM consensus model performs well both in 3-fold cross-validation (RMSE=1.50 kJ/mol), and on the external test sets containing complexes with single (RMSE=3.20 kJ/mol) and cooperative H-bonds (RMSE=1.63 kJ/mol). © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultrafast photoinduced charge transport in Pt(II) donor-acceptor assembly bearing naphthalimide electron acceptor and phenothiazine electron donor.

PubMed

Sazanovich, Igor V; Best, Jonathan; Scattergood, Paul A; Towrie, Michael; Tikhomirov, Sergei A; Bouganov, Oleg V; Meijer, Anthony J H M; Weinstein, Julia A

2014-12-21

Visible light-induced charge transfer dynamics were investigated in a novel transition metal triad acceptor-chromophore-donor, (NDI-phen)Pt(II)(-C≡C-Ph-CH2-PTZ)2 (1), designed for photoinduced charge separation using a combination of time-resolved infrared (TRIR) and femtosecond electronic transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy. In 1, the electron acceptor is 1,4,5,8-naphthalene diimide (NDI), and the electron donor is phenothiazine (PTZ), and [(phen)Pt(-C≡C-Ph-)], where phen is 1,10-phenanthroline, represents the chromophoric core. The first excited state observed in 1 is a (3)MLCT/LL'CT, with {Pt(II)-acetylide}-to-phen character. Following that, charge transfer from the phen-anion onto the NDI subunit to form NDI(-)-phen-[Pt-(C≡C)2](+)-PTZ2 occurs with a time constant of 2.3 ps. This transition is characterised by appearance of the prominent NDI-anion features in both TRIR and TA spectra. The final step of the charge separation in 1 proceeds with a time constant of ∼15 ps during which the hole migrates from the [Pt-(C≡C)2] subunit to one of the PTZ groups. Charge recombination in 1 then occurs with two distinct time constants of 36 ns and 107 ns, corresponding to the back electron transfer to each of the two donor groups; a rather rare occurrence which manifests that the hole in the final charge-separated state is localised on one of the two donor PTZ groups. The assignment of the nature of the excited states and dynamics in 1 was assisted by TRIR investigations of the analogous previously reported ((COOEt)2bpy)Pt(C≡C-Ph-CH2-PTZ)2 (2), (J. E. McGarrah and R. Eisenberg, Inorg. Chem., 2003, 42, 4355; J. E. McGarrah, J. T. Hupp and S. N. Smirnov, J. Phys. Chem. A, 2009, 113, 6430) as well as (bpy)Pt(C≡C-Ph-C7H15)2, which represent the acceptor-free dyad, and the chromophoric core, respectively. Thus, the step-wise formation of the full charge-separated state on the picosecond time scale and charge recombination via tunnelling have been established; and the presence of two distinct charge recombination pathways has been observed.

Enriching Metal-Oxidizing Microbes from Marine Sediment on Cathodic Currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowe, A. R.; Nealson, K. H.

2013-12-01

The ability of organisms to transfer electrons to and from substrates outside the cell is reshaping the way we look at microbial respiration. While this process, termed extracellular electron transport (EET), has been described in a number of metal reducing organisms, current evidence suggests that this process is widespread in nature and across physiologies. Additionally, it has been speculated that these previously overlooked electrochemical interactions may play an important role in global biogeochemical cycles. Requirements for EET could play a role in why the ';uncultured majority' have so far been resistant to culturing. As such, we are currently developing culturing techniques to target microbes capable of utilizing insoluble electron acceptors utilizing electrochemical techniques. Microbe-electrode interactions are analogous to the reactions that occur between microbes and minerals and may provide an apt way to mimic the environmental conditions (i.e., insoluble electron donor/acceptor at specific redox potentials) required for culturing specialized or EET dependent metabolisms. It has been previously demonstrated that aquatic sediments are capable of utilizing anodes as electron acceptors, thereby generating a current. While, it is known that microbes utilize electrons from a cathode for the reduction of different metals and oxygen in microbial fuel cells, currently there are no reports of environmental enrichments of microbes using cathodes. Replicate microcosms from marine sediments (sampled from Catalina Harbor, California) were incubated with ITO plated glass electrodes. Negative current production at -400mV (vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrodes) potentials was sustained for four weeks. Secondary enrichments were then constructed using the cathode as the primary electron source and a variety of anaerobic terminal electron acceptors--Nitrate, Fe3+, and SO42-. Positive current was maintained in enrichment cultures (compared to abiotic control containing terminal electron acceptors. Batch feeds of different electron donors resulted in a spike in electric current over a 24 hour period of time. Two subsequent enrichment cultures have been phylogenetically characterized that were supplied solely with elemental sulfur (So) as an electron donor, and either nitrate, δ-MnO2 or Fe3+ as the terminal electron acceptor. Current efforts are geared towards isolating currently iron-oxidizing and sulfur-oxidizing lithotrophs.

Effect of proton transfer on the electronic coupling in DNA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rak, Janusz; Makowska, Joanna; Voityuk, Alexander A.

2006-06-01

The effects of single and double proton transfer within Watson-Crick base pairs on donor-acceptor electronic couplings, Vda, in DNA are studied on the bases of quantum chemical calculations. Four dimers [AT,AT], [GC,GC], [GC,AT] and [GC,TA)] are considered. Three techniques - the generalized Mulliken-Hush scheme, the fragment charge method and the diabatic states method - are employed to estimate Vda for hole transfer between base pairs. We show that both single- and double proton transfer (PT) reactions may substantially affect the electronic coupling in DNA. The electronic coupling in [AT,AT] is predicted to be most sensitive to PT. Single PT within the first base pair in the dimer leads to increase in the hole transfer efficiency by a factor of 4, while proton transfer within the second pair should substantially, by 2.7 times, decrease the rate of charge transfer. Thus, directional asymmetry of the PT effects on the electronic coupling is predicted. The changes in the Vda matrix elements correlate with the topological properties of orbitals of donor and acceptor and can be qualitatively rationalized in terms of resonance structures of donor and acceptor. Atomic pair contributions to the Vda matrix elements are also analyzed.

Fullerene derivatives as electron donor for organic photovoltaic cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhuang, Taojun; Wang, Xiao-Feng, E-mail: xf-wang@yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp, E-mail: ziruo@yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp; Sano, Takeshi

2013-11-11

We demonstrated the performance of unconventional, all-fullerene-based, planar heterojunction (PHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells using fullerene derivatives indene-C{sub 60} bisadduct (ICBA) and phenyl C{sub 61}-butyric acid methyl ester as the electron donors with fullerene C{sub 70} as the electron acceptor. Two different charge generation processes, including charge generation in the fullerene bulk and exciton dissociation at the donor-acceptor interface, have been found to exist in such all-fullerene-based PHJ cells and the contribution to the total photocurrent from each process is strongly dependent on the thickness of fullerene donor. The optimized 5 nm ICBA/40 nm C{sub 70} PHJ cell gives clear external quantummore » efficiency responses for the long-wavelength photons corresponding to the dissociation of strongly bound Frenkel excitons, which is hardly observed in fullerene-based single layer reference devices. This approach using fullerene as a donor material provides further possibilities for developing high performance OPV cells.« less

Electron transfer across multiple hydrogen bonds: the case of ureapyrimidinedione-substituted vinyl ruthenium and osmium complexes.

PubMed

Pichlmaier, Markus; Winter, Rainer F; Zabel, Manfred; Zális, Stanislav

2009-04-08

Ruthenium and osmium complexes 2a,b and 3a,b featuring the N-4,6-dioxo-5,5-dibutyl- or the N-4,6-dioxo-5,5-di-(2-propenyl)-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-yl-N'(4-ethenylphenyl)-urea ligand dimerize by a self-complementary quadruply hydrogen-bonding donor/donor/acceptor/acceptor (DDAA) motif. We provide evidence that the dimeric structures are maintained in nonpolar solvents and in 0.1 M NBu(4)PF(6)/CH(2)Cl(2) supporting electrolyte solution. All complexes are reversibly oxidized in two consecutive two-electron oxidations (DeltaE(1/2) approximately = 500 mV) without any discernible potential splitting for the oxidation of the individual hydrogen-bridged redox active moieties. IR and UV/vis/NIR spectroelectrochemistry show a one-step conversion of the neutral to the dication without any discernible features of an intermediate monooxidized radical cation. Oxidation-induced IR changes of the NH and CO groups that are involved in hydrogen bonding are restricted to the styryl-bonded urea NH function. IR band assignments are aided by quantum chemical calculations. Our experimental findings clearly show that, at least in the present systems, the ureapyrimidinedione (Upy) DDAA hydrogen-bonding motif does not support electron transfer. The apparent reason is that neither of the hydrogen-bonding functionalities contributes to the occupied frontier levels. This results in nearly degenerate pairs of MOs representing the in-phase and out-of-phase combinations of the individual monomeric building blocks.

Hydrogen and formate oxidation coupled to dissimilatory reduction of iron or manganese by Alteromonas putrefaciens

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lovley, D.R.; Phillips, E.J.P.; Lonergan, D.J.

1989-01-01

The ability of Alteromonas putrefaciens to obtain energy for growth by coupling the oxidation of various electron donors to dissimilatory Fe(III) or Mn(IV) reduction was investigated. A. putrefaciens grew with hydrogen, formate, lactate, or pyruvate as the sole electron donor and Fe(III) as the sole electron acceptor. Lactate and pyruvate were oxidized to acetate, which was not metabolized further. With Fe(III) as the electron acceptor, A. putrefaciens had a high affinity for hydrogen and formate and metabolized hydrogen at partial pressures that were 25-fold lower than those of hydrogen that can be metabolized by pure cultures of sulfate reducers or methanogens. The electron donors for Fe(III) reduction also supported Mn(IV) reduction. The electron donors for Fe(III) and Mn(IV) reduction and the inability of A. putrefaciens to completely oxidize multicarbon substrates to carbon dioxide distinguish A. putrefaciens from GS-15, the only other organism that is known to obtain energy for growth by coupling the oxidation of organic compounds to the reduction of Fe(III) or Mn(IV). The ability of A. putrefaciens to reduce large quantities of Fe(III) and to grow in a defined medium distinguishes it from a Pseudomonas sp., which is the only other known hydrogen-oxidizing, Fe(III)-reducing microorganism. Furthermore, A. putrefaciens is the first organism that is known to grow with hydrogen as the electron donor and Mn(IV) as the electron acceptor and is the first organism that is known to couple the oxidation of formate to the reduction of Fe(III) or Mn(IV). Thus, A. putrefaciens provides a much needed microbial model for key reactions in the oxidation of sediment organic matter coupled to Fe(III) and Mn(IV) reduction.

Perylene-Diimide Based Donor-Acceptor-Donor Type Small-Molecule Acceptors for Solution-Processable Organic Solar Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesamoorthy, Ramasamy; Vijayaraghavan, Rajagopalan; Sakthivel, Pachagounder

2017-12-01

Development of nonfullerene acceptors plays an important role in the commercial availability of plastic solar cells. We report herein synthesis of bay-substituted donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D)-type perylene diimide (PDI)-based small molecules (SM-1 to SM-4) by Suzuki coupling method and their use as acceptors in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (BHJ-OSCs) with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) polymer donor. We varied the number of electron-rich thiophene units and the solubilizing side chains and also evaluated the optical and electrochemical properties of the small molecules. The synthesized small molecules were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and high-resolution mass spectroscopy (HR-MS). The small molecules showed extensive and strong absorption in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) region up to 750 nm, with bandgap (E_{{g}}^{{opt}} ) reduced below <2 eV. The energy levels of small molecules SM-1 to SM-4 were suitable for use as electron-accepting materials. The small molecules showed good thermal stability up to 300°C. BHJ-OSCs with SM-1 and P3HT polymer donor showed maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.19% with V oc of 0.30 V, J sc of 1.72 mA cm-2, and fill factor (FF) of 37%. The PCE decreased with the number of thiophene units. The PCE of SM-2 was lower than that of SM-1. This difference in PCE can be explained by the higher aggregation tendency of the bithiophene compared with the thiophene unit. Introduction of the solubilizing group in the bay position increased the aggregation property, leading to much lower PCE than for the small molecules without solubilizing group.

Structure and Electronic Spectra of Purine-Methyl Viologen Charge Transfer Complexes

PubMed Central

Jalilov, Almaz S.; Patwardhan, Sameer; Singh, Arunoday; Simeon, Tomekia; Sarjeant, Amy A.; Schatz, George C.; Lewis, Frederick D.

2014-01-01

The structure and properties of the electron donor-acceptor complexes formed between methyl viologen (MV) and purine nucleosides and nucleotides in water and the solid state have been investigated using a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. Solution studies were performed using UV-vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Theoretical calculations were performed within the framework of density functional theory (DFT). Energy decomposition analysis indicates that dispersion and induction (charge-transfer) interactions dominate the total binding energy, whereas electrostatic interactions are largely repulsive. The appearance of charge transfer bands in the absorption spectra of the complexes are well described by time-dependent (TD) DFT and are further explained in terms of the redox properties of purine monomers and solvation effects. Crystal structures are reported for complexes of methyl viologen with the purines 2′-deoxyguanosine 3′-monophosphate GMP (DAD′DAD′ type) and 7-deazaguanosine zG (DAD′ADAD′ type). Comparison of the structures determined in the solid state and by theoretical methods in solution provides valuable insights into the nature of charge-transfer interactions involving purine bases as electron donors. PMID:24294996

Charged dopants in neutral supercells through substitutional donor (acceptor): nitrogen donor charging of the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Löfgren, Robin; Pawar, Ravinder; Öberg, Sven; Larsson, J. Andreas

2018-02-01

Charged defects are traditionally computed by adding (subtracting) electrons for negative (positive) impurities. When using periodic boundary conditions this results in artificially charged supercells that also require a compensating background charge of the opposite sign, which makes slab supercells problematic because of an arbitrary dependence on the vacuum thickness. In this work, we test the method of using neutral supercells through the use of a substitutional electron donor (acceptor) to describe charged systems. We use density functional theory (DFT) to compare the effects of charging the well-studied NV-center in diamond by a substitutional donor nitrogen. We investigate the influence of the donor-N on the NV-center properties as a function of the distance between them, and find that they converge toward those obtained when adding an electron. We analyze the spin density and conclude that the donor-N has a zero magnetic moment, and thus, will not be seen in electron spin resonance. We validate our DFT energies through comparison to GW simulations. Charging the NV-center with a substitutional donor-N enables accurate calculations of slabs, without the ambiguity of using charged supercells. Implantation of donor-N atoms opens up the possibility to engineer NV-centers with the desired charge state for future ICT and sensor applications.

Understanding biogeobatteries: Where geophysics meets microbiology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Revil, A.; Mendonca, C.A.; Atekwana, E.A.

2009-08-15

Although recent research suggests that contaminant plumes behave as geobatteries that produce an electrical current in the ground, no associated model exists that honors both geophysical and biogeochemical constraints. Here, we develop such a model to explain the two main electrochemical contributions to self-potential signals in contaminated areas. Both contributions are associated with the gradient of the activity of two types of charge carriers, ions and electrons. In the case of electrons, bacteria act as catalysts for reducing the activation energy needed to exchange the electrons between electron donor and electron acceptor. Possible mechanisms that facilitate electron migration include ironmore » oxides, clays, and conductive biological materials, such as bacterial conductive pili or other conductive extracellular polymeric substances. Because we explicitly consider the role of biotic processes in the geobattery model, we coined the term 'biogeobattery'. After theoretical development of the biogeobattery model, we compare model predictions with self-potential responses associated with laboratory and field-scale conducted in contaminated environments. We demonstrate that the amplitude and polarity of large (>100 mV) self-potential signatures requires the presence of an electronic conductor to serve as a bridge between electron donors and acceptors. Small self-potential anomalies imply that electron donors and electron acceptors are not directly interconnected, but instead result simply from the gradient of the activity of the ionic species that are present in the system.« less

Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and structural studies of a new proton transfer (H-bonded) complex of o-phenylenediamine with L-tartaric acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Ishaat M.; Ahmad, Afaq

2013-10-01

A proton transfer or H-bonded (CT) complex of o-phenylenediamine (OPD) as donor with L-tartaric acid (TART) as acceptor was synthesized and characterized by spectral techniques such as FTIR, 1H NMR, elemental analysis, TGA-TDA, X-ray crystallography and spectrophotometric studies. The structural investigations exhibit that the cation [OPD+] and anion [TART-] are linked together through strong N+-H⋯O- type hydrogen bonds due to transfer of proton from acceptor to donor. Formed H-bonded complex exhibits well resolved proton transfer bands in the regions where neither donor nor acceptor has any absorption. The stoichiometry of the H-bonded complex (HBC) was found to be 1:1, determined by straight line methods. Spectrophotometric studies have been performed at room temperature and Benesi-Hildebrand equation was used to determine formation constant (KCT), molar extinction coefficient (ɛCT) and also transition energy (ECT) of the H-bonded complex. Spectrophotomeric and crystallographic studies have ascertained the formation of 1:1 H-bonded complex. Thermal analysis (TGA-DTA) was also used to confirm the thermal fragmentation and the stability of the synthesized H-bonded complex.

Infrared absorption study of neutron-transmutation-doped germanium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, I. S.; Haller, E. E.

1988-01-01

Using high-resolution far-infrared Fourier transform absorption spectroscopy and Hall effect measurements, the evolution of the shallow acceptor and donor impurity levels in germanium during and after the neutron transmutation doping process was studied. The results show unambiguously that the gallium acceptor level concentration equals the concentration of transmutated Ge-70 atoms during the whole process indicating that neither recoil during transmutation nor gallium-defect complex formation play significant roles. The arsenic donor levels appear at full concentration only after annealing for 1 h at 450 C. It is shown that this is due to donor-radiation-defect complex formation. Again, recoil does not play a significant role.

Molecular complexes of some anthraquinone anti-cancer drugs: experimental and computational study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Gogary, Tarek M.

2003-03-01

It is known that anti-cancer drugs target DNA in the cell. The mechanism of interaction of anti-cancer drugs with DNA is not fully understood. It is thought that the forces of interaction have some contribution from charge-transfer (CT) binding. The ability of some anthraquinones (AQs) anti-cancer drugs to form CT complexes with well-known electron donor molecules was investigated by NMR. The NMR spectroscopy has indicated the formation of CT complexes between 1,4-bis{[2-(dimethylamino) ethyl]amino}-5,8-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione, (AQ4), and its des-hydroxylated equivalent 1,4-bis{[2-(dimethylamino) ethyl]amino}anthracene-9,10-dione, (AQ4H), as electron acceptors and pyrene (PY) and hexamethylbenzene (HMB) as electron donors. Association constants of the formed CT complexes were determined from the NMR data. AQ4 showed weaker electron accepting power than AQ4H, which could be easily explained on the basis of the electron donating nature of the two-hydroxyl groups. AQ4 and AQ4H have higher stability constant with PY than with HMB. This reflects the weaker interaction of the AQs with the latter, which is a direct effect of the six bulky methyl groups. Electronic absorption spectroscopy of the studied system was performed in chloroform and showed the absence of new absorption bands. The extent of interaction between AQs and donors has been computed using molecular mechanics and quantum mechanics. The computed values were compared with the experimental results of association constants.

Donor-acceptor cocrystal based on hexakis(alkoxy)triphenylene and perylenediimide derivatives with an ambipolar transporting property

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yajun; Li, Yan; Liu, Jiangang; Xing, Rubo; Han, Yanchun

2015-01-01

An organic donor-acceptor cocrystal with an ambipolar transporting property was constructed based on N,N'-bis(1-ethylpropyl)-perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (EP-PDI) and 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexakis-(hexyloxy)-triphenylene (H6TP). The cocrystal with an alternating stacking of H6TP and EP-PDI molecules was formed through both drop-casting and spin-coating processes, especially at the optimized ratios of H6TP/EP-PDI (2/1, 1/1). The formation of the cocrystal was driven by the strong π-π interaction and the weaker steric hindrance, resulting from the smaller side groups, between the donor and acceptor molecules. Field effect transistors (FETs) based on the H6TP/EP-PDI cocrystal exhibited relatively balanced hole/electron transport, with a hole mobility of 1.14 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1 and an electron mobility of 1.40 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1.An organic donor-acceptor cocrystal with an ambipolar transporting property was constructed based on N,N'-bis(1-ethylpropyl)-perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (EP-PDI) and 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexakis-(hexyloxy)-triphenylene (H6TP). The cocrystal with an alternating stacking of H6TP and EP-PDI molecules was formed through both drop-casting and spin-coating processes, especially at the optimized ratios of H6TP/EP-PDI (2/1, 1/1). The formation of the cocrystal was driven by the strong π-π interaction and the weaker steric hindrance, resulting from the smaller side groups, between the donor and acceptor molecules. Field effect transistors (FETs) based on the H6TP/EP-PDI cocrystal exhibited relatively balanced hole/electron transport, with a hole mobility of 1.14 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1 and an electron mobility of 1.40 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr05915h

The presence of isolated hydrogen donors in heavily carbon-doped GaAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fushimi, Hiroshi; Wada, Kazumi

1994-12-01

The deactivation mechanism of carbon acceptors in GaAs has systematically been studied by measuring the annealing behavior and depth profiles of the carrier concentration. It is found that hydrogen impurities dominate carbon deactivation. Their deactivation undergoes two different ways: Hydrogen donors isolated from carbon acceptors compensate carbon and hydrogen impurities neutralize the carbon by forming neutral carbon-hydrogen complexes. The compensating hydrogen donors diffuse out extremely fast at relatively low temperatures. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report on the presence of isolated hydrogen donors in heavily carbon-doped GaAs. The dissociation of carbon-hydrogen complexes is much slower than reported. The mechanism is discussed in terms of a hydrogen retrapping effect by carbon.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole-based π-bridged donor-acceptor polymer for photovoltaic applications.

PubMed

Li, Wenting; Lee, Taegweon; Oh, Soong Ju; Kagan, Cherie R

2011-10-01

We report the synthesis, properties, and photovoltaic applications of a new conjugated copolymer (C12DPP-π-BT) containing a donor group (bithiophene) and an acceptor group (2,5-didodecylpyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione), bridged by a phenyl group. Using cyclic voltammetry, we found the energy levels of C12DPP-π-BT are intermediate to common electron donor and acceptor photovoltaic materials, poly (3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), respectively. Whereas P3HT and PCBM are exclusively electron donating or accepting, we predict C12DPP-π-BT may uniquely serve as either an electron donor or an acceptor when paired with PCBM or P3HT forming junctions with large built-in potentials. We confirmed the ambipolar nature of C12DPP-π-BT in space charge limited current measurements and in C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM and C12DPP-π-BT:P3HT bulk heterojunction solar cells, achieving power conversion efficiencies of 1.67% and 0.84%, respectively, under illumination of AM 1.5G (100 mW/cm(2)). Adding diiodooctane to C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM improved donor-acceptor inter-mixing and film uniformity, and therefore enhanced charge separation and overall device efficiency. Using higher-molecular-weight polymer C12DPP-π-BT in both C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM and C12DPP-π-BT:P3HT devices improved charge transport and hence the performance of the solar cells. In addition, we compared the structural and electronic properties of C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM and C12DPP-π-BT:P3HT blends, representing the materials classes of polymer:fullerene and polymer:polymer blends. In C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM blends, higher short circuit currents were obtained, consistent with faster charge transfer and balanced electron and hole transport, but lower open circuit voltages may be reduced by trap-assisted recombination and interfacial recombination losses. In contrast, C12DPP-π-BT:P3HT blends exhibit higher open circuit voltage, but short circuit currents were limited by charge transfer between the polymers. In conclusion, C12DPP-π-BT is a promising material with intrinsic ambipolar characteristics for organic photovoltaics and may operate as either a donor or acceptor in the design of bulk heterojunction solar cells. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Ultrafast Photoinduced Electron Transfer in a π-Conjugated Oligomer/Porphyrin Complex.

PubMed

Aly, Shawkat M; Goswami, Subhadip; Alsulami, Qana A; Schanze, Kirk S; Mohammed, Omar F

2014-10-02

Controlling charge transfer (CT), charge separation (CS), and charge recombination (CR) at the donor-acceptor interface is extremely important to optimize the conversion efficiency in solar cell devices. In general, ultrafast CT and slow CR are desirable for optimal device performance. In this Letter, the ultrafast excited-state CT between platinum oligomer (DPP-Pt(acac)) as a new electron donor and porphyrin as an electron acceptor is monitored for the first time using femtosecond (fs) transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy with broad-band capability and 120 fs temporal resolution. Turning the CT on/off has been shown to be possible either by switching from an organometallic oligomer to a metal-free oligomer or by controlling the charge density on the nitrogen atom of the porphyrin meso unit. Our time-resolved data show that the CT and CS between DPP-Pt(acac) and cationic porphyrin are ultrafast (approximately 1.5 ps), and the CR is slow (ns time scale), as inferred from the formation and the decay of the cationic and anionic species. We also found that the metallic center in the DPP-Pt(acac) oligomer and the positive charge on the porphyrin are the keys to switching on/off the ultrafast CT process.

Hydrogen bonding assemblies in host guest complexes with 18-crown-6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fonari, M. S.; Simonov, Yu. A.; Kravtsov, V. Ch.; Lipkowski, J.; Ganin, E. V.; Yavolovskii, A. A.

2003-02-01

Recent X-ray crystal structural data for two novel 1:2 host-guest complexes of 18-crown-6 with neutral organic molecules, thiaamide hydrazide of 2-aminobenzoic acid and thiaamide hydrazide of 4-amino-1,2,5-thiadiazole-3-carbonic acid are reported. The supramolecular structures of these two and five relative complexes are discussed from the point of view of participation of donor groups in coordination with the crown ether, and donor and acceptor groups in the self-assembly of the guest molecules. Guest molecules have incorporated amine and hydrazine moieties as proton donors and carbonyl oxygen and sulfur (in thiadiazole and in thiaamine moieties) as proton acceptors. The guest-guest interactions appeared to be crucial in the final architecture.

Two-photon or higher-order absorbing optical materials and methods of use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, Joseph (Inventor); Marder, Seth (Inventor)

2001-01-01

Compositions capable of simultaneous two-photon absorption and higher order absorptivities are disclosed. Many of these compositions are compounds satisfying the formulae D-.PI.-D, A-.PI.-A, D-A-D and A-D-A, wherein D is an electron donor group, A is an electron acceptor group and .PI. comprises a bridge of .pi.-conjugated bonds connecting the electron donor groups and electron acceptor groups. In A-D-A and D-A-D compounds, the .pi. bridge is substituted with electron donor groups and electron acceptor groups, respectively. Also disclosed are methods that generate an electronically excited state of a compound, including those satisfying one of these formulae. The electronically excited state is achieved in a method that includes irradiating the compound with light. Then, the compound is converted to a multi-photon electronically excited state upon simultaneous absorption of at least two photons of light. The sum of the energies of all of the absorbed photons is greater than or equal to the transition energy from a ground state of the compound to the multi-photon excited state. The energy of each absorbed photon is less than the transition energy between the ground state and the lowest single-photon excited state of the compound is less than the transition energy between the multi-photon excited state and the ground state.

Non-Condon nonequilibrium Fermi’s golden rule rates from the linearized semiclassical method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, Xiang; Geva, Eitan

2016-08-14

The nonequilibrium Fermi’s golden rule describes the transition between a photoexcited bright donor electronic state and a dark acceptor electronic state, when the nuclear degrees of freedom start out in a nonequilibrium state. In a previous paper [X. Sun and E. Geva, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 12, 2926 (2016)], we proposed a new expression for the nonequilibrium Fermi’s golden rule within the framework of the linearized semiclassical approximation and based on the Condon approximation, according to which the electronic coupling between donor and acceptor is assumed constant. In this paper we propose a more general expression, which is applicable tomore » the case of non-Condon electronic coupling. We test the accuracy of the new non-Condon nonequilibrium Fermi’s golden rule linearized semiclassical expression on a model where the donor and acceptor potential energy surfaces are parabolic and identical except for shifts in the equilibrium energy and geometry, and the coupling between them is linear in the nuclear coordinates. Since non-Condon effects may or may not give rise to conical intersections, both possibilities are examined by considering the following: (1) A modified Garg-Onuchic-Ambegaokar model for charge transfer in the condensed phase, where the donor-acceptor coupling is linear in the primary-mode coordinate, and for which non-Condon effects do not give rise to a conical intersection; (2) the linear vibronic coupling model for electronic transitions in gas phase molecules, where non-Condon effects give rise to conical intersections. We also present a comprehensive comparison between the linearized semiclassical expression and a progression of more approximate expressions, in both normal and inverted regions, and over a wide range of initial nonequilibrium states, temperatures, and frictions.« less

Structural and spectroscopic characterizations on the charge-transfer interactions of the second generation poly(propylene amine) dendrimers with iodine and picric acid acceptors.

PubMed

El-Sayed, Mohamed Y; Refat, Moamen S

2015-02-25

Herein, this study was focused to get a knowledge about the intermolecular charge transfer complexes between the second generation of poly(propylene amine) dendrimer (PPD2) with picric acid (PA) and iodine (I2) as π and σ-acceptors. The charge-transfer interaction of the PPD2 electron donor and the PA acceptor has been studied in CHCl3. The resulted data refereed to the formation of the new CT-complex with the general formula [(PPD2)(PA)4]. The 1:4 stoichiometry of the reaction was discussed upon the on elemental analysis and photometric titration. On the other hand, the 1:3½ iodine-PPD2 heptaiodide (I7(-)) charge-transfer complex has been studied spectrophotometrically in chloroform at room temperature with general formula [(PPD2)](+)I7(-). The electronic absorption bands of 2I2·I3(-) (I7(-)) are observed at 358 and 294 nm. Raman laser spectrum of the brown solid heptaiodide complex has two clearly vibration bands at 155 and 110 cm(-1) due to symmetric stretching νs(II) outer and inner bonds, respectively. The (1)H NMR spectra and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data of PPD2 charge-transfer complexes were discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiple hydrogen-bonded complexes based on 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone: a theoretical study.

PubMed

Sun, Hao; Lee, Hui Hui; Blakey, Idriss; Dargaville, Bronwin; Chirila, Traian V; Whittaker, Andrew K; Smith, Sean C

2011-09-29

In the present work, the electronic structures and properties of a series of 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone(UPy)-based monomers and dimers in various environments (vacuum, chloroform, and water) are studied by density functional theoretical methods. Most dimers prefer to form a DDAA-AADD (D, H-bond donor; A, H-bond acceptor) array in both vacuum and solvents. Topological analysis proved that intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds coexist in the dimers. Frequency and NBO calculations show that all the hydrogen bonds exhibit an obvious red shift in their stretching vibrational frequencies. Larger substituents at position 6 of the pyrimidinone ring with stronger electron-donating ability favor the total binding energy and free energy of dimerization. Calculations on the solvent effect show that dimerization is discouraged by the stronger polarity of the solvent. Further computations show that Dimer-1 may be formed in chloroform, but water molecules may interact with the donor or acceptor sites and hence disrupt the hydrogen bonds of Dimer-1. © 2011 American Chemical Society

High-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells with ferrocene-based electrolytes.

PubMed

Daeneke, Torben; Kwon, Tae-Hyuk; Holmes, Andrew B; Duffy, Noel W; Bach, Udo; Spiccia, Leone

2011-03-01

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on iodide/triiodide (I(-)/I(3)(-)) electrolytes are viable low-cost alternatives to conventional silicon solar cells. However, as well as providing record efficiencies of up to 12.0%, the use of I(-)/I(3)(-) in such solar cells also brings about certain limitations that stem from its corrosive nature and complex two-electron redox chemistry. Alternative redox mediators have been investigated, but these generally fall well short of matching the performance of conventional I(-)/I(3)(-) electrolytes. Here, we report energy conversion efficiencies of 7.5% (simulated sunlight, AM1.5, 1,000 W m(-2)) for dye-sensitized solar cells combining the archetypal ferrocene/ferrocenium (Fc/Fc(+)) single-electron redox couple with a novel metal-free organic donor-acceptor sensitizer (Carbz-PAHTDTT). These Fc/Fc(+)-based devices exceed the efficiency achieved for devices prepared using I(-)/I(3)(-) electrolytes under comparable conditions, revealing the great potential of ferrocene-based electrolytes in future dye-sensitized solar cells applications. This improvement results from a more favourable matching of the redox potential of the ferrocene couple with that of the new donor-acceptor sensitizer.

Organic solid state switches incorporating porphyrin compounds and method for producing organic solid state optical switches

DOEpatents

Wasielewski, Michael R.; Gaines, George L.; Niemczyk, Mark P.; Johnson, Douglas G.; Gosztola, David J.; O'Neil, Michael P.

1996-01-01

A light-intensity dependent molecular switch comprised of a compound which shuttles an electron or a plurality of electrons from a plurality of electron donors to an electron acceptor upon being stimulated with light of predetermined wavelengths, said donors selected from porphyrins and other compounds, and a method for making said compound.

The role of amino acid electron-donor/acceptor atoms in host-cell binding peptides is associated with their 3D structure and HLA-binding capacity in sterile malarial immunity induction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patarroyo, Manuel E., E-mail: mepatarr@mail.com; Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota; Almonacid, Hannia

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fundamental residues located in some HABPs are associated with their 3D structure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Electron-donor atoms present in {beta}-turn, random, distorted {alpha}-helix structures. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Electron-donor atoms bound to HLA-DR53. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Electron-acceptor atoms present in regular {alpha}-helix structure bound to HLA-DR52. -- Abstract: Plasmodium falciparum malaria continues being one of the parasitic diseases causing the highest worldwide mortality due to the parasite's multiple evasion mechanisms, such as immunological silence. Membrane and organelle proteins are used during invasion for interactions mediated by high binding ability peptides (HABPs); these have amino acids which establish hydrogen bonds between them in some of theirmore » critical binding residues. Immunisation assays in the Aotus model using HABPs whose critical residues had been modified have revealed a conformational change thereby enabling a protection-inducing response. This has improved fitting within HLA-DR{beta}1{sup Asterisk-Operator} molecules where amino acid electron-donor atoms present in {beta}-turn, random or distorted {alpha}-helix structures preferentially bound to HLA-DR53 molecules, whilst HABPs having amino acid electron-acceptor atoms present in regular {alpha}-helix structure bound to HLA-DR52. This data has great implications for vaccine development.« less

Novel High Efficient Organic Photovoltaic Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Sam; Haliburton, James; Fan, Zben; Taft, Charles; Wang, Yi-Qing; Maaref, Shahin; Mackey, Willie R. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In man's mission to the outer space or a remote site, the most abundant, renewable, nonpolluting, and unlimited external energy source is light. Photovoltaic (PV) materials can convert light into electrical power. In order to generate appreciable electrical power in space or on the Earth, it is necessary to collect sunlight from large areas due to the low density of sunlight, and this would be very costly using current commercially available inorganic solar cells. Future organic or polymer based solar cells seemed very attractive due to several reasons. These include lightweight, flexible shape, ultra-fast optoelectronic response time (this also makes organic PV materials attractive for developing ultra-fast photo detectors), tunability of energy band-gaps via molecular design, versatile materials synthesis and device fabrication schemes, and much lower cost on large-scale industrial production. It has been predicted that nano-phase separated block copolymer systems containing electron rich donor blocks and electron deficient acceptor blocks will facilitate the charge separation and migration due to improved electronic ultrastructure and morphology in comparison to current polymer composite photovoltaic system. This presentation will describe our recent progress in the design, synthesis and characterization of a novel donor-bridge-acceptor block copolymer system for potential high-efficient organic optoelectronic applications. Specifically, the donor block contains an electron donating alkyloxy derivatized polyphenylenevinylene, the acceptor block contains an electron withdrawing alkyl-sulfone derivatized polyphenylenevinylene, and the bridge block contains an electronically neutral non-conjugated aliphatic hydrocarbon chain. The key synthetic strategy includes the synthesis of each individual block first, then couple the blocks together. While the donor block stabilizes the holes, the acceptor block stabilizes the electrons. The bridge block is designed to hinder the electron-hole recombination. Thus, improved charge separation is expected. In addition, charge migration will also be facilitated due to the expected nano-phase separated and highly ordered block copolymer ultrastructural. The combination of all these factors will result in significant overall enhancement of photovoltaic power conversion efficiency.

Ab Initio Simulation of Charge Transfer at the Semiconductor Quantum Dot/TiO 2 Interface in Quantum Dot-Sensitized Solar Cells

DOE PAGES

Xin, Xukai; Li, Bo; Jung, Jaehan; ...

2014-07-24

Quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) have emerged as a promising solar architecture for next-generation solar cells. The QDSSCs exhibit a remarkably fast electron transfer from the quantum dot (QD) donor to the TiO 2 acceptor with size quantization properties of QDs that allows for the modulation of band energies to control photoresponse and photoconversion efficiency of solar cells. In order to understand the mechanisms that underpin this rapid charge transfer, the electronic properties of CdSe and PbSe QDs with different sizes on the TiO 2 substrate are simulated using a rigorous ab initio density functional method. Our method capitalizes onmore » localized orbital basis set, which is computationally less intensive. Quite intriguingly, a remarkable set of electron bridging states between QDs and TiO 2 occurring via the strong bonding between the conduction bands of QDs and TiO 2 is revealed. Such bridging states account for the fast adiabatic charge transfer from the QD donor to the TiO 2 acceptor, and may be a general feature for strongly coupled donor/acceptor systems. All the QDs/TiO 2 systems exhibit type II band alignments, with conduction band offsets that increase with the decrease in QD size. This facilitates the charge transfer from QDs donors to TiO 2 acceptors and explains the dependence of the increased charge transfer rate with the decreased QD size.« less

Stepwise Bay Annulation of Indigo for the Synthesis of Desymmetrized Electron Acceptors and Donor–Acceptor Constructs

DOE PAGES

Kolaczkowski, Matthew A.; He, Bo; Liu, Yi

2016-10-10

In this work, a selective stepwise annulation of indigo has been demonstrated as a means of providing both monoannulated and differentially double-annulated indigo derivatives. Disparate substitution of the electron accepting bay-annulated indigo system allows for fine control over both the electronic properties as well as donor-acceptor structural architectures. Optical and electronic properties were characterized computationally as well as through UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Finally, this straightforward method provides a modular approach for the design of indigo-based materials with tailored optoelectronic properties.

Sulfur oxidation to sulfate coupled with electron transfer to electrodes by Desulfuromonas strain TZ1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, T; Bain, TS; Barlett, MA

2014-01-02

Microbial oxidation of elemental sulfur with an electrode serving as the electron acceptor is of interest because this may play an important role in the recovery of electrons from sulfidic wastes and for current production in marine benthic microbial fuel cells. Enrichments initiated with a marine sediment inoculum, with elemental sulfur as the electron donor and a positively poised (+300 mV versus Ag/AgCl) anode as the electron acceptor, yielded an anode biofilm with a diversity of micro-organisms, including Thiobacillus, Sulfurimonas, Pseudomonas, Clostridium and Desulfuromonas species. Further enrichment of the anode biofilm inoculum in medium with elemental sulfur as the electronmore » donor and Fe(III) oxide as the electron acceptor, followed by isolation in solidified sulfur/Fe(III) medium yielded a strain of Desulfuromonas, designated strain TZ1. Strain TZ1 effectively oxidized elemental sulfur to sulfate with an anode serving as the sole electron acceptor, at rates faster than Desulfobulbus propionicus, the only other organism in pure culture previously shown to oxidize S with current production. The abundance of Desulfuromonas species enriched on the anodes of marine benthic fuel cells has previously been interpreted as acetate oxidation driving current production, but the results presented here suggest that sulfur-driven current production is a likely alternative.« less

Electronic spectrum of non-tetrahedral acceptors in CdTe:Cl and CdTe:Bi,Cl single crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krivobok, V. S., E-mail: krivobok@lebedev.ru; Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology; Nikolaev, S. N.

2016-02-07

The electronic spectra of complex acceptors in compensated CdTe:Cl, CdTe:Ag,Cl, and CdTe:Bi,Cl single crystals are studied using low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements under both nonresonant and resonant excitation of distant donor–acceptor pairs (DAP). The wavelength modulation of the excitation source combined with the analysis of the differential PL signal is used to enhance narrow spectral features obscured because of inhomogeneous line broadening and/or excitation transfer for selectively excited DAPs. For the well-known tetrahedral (T{sub D}) Ag{sub Cd} acceptor, the energies of four excited states are measured, and the values obtained are shown to be in perfect agreement with the previous data.more » Moreover, splitting between the 2P{sub 3/2} (Γ{sub 8}) and 2S{sub 3/2} (Γ{sub 8}) states is clearly observed for Ag{sub Cd} centers located at a short distance (5–7 nm) from a hydrogen-like donor (Cl{sub Te}). This splitting results from the reduction of the T{sub D} symmetry taking place when the acceptor is a member of a donor–acceptor pair. For the Cl-related complex acceptor with an activation energy of ∼121 meV (A-center), the energies of eight excited states are measured. It is shown that this defect produces low-symmetry central-cell correction responsible for the strong splitting of S-like T{sub D} shells. The energy spectrum of the Bi-related shallow acceptor with an activation energy of ∼36 meV is measured as well. The spectrum obtained differs drastically from the hydrogen-like set of levels, which indicates the existence of repulsive low-symmetry perturbation of the hydrogen-like Coulomb potential. It is also shown that the spectra of selectively excited PL recorded for a macroscopic ensemble of distant donor–acceptor pairs allow one to detect the low symmetry of acceptors of a given type caused by their complex nature or by the Jahn–Teller distortion. This method does not require any additional (external) field and is applicable to acceptors in diverse zinc-blende compound semiconductors.« less

[1]Benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene-Based Organic Dyes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

PubMed

Capodilupo, Agostina L; Fabiano, Eduardo; De Marco, Luisa; Ciccarella, Giuseppe; Gigli, Giuseppe; Martinelli, Carmela; Cardone, Antonio

2016-04-15

Three new metal-free organic dyes with the [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene (BTBT) π-bridge, having the structure donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) and labeled as 19, 20 and 21, have been designed and synthesized for application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Once the design of the π-acceptor block was fixed, containing the BTBT as the π-bridge and the cyanoacrylic group as the electron acceptor and anchoring unit, we selected three donor units with different electron-donor capacity, in order to assemble new chromophores with high molar extinction coefficients (ε), whose absorption features well reflect the good performance of the final DSSC devices. Starting with the 19 dye, which shows a molar extinction coefficient ε of over 14,000 M(-1) cm(-1) and takes into account the absorption maximun at the longer wavelength, the substitution of the BFT donor unit with the BFA yields a great enhancement of absorptivity (molar extinction coefficient ε > 42,000 M(-1) cm(-1)), until reaching the higher value (ε > 69,000 M(-1) cm(-1)) with the BFPhz donor unit. The good general photovoltaic performances obtained with the three dyes highlight the suitable properties of electron-transport of the BTBT as the π-bridge in organic chromophore for DSSC, making this very cheap and easy to synthesize molecule particularly attractive for efficient and low-cost photovoltaic devices.

Self-Assembly of Electron Donor-Acceptor-Based Carbazole Derivatives: Novel Fluorescent Organic Nanoprobes for Both One- and Two-Photon Cellular Imaging.

PubMed

Zhang, Jinfeng; Chen, Wencheng; Kalytchuk, Sergii; Li, King Fai; Chen, Rui; Adachi, Chihaya; Chen, Zhan; Rogach, Andrey L; Zhu, Guangyu; Yu, Peter K N; Zhang, Wenjun; Cheah, Kok Wai; Zhang, Xiaohong; Lee, Chun-Sing

2016-05-11

In this study, we report fluorescent organic nanoprobes with intense blue, green, and orange-red emissions prepared by self-assembling three carbazole derivatives into nanorods/nanoparticles. The three compounds consist of two or four electron-donating carbazole groups linked to a central dicyanobenzene electron acceptor. Steric hindrance from the carbazole groups leads to noncoplanar 3D molecular structures favorable to fluorescence in the solid state, while the donor-acceptor structures endow the molecules with good two-photon excited emission properties. The fluorescent organic nanoprobes exhibit good water dispersibility, low cytotoxicity, superior resistance against photodegradation and photobleaching. Both one- and two-photon fluorescent imaging were shown in the A549 cell line. Two-photon fluorescence imaging with the fluorescent probes was demonstrated to be more effective in visualizing and distinguishing cellular details compared to conventional one-photon fluorescence imaging.

Structural and vibrational spectral investigations of melaminium glutarate monohydrate by FTIR, FT-Raman and DFT methods.

PubMed

Arjunan, V; Marchewka, M K; Raj, Arushma; Yang, Haifeng; Mohan, S

2015-01-25

Melaminium glutarate monohydrate has been synthesised and FTIR and FT-Raman spectral investigations are carried out. The molecular geometry and vibrational frequencies of melaminium glutarate monohydrate in the ground state have been determined by using B3LYP method with 6-31++G(**), 6-31++G and cc-pVDZ basis sets. The stability of the system, inter molecular hydrogen bonding and the electron donor-acceptor interactions of the complex have been investigated by using natural bonding orbital analysis. It reveals that the N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O intermolecular interactions significantly influence crystal packing of this molecular complex. The glutarate anion forms hydrogen bonds to the melaminium cation as the proton donor of the type N-H⋯O with a distance (N⋯O)=2.51 Å. It is also linked by other hydrogen bonds to the water molecule of the type O-H⋯O with (O⋯O)=2.82 Å and to the amino (NH2) group of melaminium cation of the type N-H⋯O with (N⋯O)=2.82 Å as the proton acceptor. The electrostatic potential of the complex is in the range +1.892e×10(-2) to -1.892e×10(-2). The limits of total electron density of the complex is +6.679e×10(-2) to -6.679e×10(-2). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural and vibrational spectral investigations of melaminium glutarate monohydrate by FTIR, FT-Raman and DFT methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arjunan, V.; Marchewka, M. K.; Raj, Arushma; Yang, Haifeng; Mohan, S.

2015-01-01

Melaminium glutarate monohydrate has been synthesised and FTIR and FT-Raman spectral investigations are carried out. The molecular geometry and vibrational frequencies of melaminium glutarate monohydrate in the ground state have been determined by using B3LYP method with 6-31++G**, 6-31++G and cc-pVDZ basis sets. The stability of the system, inter molecular hydrogen bonding and the electron donor-acceptor interactions of the complex have been investigated by using natural bonding orbital analysis. It reveals that the Nsbnd H⋯O and Osbnd H⋯O intermolecular interactions significantly influence crystal packing of this molecular complex. The glutarate anion forms hydrogen bonds to the melaminium cation as the proton donor of the type Nsbnd H⋯O with a distance (N⋯O) = 2.51 Å. It is also linked by other hydrogen bonds to the water molecule of the type Osbnd H⋯O with (O⋯O) = 2.82 Å and to the amino (sbnd NH2) group of melaminium cation of the type Nsbnd H⋯O with (N⋯O) = 2.82 Å as the proton acceptor. The electrostatic potential of the complex is in the range +1.892e × 10-2 to -1.892e × 10-2. The limits of total electron density of the complex is +6.679e × 10-2 to -6.679e × 10-2.

Possibility to Use Hydrothermally Synthesized CuFeS2 Nanocomposite as an Acceptor in Hybrid Solar Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sil, Sayantan; Dey, Arka; Halder, Soumi; Datta, Joydeep; Ray, Partha Pratim

2018-01-01

Here we have approached the plausible use of CuFeS2 nanocomposite as an acceptor in organic-inorganic hybrid solar cell. To produce CuFeS2 nanocomposite, hydrothermal strategy was employed. The room-temperature XRD pattern approves the synthesized material as CuFeS2 with no phase impurity (JCPDS Card no: 37-0471). The elemental composition of the material was analyzed from the TEM-EDX data. The obtained selected area electron diffraction (SAED) planes harmonized with the XRD pattern of the synthesized product. Optical band gap (4.14 eV) of the composite from UV-Vis analysis depicts that the synthesized material is belonging to wide band gap semiconductor family. The HOMO (- 6.97 eV) and LUMO (- 2.93 eV) positions from electrochemical study reveal that there is a possibility of electron transfer from MEH-PPV to CuFeS2. The optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra of MEH-PPV:CuFeS2 (donor:acceptor) composite were recorded sequentially by varying weight ratios. The monotonic blue shifting of the absorption peak position indicated the interaction between donor and acceptor materials. The possibility of electron transfer from donor (MEH-PPV) to acceptor (CuFeS2) was approved with photoluminescence analysis. Subsequently, we have fabricated a hybrid solar cell by incorporating CuFeS2 nanocomposite with MEH-PPV in open atmosphere and obtained 0.3% power conversion efficiency.

Enhanced Visible Photovoltaic Response of TiO₂ Thin Film with an All-Inorganic Donor-Acceptor Type Polyoxometalate.

PubMed

Li, Jian-Sheng; Sang, Xiao-Jing; Chen, Wei-Lin; Zhang, Lan-Cui; Zhu, Zai-Ming; Ma, Teng-Ying; Su, Zhong-Min; Wang, En-Bo

2015-06-24

In the field of material chemistry, it is of great significance to develop abundant and sustainable materials for solar energy harvesting and management. Herein, after evaluating the energy band characteristics of 13 kinds of polyoxometalates (POMs), the trisubstituted POM compound K6H4[α-SiW9O37Co3(H2O)3]·17H2O (SiW9Co3) was first studied due to its relatively smaller band gap (2.23 eV) and higher lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level (-0.63 V vs NHE). Additionally, the preliminary computational modeling indicated that SiW9Co3 exhibited the donor-acceptor (D-A) structure, in which the cobalt oxygen clusters and tungsten skeletons act as the electron donor and electron acceptor, respectively. By employing SiW9Co3 to modify the TiO2 film, the visible photovoltaic and photocurrent response were both enhanced, and the light-induced photocurrent at 420 nm was improved by 7.1 times. Moreover, the highly dispersive and small sized SiW9Co3 nanoclusters loading on TiO2 were successfully achieved by fabricating the nanocomposite film of {TiO2/SiW9Co3}3 with the layer-by-layer method, which can result in the photovoltaic performance enhancement of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), of which the overall power conversion efficiency was improved by 25.6% from 6.79% to 8.53% through the synergistic effect of POMs and Ru-complex.

Effect of donor to acceptor ratio on electrochemical and spectroscopic properties of oligoalkylthiophene 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives.

PubMed

Kurowska, Aleksandra; Zassowski, Pawel; Kostyuchenko, Anastasia S; Zheleznova, Tatyana Yu; Andryukhova, Kseniya V; Fisyuk, Alexander S; Pron, Adam; Domagala, Wojciech

2017-11-15

A structure-property study across a series of donor-acceptor-donor structures composed of mono- and bi-(1,3,4-oxadiazole) units symmetrically substituted with alkyl functionalized bi-, ter- and quaterthiophene segments is presented. Synthetically tailoring the ratio of electron-withdrawing 1,3,4-oxadiazole to electron-releasing thiophene units and their alkyl grafting pattern permitted us to scrutinize the impact of these structural factors on the redox, absorptive and emissive properties of these push-pull molecules. Contrasting trends of redox potentials were observed, with the oxidation potential closely following the donor-to-acceptor ratio, whereas the reduction potential being tuned independently by either the number of acceptor units or the conjugation length of the donor-acceptor system. Increasing the thiophene unit contribution delivered a shift from blue to green luminescence, while the structural rigidity afforded by intramolecular non-covalent interactions between 1,3,4-oxadiazole and the thiophene moieties has been identified as the prime factor determining the emission efficiency of these molecules. All six structures investigated electro-polymerize easily, yielding electroactive and electrochromic polymers. The polymer doping process is largely influenced by the length of the oligothiophene repeating unit and the alkyl chain grafting density. Polymers with relatively short oligothiophene segments are able to support polarons and polaron-pairs, whereas those with segments longer than six thiophene units could also stabilize diamagnetic charge carries - bipolarons. Increasing the alkyl chain grafting density improved the reversibility and broadened the working potential window of the p-doping process. Stable radical anions have also been investigated, bringing detailed information about the conjugation pattern of these electron-surplus species. This study delivers interesting clues towards the conscious structural design of bespoke frontier energy level oligothiophene functional materials and their polymers by incorporating a structurally matching 1,3,4-oxadiazole unit.

Magneto-ionic phase control in a quasi-layered donor/acceptor metal-organic framework by means of a Li-ion battery system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taniguchi, Kouji; Narushima, Keisuke; Yamagishi, Kayo; Shito, Nanami; Kosaka, Wataru; Miyasaka, Hitoshi

2017-06-01

Electrical magnetism control is realized in a Li-ion battery system through a redox reaction involving ion migrations; “magneto-ionic control”. A quasi-layered metal-organic framework compound with a cross-linked π-conjugated/unconjugated one-dimensional chain motifs composed of electron-donor/acceptor units is developed as the cathode material. A change in magnetic phase from paramagnetic to ferrimagnetic is demonstrated by means of electron-filling control for the acceptor units via insertion of Li+-ions into pores in the material. The transition temperature is as high as that expected for highly π-conjugated layered systems, indicating an extension of π-conjugated exchange paths by rearranging coordination bonds in the first discharge process.

A Coupling of Benzamides and Donor/Acceptor Diazo–Compounds to form γ-Lactams via Rh(III)–Catalyzed C–H Activation

PubMed Central

Hyster, Todd K.; Ruhl, Kyle E.; Rovis, Tomislav

2013-01-01

The coupling of O-pivaloyl benzhydroxamic acids with donor/acceptor diazo compounds provides iso-indolones in high yield. The reaction tolerates a broad range of benzhydroxamic acids and diazo compounds including substituted 2,2,2-trifluorodiazo ethanes. Mechanistic experiments suggest that C–H activation is turnover limiting and irreversible, while insertion of the diazo compound favors electron deficient substrates. PMID:23548055

Donor-acceptor cocrystal based on hexakis(alkoxy)triphenylene and perylenediimide derivatives with an ambipolar transporting property.

PubMed

Su, Yajun; Li, Yan; Liu, Jiangang; Xing, Rubo; Han, Yanchun

2015-02-07

An organic donor-acceptor cocrystal with an ambipolar transporting property was constructed based on N,N'-bis(1-ethylpropyl)-perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (EP-PDI) and 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexakis-(hexyloxy)-triphenylene (H6TP). The cocrystal with an alternating stacking of H6TP and EP-PDI molecules was formed through both drop-casting and spin-coating processes, especially at the optimized ratios of H6TP/EP-PDI (2/1, 1/1). The formation of the cocrystal was driven by the strong π-π interaction and the weaker steric hindrance, resulting from the smaller side groups, between the donor and acceptor molecules. Field effect transistors (FETs) based on the H6TP/EP-PDI cocrystal exhibited relatively balanced hole/electron transport, with a hole mobility of 1.14 × 10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and an electron mobility of 1.40 × 10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1).

Organic solid state switches incorporating porphyrin compounds and method for producing organic solid state optical switches

DOEpatents

Wasielewski, M.R.; Gaines, G.L.; Niemczyk, M.P.; Johnson, D.G.; Gosztola, D.J.; O`Neil, M.P.

1996-07-23

A light-intensity dependent molecular switch comprised of a compound which shuttles an electron or a plurality of electrons from a plurality of electron donors to an electron acceptor upon being stimulated with light of predetermined wavelengths, said donors selected from porphyrins and other compounds, and a method for making said compound are disclosed. 4 figs.

Fine-tuning of electronic properties in donor-acceptor conjugated polymers based on oligothiophenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imae, Ichiro; Sagawa, Hitoshi; Harima, Yutaka

2018-03-01

A novel series of donor-acceptor conjugated polymers having oligothiophenes with well-defined structures were synthesized and their optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties were investigated. It was found that the absorption bands of polymers were red-shifted with increasing number of ethylenedioxy groups added to each oligothiophene unit and that their band edges reached over 1000 nm. The systematical fine-tuning of the electronic properties was achieved using the chemical structures of oligothiophene units. Photovoltaic cells based on polymer/(6,6)-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) exhibited power conversion efficiencies in the range from 0.004 to 1.10%, reflecting the electronic properties of the polymers.

Efficient Förster resonance energy transfer in 1,2,3-triazole linked BODIPY-Zn(II) meso-tetraphenylporphyrin donor-acceptor arrays.

PubMed

Leonardi, Matthew J; Topka, Michael R; Dinolfo, Peter H

2012-12-17

Cu(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reactivity was successfully employed to synthesize three donor-acceptor energy transfer (EnT) arrays that contain one (Dyad), three (Tetrad) and four (Pentad) 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) donors connected to a Zn-tetraphenylporphyrin acceptor via 1,2,3-triazole linkages. The photophysical properties of the three arrays, along with individual donor and acceptor chromophores, were investigated by UV-vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetimes, and density functional theory (DFT) electronic structure modeling. Comparison of the UV-vis absorption spectra and frontier molecular orbitals from DFT calculations of the three arrays with ZnTPP, ZnTTrzlP, and Trzl-BODIPY shows that the electronic structure of the chromophores is essentially unperturbed by the 1,2,3-triazole linkage. Time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations on the Dyad reproduce the absorption spectra in THF and show no evidence of excited state mixing of the donor and acceptor. The BODIPY singlet excited state emission is significantly quenched in all three arrays, consistent with EnT to the porphyrin core, with efficiencies of 95.8, 97.5, and 97.2% for the Dyad, Tetrad, and Pentad, respectively. Fluorescence excitation spectra of the three arrays, measured at the porphyrin emission, mirror the absorption profile of both the porphyrin and BODIPY chromophores and are consistent with the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism. Applying Förster theory to the spectroscopic data of the chromophores gives EnT efficiency estimates that are in close agreement with experimental values, suggesting that the through-space mechanism plays a dominant role in the three arrays.

Design and Synthesis of Novel Discotic Liquid Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayal, Himadri Sekhar

Columnar mesophases of discotic liquid crystals (DLCs) have attracted much attention as organic semiconductors and have been tested as active materials in light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic solar cells, and field-effect transistors. However, devices based on DLCs have shown lower performance than devices based on polymeric and small molecule glass semiconductors, despite their superior charge conducting and advantages self-organizing properties. Most DLCs also require relatively complex processing conditions for the preparation of electronic devices, which is another significant disadvantage. Consequently, new types of DLCs are sought-after to overcome these limitations and described in this thesis are new types of discotic materials and their synthesis. Chapters 2 and 3 describe star-shaped discotic molecules for donor-acceptor columnar structures and as novel flexible core discotic molecules. Presented are the first examples of star-shaped heptamers of donor and acceptor discotic molecules which have six hexaalkoxy triphenylene ligands and a hexaazatriphenylene hexacarboxylate core or a hexaazatriphenylene hexaamide core. The hexaazatriphenylene cores were chosen because of their electron deficient character while the hexaalkoxy triphenylenes are known to be electron rich. Envisioned is the formation of super-columns in which the heptamers stack on top of each other and generate a material with electron acceptor and electron donor channels separated by aliphatic chains. This is an important difference to previously reported donor-acceptor star-shaped structures that were connected via conjugated linkers and do not form separate columnar stacks. Star-shaped DLCs based on small aromatic groups linked together by short flexible spacers may represent a novel type of discotic core structure that does not require peripheral flexible chains. Softening of the core by the spacer group is expected to sufficiently lower melting points and not interfere with the columnar stacking as long as a disc-shaped structure can be adopted. Presented here are synthetic approaches towards novel hexa(thiophen-2-yl)alkyl)benzene derivatives as star-shaped hetero-heptamer discotic cores. New ionic and polymerizable discotic liquid crystals based on the commercial dye tetraazaporphyrin are presented in Chapters 4 and 5. Both areas have been given little attention despite their importance for the preparation of stable films for devices. Tetraazaporphyrins containing azide and acetylene groups at the end of aliphatic spacers have been prepared and cross-linked by cycloaddition (click chemistry). Some derivatives form columnar mesophases and could be thermally cross-linked in their columnar mesophase and their copper catalyzed cross-linking in Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett layers was also successful.

Donor assists acceptor binding and catalysis of human α1,6-fucosyltransferase.

PubMed

Kötzler, Miriam P; Blank, Simon; Bantleon, Frank I; Wienke, Martin; Spillner, Edzard; Meyer, Bernd

2013-08-16

α1,6-Core-fucosyltransferase (FUT8) is a vital enzyme in mammalian physiological and pathophysiological processes such as tumorigenesis and progress of, among others, non-small cell lung cancer and colon carcinoma. It was also shown that therapeutic antibodies have a dramatically higher efficacy if the α1,6-fucosyl residue is absent. However, specific and potent inhibitors for FUT8 and related enzymes are lacking. Hence, it is crucial to elucidate the structural basis of acceptor binding and the catalytic mechanism. We present here the first structural model of FUT8 in complex with its acceptor and donor molecules. An unusually large acceptor, i.e., a hexasaccharide from the core of N-glycans, is required as minimal structure. Acceptor substrate binding of FUT8 is being dissected experimentally by STD NMR and SPR and theoretically by molecular dynamics simulations. The acceptor binding site forms an unusually large and shallow binding site. Binding of the acceptor to the enzyme is much faster and stronger if the donor is present. This is due to strong hydrogen bonding between O6 of the proximal N-acetylglucosamine and an oxygen atom of the β-phosphate of GDP-fucose. Therefore, we propose an ordered Bi Bi mechanism for FUT8 where the donor molecule binds first. No specific amino acid is present that could act as base during catalysis. Our results indicate a donor-assisted mechanism, where an oxygen of the β-phosphate deprotonates the acceptor. Knowledge of the mechanism of FUT8 is now being used for rational design of targeted inhibitors to address metastasis and prognosis of carcinomas.

Charge Transfer and Collection in Dilute Organic Donor-Acceptor Heterojunction Blends.

PubMed

Ding, Kan; Liu, Xiao; Forrest, Stephen R

2018-05-09

Experimental and theoretical approaches are used to understand the role of nanomorphology on exciton dissociation and charge collection at dilute donor-acceptor (D-A) organic heterojunctions (HJs). Specifically, two charge transfer (CT) states in D-A mixed HJs comprising nanocrystalline domains of tetraphenyldibenzoperiflanthene (DBP) as the donor and C 70 as the acceptor are unambiguously related to the nanomorphology of the mixed layer. Alternating DBP:C 70 multilayer stacks are used to identify and control the optical properties of the CT states, as well as to simulate the dilute mixed heterojunctions. A kinetic Monte Carlo model along with photoluminescence spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy are used to quantitatively evaluate the layer morphology under various growth conditions. As a result, we are able to understand the counterintuitive observation of high charge extraction efficiency and device performance of DBP:C 70 mixed layer photovoltaics at surprisingly low (∼10%) donor concentrations.

Influence of Different Electron Donors and Acceptors on Dehalorespiration of Tetrachloroethene by Desulfitobacterium frappieri TCE1

PubMed Central

Gerritse, Jan; Drzyzga, Oliver; Kloetstra, Geert; Keijmel, Mischa; Wiersum, Luit P.; Hutson, Roger; Collins, Matthew D.; Gottschal, Jan C.

1999-01-01

Strain TCE1, a strictly anaerobic bacterium that can grow by reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE), was isolated by selective enrichment from a PCE-dechlorinating chemostat mixed culture. Strain TCE1 is a gram-positive, motile, curved rod-shaped organism that is 2 to 4 by 0.6 to 0.8 μm and has approximately six lateral flagella. The pH and temperature optima for growth are 7.2 and 35°C, respectively. On the basis of a comparative 16S rRNA sequence analysis, this bacterium was identified as a new strain of Desulfitobacterium frappieri, because it exhibited 99.7% relatedness to the D. frappieri type strain, strain PCP-1. Growth with H2, formate, l-lactate, butyrate, crotonate, or ethanol as the electron donor depends on the availability of an external electron acceptor. Pyruvate and serine can also be used fermentatively. Electron donors (except formate and H2) are oxidized to acetate and CO2. When l-lactate is the growth substrate, strain TCE1 can use the following electron acceptors: PCE and TCE (to produce cis-1,2-dichloroethene), sulfite and thiosulfate (to produce sulfide), nitrate (to produce nitrite), and fumarate (to produce succinate). Strain TCE1 is not able to reductively dechlorinate 3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenylacetate. The growth yields of the newly isolated bacterium when PCE is the electron acceptor are similar to those obtained for other dehalorespiring anaerobes (e.g., Desulfitobacterium sp. strain PCE1 and Desulfitobacterium hafniense) and the maximum specific reductive dechlorination rates are 4 to 16 times higher (up to 1.4 μmol of chloride released · min−1 · mg of protein−1). Dechlorination of PCE and TCE is an inducible process. In PCE-limited chemostat cultures of strain TCE1, dechlorination is strongly inhibited by sulfite but not by other alternative electron acceptors, such as fumarate or nitrate. PMID:10583967

Donor-acceptor-donor thienyl/bithienyl-benzothiadiazole/quinoxaline model oligomers: experimental and theoretical studies.

PubMed

Pina, João; de Melo, J Seixas; Breusov, D; Scherf, Ullrich

2013-09-28

A comprehensive spectral and photophysical investigation of four donor-acceptor-donor (DAD) oligomers consisting of electron-deficient 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole or quinoxaline moieties linked to electron-rich thienyl or bithienyl units has been undertaken. Additionally, a bis(dithienyl) substituted naphthalene was also investigated. The D-A-D nature of these oligomers resulted in the presence of an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state, which was further substantiated by solvatochromism studies (analysis with the Lippert-Mataga formalism). Hereby, significant differences have been obtained for the fluorescence quantum yields of the oligomers in the non-polar solvent methylcyclohexane vs. the polar ethanol. The study was further complemented with the determination of the optimized ground-state molecular geometries for the oligomers together with the prediction of the lowest vertical one-electron excitation energy and the relevant molecular orbital contours using DFT calculations. The electronic transitions show a clear HOMO to LUMO charge-transfer character. In contrast to the thiophene oligomers (the oligothiophenes with n = 1-7), where the intersystem crossing (ISC) yield decreases with n, the studied DAD oligomers were found to show an increase in the ISC efficiency with the number of (donor) thienyl units.

Molecular helices as electron acceptors in high-performance bulk heterojunction solar cells.

PubMed

Zhong, Yu; Trinh, M Tuan; Chen, Rongsheng; Purdum, Geoffrey E; Khlyabich, Petr P; Sezen, Melda; Oh, Seokjoon; Zhu, Haiming; Fowler, Brandon; Zhang, Boyuan; Wang, Wei; Nam, Chang-Yong; Sfeir, Matthew Y; Black, Charles T; Steigerwald, Michael L; Loo, Yueh-Lin; Ng, Fay; Zhu, X-Y; Nuckolls, Colin

2015-09-18

Despite numerous organic semiconducting materials synthesized for organic photovoltaics in the past decade, fullerenes are widely used as electron acceptors in highly efficient bulk-heterojunction solar cells. None of the non-fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells have achieved efficiencies as high as fullerene-based solar cells. Design principles for fullerene-free acceptors remain unclear in the field. Here we report examples of helical molecular semiconductors as electron acceptors that are on par with fullerene derivatives in efficient solar cells. We achieved an 8.3% power conversion efficiency in a solar cell, which is a record high for non-fullerene bulk heterojunctions. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy revealed both electron and hole transfer processes at the donor-acceptor interfaces. Atomic force microscopy reveals a mesh-like network of acceptors with pores that are tens of nanometres in diameter for efficient exciton separation and charge transport. This study describes a new motif for designing highly efficient acceptors for organic solar cells.

Interfacial exciplex formation in bilayers of conjugated polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nobuyasu, R. S.; Araujo, K. A. S.; Cury, L. A.; Jarrosson, T.; Serein-Spirau, F.; Lère-Porte, J.-P.; Dias, F. B.; Monkman, A. P.

2013-10-01

The donor-acceptor interactions in sequential bilayer and blend films are investigated. Steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) were measured to characterize the samples at different geometries of photoluminescence collection. At standard excitation, with the laser incidence at 45° of the normal direction of the sample surface, a band related to the aggregate states of donor molecules appears for both blend and bilayer at around 540 nm. For the PL spectra acquired from the edge of the bilayer, with the laser incidence made at normal direction of the sample surface (90° geometry), a new featureless band emission, red-shifted from donor and acceptor emission regions was observed and assigned as the emission from interfacial exciplex states. The conformational complexity coming from donor/acceptor interactions at the heterojunction interface of the bilayer is at the origin of this interfacial exciplex emission.

Ferrocene/fullerene hybrids showing large second-order nonlinear optical activities: impact of the cage unit size.

PubMed

Wang, Wen-Yong; Wang, Li; Ma, Na-Na; Zhu, Chang-Li; Qiu, Yong-Qing

2015-06-07

The electron donor-acceptor complexes, which undergo intramolecular charge transfer under external stimulus, are an emerging class of materials showing important application in nonlinear optics. Synthesizing ferrocene/fullerene complexes through face-to-face fusion would enjoy the merits of both ferrocene and fullerene due to their strong donor-acceptor interactions. Four ferrocene/fullerene hybrid complexes with the gradual extension of fullerene cage size, including CpFe(C60H5), CpFe(C66H5), CpFe(C70H5), and CpFe(C80H5) (Cp is cyclopentadienyl), have been investigated by density functional theory. These hybrid molecules give eclipsed and staggered isomers. The main reason that the eclipsed isomer is stable is that the eclipsed structure possesses large CpFefullerene bonding energy. The CpFefullerene interaction is smaller than that of CpFefullerene, which must come from two different interfaces. The presence of covalent bond character between CpFe and fullerene is supported by the localized orbital locator, deformation of electron density distribution and energy decomposition analysis. Significantly, the absorption bands and first hyperpolarizabilities of these hybrid complexes are strongly sensitive to the fullerene cage size, which is ascribed to a change in the charge transfer pattern, especially for CpFe(C80H5), which displays reverse π → π* charge transfer from bottom to top cage, leading to notable hyperpolarizability. Investigation of the structure-property relationship at the molecular level can benefit the design and preparation of such hybrid complexes in chemistry and materials science.

Sequential Desorption of Nitroaromatic Compounds (NAC) from Soils

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

the soil solution . Weissmahr et al. [20] suggest an electron donor acceptor (EDA) complex between oxygens of the siloxane surface of the clays and the...release of NACs into the soil solution . At high pH values desorption is superimposed by NACs hydrolysis. Therefore, in- creasing pH values impedes the...presented demonstrate that both the cation present in the soil solution and its concentration may affect the desorption behavior of NACs in contaminated soils

Hydroperoxides as Hydrogen Bond Donors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Møller, Kristian H.; Tram, Camilla M.; Hansen, Anne S.; Kjaergaard, Henrik G.

2016-06-01

Hydroperoxides are formed in the atmosphere following autooxidation of a wide variety of volatile organics emitted from both natural and anthropogenic sources. This raises the question of whether they can form hydrogen bonds that facilitate aerosol formation and growth. Using a combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, FT-IR, and ab initio calculations, we have compared the gas phase hydrogen bonding ability of tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBuOOH) to that of tert-butanol (tBuOH) for a series of bimolecular complexes with different acceptors. The hydrogen bond acceptor atoms studied are nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulphur. Both in terms of calculated redshifts and binding energies (BE), our results suggest that hydroperoxides are better hydrogen bond donors than the corresponding alcohols. In terms of hydrogen bond acceptor ability, we find that nitrogen is a significantly better acceptor than the other three atoms, which are of similar strength. We observe a similar trend in hydrogen bond acceptor ability with other hydrogen bond donors including methanol and dimethylamine.

Design of a New Fused-Ring Electron Acceptor with Excellent Compatibility to Wide-Bandgap Polymer Donors for High-Performance Organic Photovoltaics.

PubMed

Liu, Wenrui; Zhang, Jianyun; Zhou, Zichun; Zhang, Dongyang; Zhang, Yuan; Xu, Shengjie; Zhu, Xiaozhang

2018-05-16

Fused-ring electron acceptors (FREAs) have recently received intensive attention. Besides the continuing development of new FREAs, the demand for FREAs featuring good compatibility to donor materials is becoming more and more urgent, which is highly desirable for screening donor materials and achieving new breakthroughs. In this work, a new FREA is developed, ZITI, featuring an octacyclic dithienocyclopentaindenoindene central core. The core is designed by linking 2,7-dithienyl substituents and indenoindene with small methylene groups, in which the indeno[1,2-b]thiophene-2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-ylidene)malononitrile part provides a large and unoccupied π-surface. Most notably, ZITI possesses an excellent compatibility with commercially available polymer donors, delivering very high power conversion efficiencies of over 13%. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design principle for efficient charge separation at the donor-acceptor interface for high performance organic solar cell device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Wanyi; Gupta, Gautam; Crone, Brian; Wang, Hsing-Lin; Mohite, Aditya; MPA-11 Material synthesis and integrated device Team; MPA-chemistry Team

2014-03-01

The performance of donor (D) /acceptor (A) structure based organic electronic devices, such as solar cell, light emitting devices etc., relays on the charge transfer process at the interface dramatically. In organic solar cell, the photo-induced electron-hole pair is tightly bonded and will form a charge transfer (CT) state at the D/A interface after dissociation. There is a large chance for them to recombine through CT state and thus is a major loss that limit the overall performance. Here, we report three different strategies that allow us to completely suppress the exciplex (or charge transfer state) recombination between any D/A system. We observe that the photocurrent increases by 300% and the power conversion efficiency increases by 4-5 times simply by inserting a spacer layer in the form of an a) insulator b) Oliogomer or using a c) heavy atom at the donor-acceptor interface in a P3HT/C60 bilayer device. By using those different functional mono layers, we successfully suppressed the exciplex recombination in evidence of increased photocurrent and open circuit voltage. Moreover, these strategies are applicable universally to any donor-acceptor interface. And we demonstrated such strategies in a bulk-heterojunction device which improved the power conversion efficiency from 3.5% up to 4.6%.

The Curious Case of Fluorination of Conjugated Polymers for Solar Cells.

PubMed

Zhang, Qianqian; Kelly, Mary Allison; Bauer, Nicole; You, Wei

2017-09-19

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have been a rising star in the field of renewable energy since the introduction of the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) in 1992. Recent advances have pushed the efficiencies of OSCs to over 13%, an impressive accomplishment via collaborative efforts in rational materials design and synthesis, careful device engineering, and fundamental understanding of device physics. Throughout these endeavors, several design principles for the conjugated donor polymers used in such solar cells have emerged, including optimizing the conjugated backbone with judicious selection of building blocks, side-chain engineering, and substituents. Among all of the substituents, fluorine is probably the most popular one; improved device characteristics with fluorination have frequently been reported for a wide range of conjugated polymers, in particular, donor-acceptor (D-A)-type polymers. Herein we examine the effect of fluorination on the device performance of solar cells as a function of the position of fluorination (on the acceptor unit or on the donor unit), aiming to outline a clear understanding of the benefits of this curious substituent. As fluorination of the acceptor unit is the most adopted strategy for D-A polymers, we first discuss the effect of fluorination of the acceptor units, highlighting the five most widely utilized acceptor units. While improved device efficiency has been widely observed with fluorinated acceptor units, the underlying reasons vary from case to case and highly depend on the chemical structure of the polymer. Second, the effect of fluorination of the donor unit is addressed. Here we focus on four donor units that have been most studied with fluorination. While device-performance-enhancing effects by fluorination of the donor units have also been observed, it is less clear that fluorine will always benefit the efficiency of the OSC, as there are several cases where the efficiency drops, in particular with "over-fluorination", i.e., when too many fluorine substituents are incorporated. Finally, while this Account focuses on studies in which the polymer is paired with fullerene derivatives as the electron accepting materials, non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) are quickly becoming key players in the field of OSCs. The effect of fluorination of the polymers on the device performance may be different when NFAs are used as the electron-accepting materials, which remains to be investigated. However, the design of fluorinated polymers may provide guidelines for the design of more efficient NFAs. Indeed, the current highest-performing OSC (∼13%) features fluorination on both the donor polymer and the non-fullerene acceptor.

Small-Molecule Acceptor Based on the Heptacyclic Benzodi(cyclopentadithiophene) Unit for Highly Efficient Nonfullerene Organic Solar Cells.

PubMed

Kan, Bin; Feng, Huanran; Wan, Xiangjian; Liu, Feng; Ke, Xin; Wang, Yanbo; Wang, Yunchuang; Zhang, Hongtao; Li, Chenxi; Hou, Jianhui; Chen, Yongsheng

2017-04-05

A new nonfullerene small molecule with acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) structure, namely, NFBDT, based on a heptacyclic benzodi(cyclopentadithiophene) (FBDT) unit using benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene as the core unit, was designed and synthesized. Its absorption ability, energy levels, thermal stability, as well as photovoltaic performances were fully investigated. NFBDT exhibits a low optical bandgap of 1.56 eV resulting in wide and efficient absorption that covered the range from 600 to 800 nm, and suitable energy levels as an electron acceptor. With the widely used and successful wide bandgap polymer PBDB-T selected as the electron donor material, an optimized PCE of 10.42% was obtained for the PBDB-T:NFBDT-based device with an outstanding short-circuit current density of 17.85 mA cm -2 under AM 1.5G irradiation (100 mW cm -2 ), which is so far among the highest performance of NF-OSC devices. These results demonstrate that the BDT unit could also be applied for designing NF-acceptors, and the fused-ring benzodi(cyclopentadithiophene) unit is a prospective block for designing new NF-acceptors with excellent performance.

Interactions of chloride and formate at the donor and the acceptor side of photosystem II.

PubMed

Jajoo, Anjana; Bharti, Sudhakar; Kawamori, Asako

2005-02-01

Chloride is required for the maximum activity of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) while formate inhibits the function of OEC. On the basis of the measurements of oxygen evolution rates and the S(2) state multiline EPR signal, an interaction between the action of chloride and formate at the donor side of PS II has been suggested. Moreover, the Fe(2)+Q-A EPR signals were measured to investigate a common binding site of both these anions at the PS II acceptor side. Other monovalent anions like bromide, nitrate etc. could influence the effects of formate to a small extent at the donor side of PS II, but not significantly at the acceptor side of PS II. The results presented in this paper clearly suggest a competitive binding of formate and chloride at the PS II acceptor side.

Vibronic Wavepackets and Energy Transfer in Cryptophyte Light-Harvesting Complexes.

PubMed

Jumper, Chanelle C; van Stokkum, Ivo H M; Mirkovic, Tihana; Scholes, Gregory D

2018-06-21

Determining the key features of high-efficiency photosynthetic energy transfer remains an ongoing task. Recently, there has been evidence for the role of vibronic coherence in linking donor and acceptor states to redistribute oscillator strength for enhanced energy transfer. To gain further insights into the interplay between vibronic wavepackets and energy-transfer dynamics, we systematically compare four structurally related phycobiliproteins from cryptophyte algae by broad-band pump-probe spectroscopy and extend a parametric model based on global analysis to include vibrational wavepacket characterization. The four phycobiliproteins isolated from cryptophyte algae are two "open" structures and two "closed" structures. The closed structures exhibit strong exciton coupling in the central dimer. The dominant energy-transfer pathway occurs on the subpicosecond timescale across the largest energy gap in each of the proteins, from central to peripheral chromophores. All proteins exhibit a strong 1585 cm -1 coherent oscillation whose relative amplitude, a measure of vibronic intensity borrowing from resonance between donor and acceptor states, scales with both energy-transfer rates and damping rates. Central exciton splitting may aid in bringing the vibronically linked donor and acceptor states into better resonance resulting in the observed doubled rate in the closed structures. Several excited-state vibrational wavepackets persist on timescales relevant to energy transfer, highlighting the importance of further investigation of the interplay between electronic coupling and nuclear degrees of freedom in studies on high-efficiency photosynthesis.

The significance of microbial processes in hydrogeology and geochemistry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chapelle, F.H.

2000-01-01

Microbial processes affect the chemical composition of groundwater and the hydraulic properties of aquifers in both contaminated and pristine groundwater systems. The patterns of water-chemistry changes that occur depend upon the relative abundance of electron donors and electron acceptors. In many pristine aquifers, where microbial metabolism is limited by the availability of electron donors (usually organic matter), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) accumulates slowly along aquifer flow paths and available electron acceptors are consumed sequentially in the order dissolved oxygen > nitrate > Fe(III) > sulfate > CO2 (methanogenesis). In aquifers contaminated by anthropogenic contaminants, an excess of available organic carbon often exists, and microbial metabolism is limited by the availability of electron acceptors. In addition to changes in groundwater chemistry, the solid matrix of the aquifer is affected by microbial processes. The production of carbon dioxide and organic acids can lead to increased mineral solubility, which can lead to the development of secondary porosity and permeability. Conversely, microbial production of carbonate, ferrous iron, and sulfide can result in the precipitation of secondary calcite or pyrite cements that reduce primary porosity and permeability in groundwater systems.

A comprehensive study of the optoelectronic properties of donor-acceptor based derivatives of 1,3,4-oxadiazole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Ankita; Ramachandran, C. N.

2017-07-01

A variety of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives based on electron- donor pyrrole and -acceptor nitro groups are modelled. Various isomers of pyrole-oxadiazole-nitro unit and its dimer linked to substituted and unsubstituted phenyl group are studied using the dispersion corrected density functional theoretical method. The electron density distribution in frontier orbitals of the phenyl-spacer compounds bearing amino and phenylamino groups indicates the possibility of intramolecular charge transfer. The isomers of phenyl-spacer compounds absorb in visible region of electromagnetic spectrum. The compounds show high values of light harvesting efficiency, despite the weak anchoring nature of nitro groups.

Impact of Temperature and Non-Gaussian Statistics on Electron Transfer in Donor-Bridge-Acceptor Molecules.

PubMed

Waskasi, Morteza M; Newton, Marshall D; Matyushov, Dmitry V

2017-03-30

A combination of experimental data and theoretical analysis provides evidence of a bell-shaped kinetics of electron transfer in the Arrhenius coordinates ln k vs 1/T. This kinetic law is a temperature analogue of the familiar Marcus bell-shaped dependence based on ln k vs the reaction free energy. These results were obtained for reactions of intramolecular charge shift between the donor and acceptor separated by a rigid spacer studied experimentally by Miller and co-workers. The non-Arrhenius kinetic law is a direct consequence of the solvent reorganization energy and reaction driving force changing approximately as hyperbolic functions with temperature. The reorganization energy decreases and the driving force increases when temperature is increased. The point of equality between them marks the maximum of the activationless reaction rate. Reaching the consistency between the kinetic and thermodynamic experimental data requires the non-Gaussian statistics of the donor-acceptor energy gap described by the Q-model of electron transfer. The theoretical formalism combines the vibrational envelope of quantum vibronic transitions with the Q-model describing the classical component of the Franck-Condon factor and a microscopic solvation model of the solvent reorganization energy and the reaction free energy.

In situ KPFM imaging of local photovoltaic characteristics of structured organic photovoltaic devices.

PubMed

Watanabe, Satoshi; Fukuchi, Yasumasa; Fukasawa, Masako; Sassa, Takafumi; Kimoto, Atsushi; Tajima, Yusuke; Uchiyama, Masanobu; Yamashita, Takashi; Matsumoto, Mutsuyoshi; Aoyama, Tetsuya

2014-02-12

Here, we discuss the local photovoltaic characteristics of a structured bulk heterojunction, organic photovoltaic devices fabricated with a liquid carbazole, and a fullerene derivative based on analysis by scanning kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Periodic photopolymerization induced by an interference pattern from two laser beams formed surface relief gratings (SRG) in the structured films. The surface potential distribution in the SRGs indicates the formation of donor and acceptor spatial distribution. Under illumination, the surface potential reversibly changed because of the generation of fullerene anions and hole transport from the films to substrates, which indicates that we successfully imaged the local photovoltaic characteristics of the structured photovoltaic devices. Using atomic force microscopy, we confirmed the formation of the SRG because of the material migration to the photopolymerized region of the films, which was induced by light exposure through photomasks. The structuring technique allows for the direct fabrication and the control of donor and acceptor spatial distribution in organic photonic and electronic devices with minimized material consumption. This in situ KPFM technique is indispensable to the fabrication of nanoscale electron donor and electron acceptor spatial distribution in the devices.

Organic photovoltaic cells based on unconventional electron donor fullerene and electron acceptor copper hexadecafluorophthalocyanine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J. L.; Sullivan, P.; Schumann, S.; Hancox, I.; Jones, T. S.

2012-01-01

We demonstrate organic discrete heterojunction photovoltaic cells based on fullerene (C60) and copper hexadecafluorophthalocyanine (F16CuPc), in which the C60 and F16CuPc act as the electron donor and the electron acceptor, respectively. The C60/F16CuPc cells fabricated with conventional and inverted architectures both exhibit comparable power conversion efficiencies. Furthermore, we show that the photocurrent in both cells is generated by a conventional exciton dissociation mechanism rather than the exciton recombination mechanism recently proposed for a similar C60/F16ZnPc system [Song et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 132, 4554 (2010)]. These results demonstrate that new unconventional material systems are a potential way to fabricate organic photovoltaic cells with inverted as well as conventional architectures.

Electrobioremediation of oil spills.

PubMed

Daghio, Matteo; Aulenta, Federico; Vaiopoulou, Eleni; Franzetti, Andrea; Arends, Jan B A; Sherry, Angela; Suárez-Suárez, Ana; Head, Ian M; Bestetti, Giuseppina; Rabaey, Korneel

2017-05-01

Annually, thousands of oil spills occur across the globe. As a result, petroleum substances and petrochemical compounds are widespread contaminants causing concern due to their toxicity and recalcitrance. Many remediation strategies have been developed using both physicochemical and biological approaches. Biological strategies are most benign, aiming to enhance microbial metabolic activities by supplying limiting inorganic nutrients, electron acceptors or donors, thus stimulating oxidation or reduction of contaminants. A key issue is controlling the supply of electron donors/acceptors. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have emerged, in which an electrical current serves as either electron donor or acceptor for oil spill bioremediation. BES are highly controllable and can possibly also serve as biosensors for real time monitoring of the degradation process. Despite being promising, multiple aspects need to be considered to make BES suitable for field applications including system design, electrode materials, operational parameters, mode of action and radius of influence. The microbiological processes, involved in bioelectrochemical contaminant degradation, are currently not fully understood, particularly in relation to electron transfer mechanisms. Especially in sulfate rich environments, the sulfur cycle appears pivotal during hydrocarbon oxidation. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the research on bioelectrochemical remediation of oil spills and of the key parameters involved in the process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ternary bulk heterojunction for wide spectral range organic photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Hojung; Kim, Jaehoon; Lee, Changhee

2017-08-01

Ternary bulk heterojunction (BHJ) system, dual electron donors and an acceptor, was studied for developing wide spectral range organic photodetectors (OPDs). With two electron donor polymers with different bandgaps and an efficient electron acceptor of [6,6]-Phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM), different blend ratios for ternary BHJ OPD were examined to achieve high photoresponsivity over a wide spectral range. OPDs based on ternary BHJ showed improved photovoltage response compared to binary BHJ. Current-voltage (J-V) characteristics as a function of external bias and light illumination were measured to reveal the underlying charge recombination mechanism which is found to be dominantly ruled by space charge limit (SCL) effect. Additional in-depth analyses including absorbance, cross-section scanning electron microscope (SEM), incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) were performed.

Spectral, thermal and kinetic studies of charge-transfer complexes formed between the highly effective antibiotic drug metronidazole and two types of acceptors: σ- and π-acceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Refat, Moamen S.; Saad, Hosam A.; Adam, Abdel Majid A.

2015-04-01

Understanding the interaction between drugs and small inorganic or organic molecules is critical in being able to interpret the drug-receptor interactions and acting mechanism of these drugs. A combined solution and solid state study was performed to describe the complexation chemistry of drug metronidazole (MZ) which has a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity with two types of acceptors. The acceptors include, σ-acceptor (i.e., iodine) and π-acceptors (i.e., dichlorodicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ), chloranil (CHL) and picric acid (PA)). The molecular structure, spectroscopic characteristics, the binding modes as well as the thermal stability were deduced from IR, UV-vis, 1H NMR and thermal studies. The binding ratio of complexation (MZ: acceptor) was determined to be 1:2 for the iodine acceptor and 1:1 for the DDQ, CHL or PA acceptor, according to the CHN elemental analyses and spectrophotometric titrations. It has been found that the complexation with CHL and PA acceptors increases the values of enthalpy and entropy, while the complexation with DDQ and iodine acceptors decreases the values of these parameters compared with the free MZ donor.

Supramolecular networks with electron transfer in two dimensions

DOEpatents

Stupp, Samuel I.; Stoddart, J. Fraser; Shveyd, Alexander K.; Tayi, Alok S.; Sue, Chi-Hau; Narayanan, Ashwin

2016-09-13

Organic charge-transfer (CT) co-crystals in a crossed stack system are disclosed. The co-crystals exhibit bidirectional charge transfer interactions where one donor molecule shares electrons with two different acceptors, one acceptor face-to-face and the other edge-to-face. The assembly and charge transfer interaction results in a pleochroic material whereby the optical absorption continuously changes depending on the polarization angle of incident light.

Unravelling electronic and structural requisites of triplet-triplet energy transfer by advanced electron paramagnetic resonance and density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Valentin, M.; Salvadori, E.; Barone, V.; Carbonera, D.

2013-10-01

Advanced electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques, in combination with Density Functional theory (DFT), have been applied to the comparative study of carotenoid triplet states in two major photosynthetic antenna complexes, the Peridinin-chlorophyll a-protein of dinoflagellates and the light-harvesting complex II of higher plants. Carotenoid triplet states are populated by triplet-triplet energy transfer (TTET) from chlorophyll molecules to photoprotect the system from singlet oxygen formation under light-stress conditions. The TTET process is strongly dependent on the relative arrangement and on the electronic properties of the triplet states involved. The proposed spectroscopic approach exploits the concept of spin conservation during TTET, which leads to recognisable spin polarisation effects in the time-resolved and field-swept echo-detected EPR spectra. The electron spin polarisation produced at the carotenoid acceptor site depends on the initial polarisation of the chlorophyll donor and on the relative geometrical arrangement of the donor-acceptor zero-field splitting axes. We have demonstrated that a proper analysis of the spectra in the framework of spin angular momentum conservation allows to derive the pathways of TTET and to gain insight into the structural requirements of this mechanism for those antenna complexes, whose X-ray structure is available. We have further proved that this method, developed for natural antenna complexes of known X-ray structure, can be extended to systems lacking structural information in order to derive the relative arrangement of the partners in the energy transfer process. The structural requirements for efficient TTET, obtained from time-resolved and pulse EPR, have been complemented by a detailed description of the electronic structure of the carotenoid triplet state, provided by pulse Electron-Nuclear DOuble Resonance (ENDOR) experiments. Triplet-state hyperfine couplings of the α- and β-protons of the carotenoid conjugated chain have been assigned with the aid of quantum chemical calculation. DFT predictions of the electronic structure of the carotenoid triplet state, in terms of spin density distribution, frontier orbital description and orbital excitation represent suitable building blocks toward a deeper understanding of electronic requirements for efficient TTET.

Substituent Dependence of Third-Order Optical Nonlinearity in Chalcone Derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiran, Anthony John; Satheesh Rai, Nooji; Chandrasekharan, Keloth; Kalluraya, Balakrishna; Rotermund, Fabian

2008-08-01

The third-order nonlinear optical properties of derivatives of dibenzylideneacetone were investigated using the single beam z-scan technique at 532 nm. A strong dependence of third-order optical nonlinearity on electron donor and acceptor type of substituents was observed. An enhancement in χ(3)-value of one order of magnitude was achieved upon the substitution of strong electron donors compared to that of the molecule substituted with an electron acceptor. The magnitude of nonlinear refractive index of these chalcones is as high as of 10-11 esu. Their nonlinear optical coefficients are larger than those of widely used thiophene oligomers and trans-1-[p-(p-dimethylaminobenzyl-azo)-benzyl]-2-(N-methyl-4-pyridinium)-ethene iodide (DABA-PEI) organic compounds.

Tetrahydrothiophene 1-oxide as an electron acceptor for Escherichia coli.

PubMed Central

Meganathan, R; Schrementi, J

1987-01-01

Escherichia coli used tetrahydrothiophene 1-oxide (THTO) as an electron acceptor for anaerobic growth with glycerol as a carbon source; the THTO was reduced to tetrahydrothiophene. Cell extracts also reduced THTO to tetrahydrothiophene in the presence of a variety of electron donors. Chlorate-resistant (chl) mutants (chlA, chlB, chlD, and chlE) were unable to grow with THTO as the electron acceptor. However, growth and THTO reduction by the chlD mutant were restored by high concentrations of molybdate. Similarly, mutants of E. coli that are blocked in the menaquinone (vitamin K2) biosynthetic pathway, i.e., menB, menC, and menD mutants, did not grow with THTO as an electron acceptor. Growth and THTO reduction were restored in these mutants by the presence of appropriate intermediates of the vitamin K biosynthetic pathway. PMID:3294808

Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Nucleic Acid Hybridization Assays on Paper-Based Platforms Using Emissive Nanoparticles as Donors.

PubMed

Doughan, Samer; Noor, M Omair; Han, Yi; Krull, Ulrich J

2017-01-01

Quantum dots (QDs) and upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are luminescent nanoparticles (NPs) commonly used in bioassays and biosensors as resonance energy transfer (RET) donors. The narrow and tunable emissions of both QDs and UCNPs make them versatile RET donors that can be paired with a wide range of acceptors. Ratiometric signal processing that compares donor and acceptor emission in RET-based transduction offers improved precision, as it accounts for fluctuations in the absolute photoluminescence (PL) intensities of the donor and acceptor that can result from experimental and instrumental variations. Immobilizing NPs on a solid support avoids problems such as those that can arise with their aggregation in solution, and allows for facile layer-by-layer assembly of the interfacial chemistry. Paper is an attractive solid support for the development of point-of-care diagnostic assays given its ubiquity, low-cost, and intrinsic fluid transport by capillary action. Integration of nanomaterials with paper-based analytical devices (PADs) provides avenues to augment the analytical performance of PADs, given the unique optoelectronic properties of nanomaterials. Herein, we describe methodology for the development of PADs using QDs and UCNPs as RET donors for optical transduction of nucleic acid hybridization. Immobilization of green-emitting QDs (gQDs) on imidazole functionalized cellulose paper is described for use as RET donors with Cy3 molecular dye as acceptors for the detection of SMN1 gene fragment. We also describe the covalent immobilization of blue-emitting UCNPs on aldehyde modified cellulose paper for use as RET donors with orange-emitting QDs (oQDs) as acceptors for the detection of HPRT1 gene fragment. The data described herein is acquired using an epifluorescence microscope, and can also be collected using technology such as a typical electronic camera.

Interfacial exciplex formation in bilayers of conjugated polymers.

PubMed

Nobuyasu, R S; Araujo, K A S; Cury, L A; Jarrosson, T; Serein-Spirau, F; Lère-Porte, J-P; Dias, F B; Monkman, A P

2013-10-28

The donor-acceptor interactions in sequential bilayer and blend films are investigated. Steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) were measured to characterize the samples at different geometries of photoluminescence collection. At standard excitation, with the laser incidence at 45° of the normal direction of the sample surface, a band related to the aggregate states of donor molecules appears for both blend and bilayer at around 540 nm. For the PL spectra acquired from the edge of the bilayer, with the laser incidence made at normal direction of the sample surface (90° geometry), a new featureless band emission, red-shifted from donor and acceptor emission regions was observed and assigned as the emission from interfacial exciplex states. The conformational complexity coming from donor/acceptor interactions at the heterojunction interface of the bilayer is at the origin of this interfacial exciplex emission.

Molecular design of photovoltaic materials for polymer solar cells: toward suitable electronic energy levels and broad absorption.

PubMed

Li, Yongfang

2012-05-15

Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) polymer solar cells (PSCs) sandwich a blend layer of conjugated polymer donor and fullerene derivative acceptor between a transparent ITO positive electrode and a low work function metal negative electrode. In comparison with traditional inorganic semiconductor solar cells, PSCs offer a simpler device structure, easier fabrication, lower cost, and lighter weight, and these structures can be fabricated into flexible devices. But currently the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the PSCs is not sufficient for future commercialization. The polymer donors and fullerene derivative acceptors are the key photovoltaic materials that will need to be optimized for high-performance PSCs. In this Account, I discuss the basic requirements and scientific issues in the molecular design of high efficiency photovoltaic molecules. I also summarize recent progress in electronic energy level engineering and absorption spectral broadening of the donor and acceptor photovoltaic materials by my research group and others. For high-efficiency conjugated polymer donors, key requirements are a narrower energy bandgap (E(g)) and broad absorption, relatively lower-lying HOMO (the highest occupied molecular orbital) level, and higher hole mobility. There are three strategies to meet these requirements: D-A copolymerization for narrower E(g) and lower-lying HOMO, substitution with electron-withdrawing groups for lower-lying HOMO, and two-dimensional conjugation for broad absorption and higher hole mobility. Moreover, better main chain planarity and less side chain steric hindrance could strengthen π-π stacking and increase hole mobility. Furthermore, the molecular weight of the polymers also influences their photovoltaic performance. To produce high efficiency photovoltaic polymers, researchers should attempt to increase molecular weight while maintaining solubility. High-efficiency D-A copolymers have been obtained by using benzodithiophene (BDT), dithienosilole (DTS), or indacenodithiophene (IDT) donor unit and benzothiadiazole (BT), thienopyrrole-dione (TPD), or thiazolothiazole (TTz) acceptor units. The BDT unit with two thienyl conjugated side chains is a highly promising unit in constructing high-efficiency copolymer donor materials. The electron-withdrawing groups of ester, ketone, fluorine, or sulfonyl can effectively tune the HOMO energy levels downward. To improve the performance of fullerene derivative acceptors, researchers will need to strengthen absorption in the visible spectrum, upshift the LUMO (the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy level, and increase the electron mobility. [6,6]-Phenyl-C(71)-butyric acid methyl ester (PC(70)BM) is superior to [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) because C(70) absorbs visible light more efficiently. Indene-C(60) bisadduct (ICBA) and Indene-C(70) bisadduct (IC(70)BA) show 0.17 and 0.19 eV higher LUMO energy levels, respectively, than PCBM, due to the electron-rich character of indene and the effect of bisadduct. ICBA and IC(70)BA are excellent acceptors for the P3HT-based PSCs.

Creating Graphitic Carbon Nitride Based Donor-π-Acceptor-π-Donor Structured Catalysts for Highly Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

PubMed

Li, Kui; Zhang, Wei-De

2018-03-01

Conjugated polymers with tailored donor-acceptor units have recently attracted considerable attention in organic photovoltaic devices due to the controlled optical bandgap and retained favorable separation of charge carriers. Inspired by these advantages, an effective strategy is presented to solve the main obstructions of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) photocatalyst for solar energy conversion, that is, inefficient visible light response and insufficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Donor-π-acceptor-π-donor polymers are prepared by incorporating 4,4'-(benzoc 1,2,5 thiadiazole-4,7-diyl) dianiline (BD) into the g-C 3 N 4 framework (UCN-BD). Benefiting from the visible light band tail caused by the extended π conjugation, UCN-BD possesses expanded visible light absorption range. More importantly, the BD monomer also acts as an electron acceptor, which endows UCN-BD with a high degree of intramolecular charge transfer. With this unique molecular structure, the optimized UCN-BD sample exhibits a superior performance for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution upon visible light illumination (3428 µmol h -1 g -1 ), which is nearly six times of that of the pristine g-C 3 N 4 . In addition, the photocatalytic property remains stable for six cycles in 3 d. This work provides an insight into the synthesis of g-C 3 N 4 -based D-π-A-π-D systems with highly visible light response and long lifetime of intramolecular charge carriers for solar fuel production. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Structural basis for energy transduction by respiratory alternative complex III.

PubMed

Sousa, Joana S; Calisto, Filipa; Langer, Julian D; Mills, Deryck J; Refojo, Patrícia N; Teixeira, Miguel; Kühlbrandt, Werner; Vonck, Janet; Pereira, Manuela M

2018-04-30

Electron transfer in respiratory chains generates the electrochemical potential that serves as energy source for the cell. Prokaryotes can use a wide range of electron donors and acceptors and may have alternative complexes performing the same catalytic reactions as the mitochondrial complexes. This is the case for the alternative complex III (ACIII), a quinol:cytochrome c/HiPIP oxidoreductase. In order to understand the catalytic mechanism of this respiratory enzyme, we determined the structure of ACIII from Rhodothermus marinus at 3.9 Å resolution by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. ACIII presents a so-far unique structure, for which we establish the arrangement of the cofactors (four iron-sulfur clusters and six c-type hemes) and propose the location of the quinol-binding site and the presence of two putative proton pathways in the membrane. Altogether, this structure provides insights into a mechanism for energy transduction and introduces ACIII as a redox-driven proton pump.

New acceptor-bridge-donor strategy for enhancing NLO response with long-range excess electron transfer from the NH2...M/M3O donor (M = Li, Na, K) to inside the electron hole cage C20F19 acceptor through the unusual σ chain bridge (CH2)4.

PubMed

Bai, Yang; Zhou, Zhong-Jun; Wang, Jia-Jun; Li, Ying; Wu, Di; Chen, Wei; Li, Zhi-Ru; Sun, Chia-Chung

2013-04-04

Using the strong electron hole cage C20F19 acceptor, the NH2...M/M3O (M = Li, Na, and K) complicated donors with excess electron, and the unusual σ chain (CH2)4 bridge, we construct a new kind of electride molecular salt e(-)@C20F19-(CH2)4-NH2...M(+)/M3O(+) (M = Li, Na, and K) with excess electron anion inside the hole cage (to be encapsulated excess electron-hole pair) serving as a new A-B-D strategy for enhancing nonlinear optical (NLO) response. An interesting push-pull mechanism of excess electron generation and its long-range transfer is exhibited. The excess electron is pushed out from the (super)alkali atom M/M3O by the lone pair of NH2 in the donor and further pulled inside the hole cage C20F19 acceptor through the efficient long σ chain (CH2)4 bridge. Owing to the long-range electron transfer, the new designed electride molecular salts with the excess electron-hole pair exhibit large NLO response. For the e(-)@C20F19-(CH2)4-NH2...Na(+), its large first hyperpolarizability (β0) reaches up to 9.5 × 10(6) au, which is about 2.4 × 10(4) times the 400 au for the relative e(-)@C20F20...Na(+) without the extended chain (CH2)4-NH2. It is shown that the new strategy is considerably efficient in enhancing the NLO response for the salts. In addition, the effects of different bridges and alkali atomic number on β0 are also exhibited. Further, three modulating factors are found for enhancing NLO response. They are the σ chain bridge, bridge-end group with lone pair, and (super)alkali atom. The new knowledge may be significant for designing new NLO materials and electronic devices with electrons inside the cages. They may also be the basis of establishing potential organic chemistry with electron-hole pair.

Ramifications of codoping SrI2:Eu with isovalent and aliovalent impurities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Qingguo; Biswas, Koushik

2016-12-01

Eu2+ doped SrI2 is an important scintillator having applications in the field of radiation detection. Codoping techniques are often useful to improve the electronic response of such insulators. Using first-principles based approach, we report on the properties of SrI2:Eu and the influence of codoping with aliovalent (Na, Cs) and isovalent (Mg, Ca, Ba, and Sn) impurities. These codopants do not preferably bind with Eu and are expected to remain as isolated impurities in the SrI2 host. As isolated defects they display amphoteric behavior having, in most cases, significant ionization energies of the donor and acceptor levels. Furthermore, the acceptor states of Na, Cs, and Mg can bind with I-vacancy forming charge compensated donor-acceptor pairs. Such pairs may also bind additional holes or electrons similar to the isolated defects. Lack of deep-to-shallow behavior upon codoping and its ramifications will be discussed.

Ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics of the ultrafast electron injection from a PbSe quantum dot into the TiO2 surface.

PubMed

Long, Run; Prezhdo, Oleg V

2011-11-30

Following recent experiments [Science 2010, 328, 1543; PNAS 2011, 108, 965], we report an ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) simulation of the ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer (ET) from a PbSe quantum dot (QD) into the rutile TiO(2) (110) surface. The system forms the basis for QD-sensitized semiconductor solar cells and demonstrates that ultrafast interfacial ET is instrumental for achieving high efficiencies in solar-to-electrical energy conversion. The simulation supports the observation that the ET successfully competes with energy losses due to electron-phonon relaxation. The ET proceeds by the adiabatic mechanism because of strong donor-acceptor coupling. High frequency polar vibrations of both QD and TiO(2) promote the ET, since these modes can rapidly influence the donor-acceptor state energies and coupling. Low frequency vibrations generate a distribution of initial conditions for ET, which shows a broad variety of scenarios at the single-molecule level. Compared to the molecule-TiO(2) interfaces, the QD-TiO(2) system exhibits pronounced differences that arise due to the larger size and higher rigidity of QDs relative to molecules. Both donor and acceptor states are more delocalized in the QD system, and the ET is promoted by optical phonons, which have relatively low frequencies in the QD materials composed of heavy elements. In contrast, in molecular systems, optical phonons are not thermally accessible under ambient conditions. Meanwhile, TiO(2) acceptor states resemble surface impurities due to the local influence of molecular chromophores. At the same time, the photoinduced ET at both QD-TiO(2) and molecule-TiO(2) interfaces is ultrafast and occurs by the adiabatic mechanism, as a result of strong donor-acceptor coupling. The reported state-of-the-art simulation generates a detailed time-domain atomistic description of the interfacial ET process that is fundamental to a wide variety of applications.

Bay-annulated indigo (BAI) as an excellent electron accepting building block for high performance organic semiconductors

DOEpatents

Liu, Yi; He, Bo; Pun, Andrew

2015-11-24

A novel electron acceptor based on bay-annulated indigo (BAI) was synthesized and used for the preparation of a series of high performance donor-acceptor small molecules and polymers. The resulting materials possess low-lying LUMO energy level and small HOMO-LUMO gaps, while their films exhibited high crystallinity upon thermal treatment, commensurate with high field effect mobilities and ambipolar transfer characteristics.

Bay-annulated indigo (BAI) as an excellent electron accepting building block for high performance organic semiconductors

DOEpatents

Liu, Yi; He, Bo; Pun, Andrew

2016-04-19

A novel electron acceptor based on bay-annulated indigo (BAI) was synthesized and used for the preparation of a series of high performance donor-acceptor small molecules and polymers. The resulting materials possess low-lying LUMO energy level and small HOMO-LUMO gaps, while their films exhibited high crystallinity upon thermal treatment, commensurate with high field effect mobilities and ambipolar transfer characteristics.

A Nonfullerene Small Molecule Acceptor with 3D Interlocking Geometry Enabling Efficient Organic Solar Cells.

PubMed

Lee, Jaewon; Singh, Ranbir; Sin, Dong Hun; Kim, Heung Gyu; Song, Kyu Chan; Cho, Kilwon

2016-01-06

A new 3D nonfullerene small-molecule acceptor is reported. The 3D interlocking geometry of the small-molecule acceptor enables uniform molecular conformation and strong intermolecular connectivity, facilitating favorable nanoscale phase separation and electron charge transfer. By employing both a novel polymer donor and a nonfullerene small-molecule acceptor in the solution-processed organic solar cells, a high-power conversion efficiency of close to 6% is demonstrated. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Reduction of electron accumulation at InN(0001) surfaces via saturation of surface states by potassium and oxygen as donor- or acceptor-type adsorbates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eisenhardt, A.; Reiß, S.; Krischok, S., E-mail: stefan.krischok@tu-ilmenau.de

2014-01-28

The influence of selected donor- and acceptor-type adsorbates on the electronic properties of InN(0001) surfaces is investigated implementing in-situ photoelectron spectroscopy. The changes in work function, surface band alignment, and chemical bond configurations are characterized during deposition of potassium and exposure to oxygen. Although an expected opponent charge transfer characteristic is observed with potassium donating its free electron to InN, while dissociated oxygen species extract partial charge from the substrate, a reduction of the surface electron accumulation occurs in both cases. This observation can be explained by adsorbate-induced saturation of free dangling bonds at the InN resulting in the disappearancemore » of surface states, which initially pin the Fermi level and induce downward band bending.« less

Synthesis of an A-D-A type of molecule used as electron acceptor for improving charge transfer in organic solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chao-Zhi; Gu, Shu-Duo; Shen, Dan; Yuan, Yang; Zhang, Mingdao

2016-08-01

Electron-accepting molecules play an important role in developing organic solar cells. A new type of A-D-A molecule, 3,6-di([7-(5-bromothiophen-2-yl)-1,5,2,4,6,8-dithiotetrazocin-3-yl]thiophen-2-yl)-9-(2-ethylhexyl)carbazole, was synthesized. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels are -3.55 and -5.85 eV, respectively. Therefore, the A-D-A type of compound could be used as electron acceptor for fabricating organic solar cell with a high open circuit voltage. Gibbs free energy (-49.2 kJ/mol) reveals that the process of A-D-A acceptor accepting an electron from poly(3-hexylthiophene) at excited state is spontaneous. The value of entropy (118 J/mol) in the process of an electron transferring from P3HT to the A-D-A acceptor at organic interface suggests that electrons generated from separation of electron-hole pairs at donor/acceptor interface would be delocalized efficiently. Therefore, the A-D-A molecule would be a potential acceptor for efficient organic BHJ solar cells.

Surface Charge-Transfer Doping of Graphene Nanoflakes Containing Double-Vacancy (5-8-5) and Stone-Wales (55-77) Defects through Molecular Adsorption.

PubMed

Shakourian-Fard, Mehdi; Jamshidi, Zahra; Kamath, Ganesh

2016-10-18

The adsorption of six electron donor-acceptor (D/A) organic molecules on various sizes of graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) containing two common defects, double-vacancy (5-8-5) and Stone-Wales (55-77), are investigated by means of ab initio DFT [M06-2X(-D3)/cc-pVDZ]. Different D/A molecules adsorb on a defect graphene (DG) surface with binding energies (ΔE b ) of about -12 to -28 kcal mol -1 . The ΔE b values for adsorption of molecules on the Stone-Wales GNF surface are higher than those on the double vacancy GNF surface. Moreover, binding energies increase by about 10 % with an increase in surface size. The nature of cooperative weak interactions is analyzed based on quantum theory of atoms in molecules, noncovalent interactions plot, and natural bond order analyses, and the dominant interaction is compared for different molecules. Electron density population analysis is used to explain the n- and p-type character of defect graphene nanoflakes (DGNFs) and also the change in electronic properties and reactivity parameters of DGNFs upon adsorption of different molecules and with increasing DGNF size. Results indicate that the HOMO-LUMO energy gap (E g ) of DGNFs decreases upon adsorption of molecules. However, by increasing the size of DGNFs, the E g and chemical hardness of all complexes decrease and the electrophilicity index increases. Furthermore, the values of the chemical potential of acceptor-DGNF complexes decrease with increasing size, whereas those of donor-DGNF complexes increase. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Dependence of Donor:Acceptor Ratio on the Photovoltaic Performances of Blended poly (3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl) and (6,6)-phenyl C{sub 71} butyric acid methyl ester Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fauzia, Vivi; Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics; Umar, Akrajas Ali

2010-10-24

Bulk heterojunction organic solar cells using blended poly (3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl)(P3OT) and (6,6)-phenyl C{sub 71} butyric acid methyl ester (PC{sub 71}BM) have been fabricated. P3OT and PC{sub 71}BM were used as the electron donor (D) and acceptor (A), respectively. Both materials were mixed and dissolved in dichlorobenzene with three different D:A ratios i.e. 1:3, 1:1 and 3:1 (weight) while maintained at the concentration of 2 wt%(26 mg/ml). The blended thin films were sandwiched between the indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass and the aluminum film. This paper reports the influence of donor:acceptor ratio on the performance of solar cell devices measured bymore » current-voltage measurement both in the dark and under 1.5 AM solar illumination. It was found that all devices showed the photovoltaic effect with poor diode behavior and the donor:acceptor ratio significantly influenced on the performance of bulk heterojunction organic solar cells.« less

Medium-Bandgap Small-Molecule Donors Compatible with Both Fullerene and Nonfullerene Acceptors.

PubMed

Huo, Yong; Yan, Cenqi; Kan, Bin; Liu, Xiao-Fei; Chen, Li-Chuan; Hu, Chen-Xia; Lau, Tsz-Ki; Lu, Xinhui; Sun, Chun-Lin; Shao, Xiangfeng; Chen, Yongsheng; Zhan, Xiaowei; Zhang, Hao-Li

2018-03-21

Much effort has been devoted to the development of new donor materials for small-molecule organic solar cells due to their inherent advantages of well-defined molecular weight, easy purification, and good reproducibility in photovoltaic performance. Herein, we report two small-molecule donors that are compatible with both fullerene and nonfullerene acceptors. Both molecules consist of an (E)-1,2-di(thiophen-2-yl)ethane-substituted (TVT-substituted) benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) as the central unit, and two rhodanine units as the terminal electron-withdrawing groups. The central units are modified with either alkyl side chains (DRBDT-TVT) or alkylthio side chains (DRBDT-STVT). Both molecules exhibit a medium bandgap with complementary absorption and proper energy level offset with typical acceptors like PC 71 BM and IDIC. The optimized devices show a decent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.87% for small-molecule organic solar cells and 6.63% for nonfullerene all small-molecule organic solar cells. Our results reveal that rationally designed medium-bandgap small-molecule donors can be applied in high-performance small-molecule organic solar cells with different types of acceptors.

Multiple sites of retardation of electron transfer in Photosystem II after hydrolysis of phosphatidylglycerol.

PubMed

Kim, Eun-Ha; Razeghifard, Reza; Anderson, Jan M; Chow, Wah Soon

2007-01-01

Phosphatidylglycerol (PG), containing the unique fatty acid Delta3, trans-16:1-hexadecenoic acid, is a minor but ubiquitous lipid component of thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts and cyanobacteria. We investigated its role in electron transfers and structural organization of Photosystem II (PSII) by treating Arabidopsis thaliana thylakoids with phospholipase A(2) to decrease the PG content. Phospholipase A(2) treatment of thylakoids (a) inhibited electron transfer from the primary quinone acceptor Q(A) to the secondary quinone acceptor Q(B), (b) retarded electron transfer from the manganese cluster to the redox-active tyrosine Z, (c) decreased the extent of flash-induced oxidation of tyrosine Z and dark-stable tyrosine D in parallel, and (d) inhibited PSII reaction centres such that electron flow to silicomolybdate in continuous light was inhibited. In addition, phospholipase A(2) treatment of thylakoids caused the partial dissociation of (a) PSII supercomplexes into PSII dimers that do not have the complete light-harvesting complex of PSII (LHCII); (b) PSII dimers into monomers; and (c) trimers of LHCII into monomers. Thus, removal of PG by phospholipase A(2) brings about profound structural changes in PSII, leading to inhibition/retardation of electron transfer on the donor side, in the reaction centre, and on the acceptor side. Our results broaden the simple view of the predominant effect being on the Q(B)-binding site.

Pt–Mg, Pt–Ca, and Pt–Zn lantern complexes and metal-only donor–acceptor interactions [Pt-Mg Pt-Ca and Pt-Zn compounds with metal-only donor-acceptor interactions

DOE PAGES

Baddour, Frederick G.; Hyre, Ariel S.; Guillet, Jesse L.; ...

2016-12-12

Here, Pt-based heterobimetallic lantern complexes of the form [PtM(SOCR) 4(L)] have been shown previously to form intermolecular metallophilic interactions and engage in antiferromagnetic coupling between lanterns having M atoms with open shell configurations. In order to understand better the influence of the carboxylate bridge and terminal ligand on the electronic structure, as well as the metal–metal interactions within each lantern unit, a series of diamagnetic lantern complexes, [PtMg(SAc) 4(OH 2)] (1), [PtMg(tba) 4(OH 2)] (2), [PtCa(tba) 4(OH 2)] (3), [PtZn(tba) 4(OH 2)] (4), and a mononuclear control (Ph 4P) 2[Pt(SAc) 4] (5) have been synthesized. Crystallographic data show close Pt–Mmore » contacts enforced by the lantern structure in each dinuclear case. 195Pt-NMR spectroscopy of 1–4, (Ph 4P) 2[Pt(SAc) 4] (5), and several previously reported lanterns revealed a strong chemical shift dependence on the identity of the second metal (M), mild influence by the thiocarboxylate ligand (SOCR; R = CH 3 (thioacetate, SAc), C 6H 5 (thiobenzoate, tba)), and modest influence from the terminal ligand (L). Fluorescence spectroscopy has provided evidence for a Pt···Zn metallophilic interaction in [PtZn(SAc) 4(OH 2)], and computational studies demonstrate significant dative character. In all of 1–4, the short Pt–M distances suggest that metal-only Lewis donor (Pt)–Lewis acceptor (M) interactions could be present. DFT and NBO calculations, however, show that only the Zn examples have appreciable covalent character, whereas the Mg and Ca complexes are much more ionic.« less

Pt–Mg, Pt–Ca, and Pt–Zn lantern complexes and metal-only donor–acceptor interactions [Pt-Mg Pt-Ca and Pt-Zn compounds with metal-only donor-acceptor interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baddour, Frederick G.; Hyre, Ariel S.; Guillet, Jesse L.

Here, Pt-based heterobimetallic lantern complexes of the form [PtM(SOCR) 4(L)] have been shown previously to form intermolecular metallophilic interactions and engage in antiferromagnetic coupling between lanterns having M atoms with open shell configurations. In order to understand better the influence of the carboxylate bridge and terminal ligand on the electronic structure, as well as the metal–metal interactions within each lantern unit, a series of diamagnetic lantern complexes, [PtMg(SAc) 4(OH 2)] (1), [PtMg(tba) 4(OH 2)] (2), [PtCa(tba) 4(OH 2)] (3), [PtZn(tba) 4(OH 2)] (4), and a mononuclear control (Ph 4P) 2[Pt(SAc) 4] (5) have been synthesized. Crystallographic data show close Pt–Mmore » contacts enforced by the lantern structure in each dinuclear case. 195Pt-NMR spectroscopy of 1–4, (Ph 4P) 2[Pt(SAc) 4] (5), and several previously reported lanterns revealed a strong chemical shift dependence on the identity of the second metal (M), mild influence by the thiocarboxylate ligand (SOCR; R = CH 3 (thioacetate, SAc), C 6H 5 (thiobenzoate, tba)), and modest influence from the terminal ligand (L). Fluorescence spectroscopy has provided evidence for a Pt···Zn metallophilic interaction in [PtZn(SAc) 4(OH 2)], and computational studies demonstrate significant dative character. In all of 1–4, the short Pt–M distances suggest that metal-only Lewis donor (Pt)–Lewis acceptor (M) interactions could be present. DFT and NBO calculations, however, show that only the Zn examples have appreciable covalent character, whereas the Mg and Ca complexes are much more ionic.« less

Electrochemical variational study of donor/acceptor orbital mixing and electronic coupling in cyanide-bridged mixed-valence complexes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong, Yuhuua; Hupp, J.T.

1992-07-08

Cyanide-bridged mixed-valence complexes are interesting examples of strongly covalently linked redox systems which, nevertheless, exist in valence-localized form. As mixed-valence species, they display fairly intense intervalence (or metal-to-metal) charge-transfer transitions ([epsilon] [approx] 3000 M[sup [minus]1] cm[sup [minus]1]), which tend to be shifted toward the visible region from the near-infrared on account of substantial redox asymmetry. The authors have recently succeeded in obtaining (by femtosecond transient absorbance spectroscopy) a direct measure of the thermal kinetics (k[sub ET]) of the highly exothermic back-electron-transfer reaction which follows intervalence excitation in one of these complexes, (H[sub 3]N)[sub 5]Ru-NC-Fe(CN)[sub 5][sup [minus

Three-Particle Complexes in Two-Dimensional Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganchev, Bogdan; Drummond, Neil; Aleiner, Igor; Fal'ko, Vladimir

2015-03-01

We evaluate binding energies of trions X±, excitons bound by a donor or acceptor charge XD (A ) , and overcharged acceptors or donors in two-dimensional atomic crystals by mapping the three-body problem in two dimensions onto one particle in a three-dimensional potential treatable by a purposely developed boundary-matching-matrix method. We find that in monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides the dissociation energy of X± is typically much larger than that of localized exciton complexes, so that trions are more resilient to heating, despite the fact that their recombination line in optics is less redshifted from the exciton line than the line of XD (A ) .

The use of O-trifluoroacetyl protection and profound influence of the nature of glycosyl acceptor in benzyl-free arabinofuranosylation.

PubMed

Abronina, Polina I; Fedina, Ksenia G; Podvalnyy, Nikita M; Zinin, Alexander I; Chizhov, Alexander O; Kondakov, Nikolay N; Torgov, Vladimir I; Kononov, Leonid O

2014-09-19

The influence of O-trifluoroacetyl (TFA) groups at different positions of thioglycoside glycosyl donors on stereoselectivity of α-arabinofuranosylation leading to corresponding disaccharides was studied. It was shown that TFA group in thioglycoside glycosyl donors, when combined with 2-O-(triisopropylsilyl) (TIPS) non-participating group, may be regarded as an electron-withdrawing protecting group that may enhance 1,2-cis-selectivity in arabinofuranosylation, the results strongly depending on the nature of glycosyl acceptor. The reactivities of the glycosyl donors were compared with those of a similar thioglycoside with O-pentafluoropropionyl groups and the known phenyl 3,5-O-(di-tert-butylsilylene)-1-thio-α-d-arabinofuranosides with 2-O-TIPS and 2-O-benzyl groups. The 'matching' in the donor-acceptor combination was found to be critical for achieving both high reactivity of glycosyl donor and β-stereoselectivity of arabinofuranosylation. The use of glycosyl donors with TFA and silyl protection may be useful in the realization of the benzyl-free approach to oligoarabinofuranosides with azido group in aglycon-convenient building blocks for the preparation of neoglycoconjugates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mixed semiconductor nanocrystal compositions

DOEpatents

Maskaly, Garry R [Los Alamos, NM; Schaller, Richard D [Santa Fe, NM; Klimov, Victor I [Los Alamos, NM

2011-02-15

Composition comprising one or more energy donors and one or more energy acceptors, wherein energy is transferred from the energy donor to the energy acceptor and wherein: the energy acceptor is a colloidal nanocrystal having a lower band gap energy than the energy donor; the energy donor and the energy acceptor are separated by a distance of 40 nm or less; wherein the average peak absorption energy of the acceptor is at least 20 meV greater than the average peak emission energy of the energy donor; and wherein the ratio of the number of energy donors to the number of energy acceptors is from about 2:1 to about 1000:1.

Exploring the palladium- and platinum-bis(pyridine) complex motif by NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, (tandem) mass spectrometry, and isothermal titration calorimetry: do substituent effects follow chemical intuition?

PubMed

Weilandt, Torsten; Löw, Nora L; Schnakenburg, Gregor; Daniels, Jörg; Nieger, Martin; Schalley, Christoph A; Lützen, Arne

2012-12-21

A series of ten palladium-bis(pyridine) complexes, as well as their corresponding platinum complexes, have been synthesized. The pyridine ligands in each series carried different σ-donor and/or π-acceptor/donor substituents at the para-position of their pyridine rings. These complexes were analysed by NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, (tandem) MS, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to validate whether these methods allowed us to obtain a concise and systematic picture of the relative and absolute thermodynamic stabilities of the complexes, as determined by the electronic effects of the substituents. Interestingly, the NMR spectroscopic data hardly correlated with the expected substituent effects but the heteronuclear platinum-phosphorus coupling constants did. Crystallographic data were found to be blurred by packing effects. Instead, tandem MS and ITC data were in line with each other and followed the expected trends. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Spin and charge ordering in organic conductors investigated by electron spin resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokumoto, Takahisa D.

This dissertation presents systematic studies on ordered states of organic conductors investigated mainly by Electron Spin Resonance (ESR). First, we describe an introduction to organic conductors. Organic conductors are based on conducting layers of highly planar donor molecules, separated by insulating layers of acceptors. The donor arrangements in the conducting layers determine the three simple parameters, transfer integral t between the donor molecules, onsite Coulomb interaction U and next neighboring Coulomb interaction V. Depending on the values of the above three parameters, a variety of ground states is realized and hence the organic conductors has become a main stream of condensed matter physics. Among many ground states, the main focus is on magnetic orders in this dissertation. Therefore we have employed ESR to probe local magnetic structures. And we cover a basic theory of ESR in paramagnetic/antiferromagnetically ordered states and the experimental realizations. Next, after an introduction to a system with an exchange interaction between d magnetic moments embedded at acceptor sites and pi spins at donor molecules is given, we discuss the effectiveness of systematic studies on isostructural magnetic and non-magnetic acceptor based organic conductors. Then, we go over one of the "exchange coupled" materials, beta-(BDA-TTP)2MCl 4 (M=Fe3+,Ga3+). We examine the origins of the Metal-Insulator transition and the long range antiferromangetic order in the magnetic acceptor based material, where we found the critical importance of the quantum fluctuations of pi spins. Finally, we delineate the magnetic order of alternating easy axes of a class of an organic conductor, tau-(P-(S,S)-DMEDT)2(AuBr2) 1+y, at low temperature/field by ESR. We briefly discuss the origin of this unprecedented magnetic structure in terms of the unstoichiometric ratio of donors to acceptors and the tetragonal symmetry of the unit cell. Then, we report the results of the ultra high field ESR to probe the magnetic structure changes around a hysteretic field induced metal insulator transition.

Interfacial Molecular Packing Determines Exciton Dynamics in Molecular Heterostructures: The Case of Pentacene-Perfluoropentacene.

PubMed

Rinn, Andre; Breuer, Tobias; Wiegand, Julia; Beck, Michael; Hübner, Jens; Döring, Robin C; Oestreich, Michael; Heimbrodt, Wolfram; Witte, Gregor; Chatterjee, Sangam

2017-12-06

The great majority of electronic and optoelectronic devices depend on interfaces between p-type and n-type semiconductors. Finding matching donor-acceptor systems in molecular semiconductors remains a challenging endeavor because structurally compatible molecules may not necessarily be suitable with respect to their optical and electronic properties, and the large exciton binding energy in these materials may favor bound electron-hole pairs rather than free carriers or charge transfer at an interface. Regardless, interfacial charge-transfer exciton states are commonly considered as an intermediate step to achieve exciton dissociation. The formation efficiency and decay dynamics of such states will strongly depend on the molecular makeup of the interface, especially the relative alignment of donor and acceptor molecules. Structurally well-defined pentacene-perfluoropentacene heterostructures of different molecular orientations are virtually ideal model systems to study the interrelation between molecular packing motifs at the interface and their electronic properties. Comparing the emission dynamics of the heterosystems and the corresponding unitary films enables accurate assignment of every observable emission signal in the heterosystems. These heterosystems feature two characteristic interface-specific luminescence channels at around 1.4 and 1.5 eV that are not observed in the unitary samples. Their emission strength strongly depends on the molecular alignment of the respective donor and acceptor molecules, emphasizing the importance of structural control for device construction.

Synthesis, computational, and spectroscopic analysis of tunable highly fluorescent BN-1,2-azaborine derivatives containing the N-BOH moiety.

PubMed

Saint-Louis, Carl Jacky; Shavnore, Renée N; McClinton, Caleb D C; Wilson, Julie A; Magill, Lacey L; Brown, Breanna M; Lamb, Robert W; Webster, Charles Edwin; Schrock, Alan K; Huggins, Michael T

2017-12-13

Nine new polycyclic aromatic BN-1,2-azaborine analogues containing the N-BOH moiety were synthesized using a convenient two-step, one-pot procedure. Characterization of the prepared compounds show the luminescence wavelength and the quantum yields of the azaborines were tunable by controlling the power and location of the donor and acceptor substituents on the chromophore. UV-visible spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) computations revealed that the addition of electron-donating moieties to the isoindolinone hemisphere raised the energy of the HOMO, resulting in the reduction of the HOMO-LUMO gap. The addition of an electron-accepting moiety to the isoindolinone hemisphere and an electron-donating group to the boronic acid hemisphere decreased the HOMO-LUMO gap considerably, leading to emission properties from partial intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) states. The combined effect of an acceptor on the isoindolinone side and a donor on the boronic acid side (strong acceptor-π-donor) gave the most red-shifted absorption. The polycyclic aromatic BN-1,2-azaborines emitted strong fluorescence in solution and in the solid-state with the largest red-shifted emission at 640 nm and a Stokes shift of Δλ = 218 nm, or Δν = 8070 cm -1 .

Quasiclassical description of the nearest-neighbor hopping dc conduction via hydrogen-like donors in intermediately compensated GaAs crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poklonski, N. A.; Vyrko, S. A.; Zabrodskii, A. G.

2010-08-01

Expressions for the pre-exponential factor σ3 and the thermal activation energy ɛ3 of hopping electric conductivity of electrons via hydrogen-like donors in n-type gallium arsenide are obtained in the quasiclassical approximation. Crystals with the donor concentration N and the acceptor concentration KN at the intermediate compensation ratio K (approximately from 0.25 to 0.75) are considered. We assume that the donors in the charge states (0) and (+1) and the acceptors in the charge state (-1) form a joint nonstoichiometric simple cubic 'sublattice' within the crystalline matrix. In such sublattice the distance between nearest impurity atoms is Rh = [(1 + K)N]-1/3 which is also the length of an electron hop between donors. To take into account orientational disorder of hops we assume that the impurity sublattice randomly and smoothly changes orientation inside a macroscopic sample. Values of σ3(N) and ɛ3(N) calculated for the temperature of 2.5 K agree with known experimental data at the insulator side of the insulator-metal phase transition.

Energy transfer dynamics from individual semiconductor nanoantennae to dye molecules with implication to light-harvesting nanosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Guangcun; Hu, Mingjun; Yan, Ze; Li, Xin; Huang, Wei

2018-03-01

Semiconductor nanocrystals can be used as nanoscale optical antennae to photoexcite individual dye molecules in an ensemble via energy transfer mechanism. The theoretical framework developed by Förster and others describes how electronic excitation migrates in the photosynthetic apparatus of plants, algae, and bacteria from light absorbing pigments to reaction centers where light energy is utilized for the eventual conversion into chemical energy. Herein we investigate the effect of the average donor-acceptor spacing on the time-resolved fluorescence intensity and dynamics of single donor-acceptor pairs with the dye acceptor concentration decreasing by using quantum Monte-Carlo simulation of FRET dynamics. Our results validated that the spatial disorder controlling the microscopic energy transfer rates accounts for the scatter in donor fluorescence lifetimes and intensities, which provides a new design guideline for artificial light-harvesting nanosystems.

Organic hybrid planar-nanocrystalline bulk heterojunctions

DOEpatents

Forrest, Stephen R [Ann Arbor, MI; Yang, Fan [Piscataway, NJ

2011-03-01

A photosensitive optoelectronic device having an improved hybrid planar bulk heterojunction includes a plurality of photoconductive materials disposed between the anode and the cathode. The photoconductive materials include a first continuous layer of donor material and a second continuous layer of acceptor material. A first network of donor material or materials extends from the first continuous layer toward the second continuous layer, providing continuous pathways for conduction of holes to the first continuous layer. A second network of acceptor material or materials extends from the second continuous layer toward the first continuous layer, providing continuous pathways for conduction of electrons to the second continuous layer. The first network and the second network are interlaced with each other. At least one other photoconductive material is interspersed between the interlaced networks. This other photoconductive material or materials has an absorption spectra different from the donor and acceptor materials.

Organic hybrid planar-nanocrystalline bulk heterojunctions

DOEpatents

Forrest, Stephen R.; Yang, Fan

2013-04-09

A photosensitive optoelectronic device having an improved hybrid planar bulk heterojunction includes a plurality of photoconductive materials disposed between the anode and the cathode. The photoconductive materials include a first continuous layer of donor material and a second continuous layer of acceptor material. A first network of donor material or materials extends from the first continuous layer toward the second continuous layer, providing continuous pathways for conduction of holes to the first continuous layer. A second network of acceptor material or materials extends from the second continuous layer toward the first continuous layer, providing continuous pathways for conduction of electrons to the second continuous layer. The first network and the second network are interlaced with each other. At least one other photoconductive material is interspersed between the interlaced networks. This other photoconductive material or materials has an absorption spectra different from the donor and acceptor materials.

Complete Monitoring of Coherent and Incoherent Spin Flip Domains in the Recombination of Charge-Separated States of Donor-Iridium Complex-Acceptor Triads.

PubMed

Klein, Johannes H; Schmidt, David; Steiner, Ulrich E; Lambert, Christoph

2015-09-02

The spin chemistry of photoinduced charge-separated (CS) states of three triads comprising one or two triarylamine donors, a cyclometalated iridium complex sensitizer and a naphthalene diimide (NDI) acceptor, was investigated by transient absorption spectroscopy in the ns-μs time regime. Strong magnetic-field effects (MFE) were observed for two triads with a phenylene bridge between iridium complex sensitizer and NDI acceptor. For these triads, the lifetimes of the CS states increased from 0.6 μs at zero field to 40 μs at about 2 T. Substituting the phenylene by a biphenyl bridge causes the lifetime of the CS state at zero field to increase by more than 2 orders of magnitude (τ = 79 μs) and the MFE to disappear almost completely. The kinetic MFE was analyzed in the framework of a generalized Hayashi-Nagakura scheme describing coherent (S, T0 ↔ T±) as well as incoherent (S, T0 ⇌ T±) processes by a single rate constant k±. The magnetic-field dependence of k± of the triads with phenylene bridge spans 2 orders of magnitude and exhibits a biphasic behavior characterized by a superposition of two Lorentzians. This biphasic MFE is observed for the first time and is clearly attributable to the coherent (B < 10 mT) and incoherent (10 mT < B < 2 T) domains of spin motion induced by isotropic and anisotropic hyperfine coupling. The parameters of both domains are well understood in terms of the structural properties of the two triads, including the effect of electron hopping in the triad with two donor moieties. The kinetic model also accounts for the reduction of the MFE on reducing the rate constant of charge recombination in the triad with the biphenyl bridge.

Electric field changes on Au nanoparticles on semiconductor supports--the molecular voltmeter and other methods to observe adsorbate-induced charge-transfer effects in Au/TiO2 nanocatalysts.

PubMed

McEntee, Monica; Stevanovic, Ana; Tang, Wenjie; Neurock, Matthew; Yates, John T

2015-02-11

Infrared (IR) studies of Au/TiO2 catalyst particles indicate that charge transfer from van der Waals-bound donor or acceptor molecules on TiO2 to or from Au occurs via transport of charge carriers in the semiconductor TiO2 support. The ΔνCO on Au is shown to be proportional to the polarizability of the TiO2 support fully covered with donor or acceptor molecules, producing a proportional frequency shift in νCO. Charge transfer through TiO2 is associated with the population of electron trap sites in the bandgap of TiO2 and can be independently followed by changes in photoluminescence intensity and by shifts in the broad IR absorbance region for electron trap sites, which is also proportional to the polarizability of donors by IR excitation. Density functional theory calculations show that electron transfer from the donor molecules to TiO2 and to supported Au particles produces a negative charge on the Au, whereas the transfer from the Au particles to the TiO2 support into acceptor molecules results in a positive charge on the Au. These changes along with the magnitudes of the shifts are consistent with the Stark effect. A number of experiments show that the ∼3 nm Au particles act as "molecular voltmeters" in influencing ΔνCO. Insulator particles, such as SiO2, do not display electron-transfer effects to Au particles on their surface. These studies are preliminary to doping studies of semiconductor-oxide particles by metal ions which modify Lewis acid/base oxide properties and possibly strongly modify the electron-transfer and catalytic activity of supported metal catalyst particles.

CHARGE-TRANSFER ASSOCIATION AND PARAMAGNETISM OF SOME ORGANIC SYSTEMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eastman, J W

When p-xylene was combined with chloranil in n-heptane, charge-transfer optical absorption was observed. The magnitude of this absorption was used to calculate an equilibrium constant for the formation of a donor-acceptor complex containing one p-xylene was combined with carbon tetrabromide and with carbon tetrachloride in n-heptane, no charge-transfer absorption was observed. Reactions of N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) with chloranil (pQCl/ sub 4/) were observed in ethylene dichloride and acetonitrile. In both solvents adduct formation occurred initially, as observed by its charge-transfer absorption. In acetonitrile time-dependent electron spin resonance (ESR) absorption was observed, and it was identified with the positive and negative radicalmore » ions of TMPD and pQCl/sub 4/, respectively. In this case a completely ionized electron transfer had occurred. Chloranil and other quinones were found to react with N,N-dimethylaniline forming a crystal violet salt. The diamagnetic donor-acceptor complexes and also semiquinone radicals are intermediates which were observed. Some physical measurements of the kinetics of this reaction are described and correlated. When fluoranil was allowed to react with dimethylaniline, the hyperfine splitting by the fluorine atoms of the fluoranil radical was not resolved. Characteristics of the ESR absorption by this radical in dimethylaniline are discussed in terms of an electron transfer between the semiquinone and quinone, and between the semiquinone and hydroquinone ion. Paramagnetism was discovered in hydrocarbon-quinone solids. ESR absorption was assigned to imperfections in the solid which was normally diamagnetic. The preparation of these solids and some of their physical characteristics are described. (auth)« less

Ultrafast Electron Transfer across a Nanocapsular Wall: Coumarins as Donors, Viologen as Acceptor, and Octa Acid Capsule as the Mediator.

PubMed

Chuang, Chi-Hung; Porel, Mintu; Choudhury, Rajib; Burda, Clemens; Ramamurthy, V

2018-01-11

Results of our study on ultrafast electron transfer (eT) dynamics from coumarins (coumarin-1, coumarin-480, and coumarin-153) incarcerated within octa acid (OA) capsules as electron donors to methyl viologen dissolved in water as acceptor are presented. Upon photoexcitation, coumarin inside the OA capsule transfers an electron to the acceptor electrostatically attached to the capsule leading to a long-lived radical-ion pair separated by the OA capsular wall. This charge-separated state returns to the neutral ground state via back electron transfer on the nanosecond time scale. This system allows for ultrafast electron transfer processes through a molecular wall from the apolar capsular interior to the highly polar (aqueous) environment on the femtosecond time scale. Employing femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, distinct rates of both forward (1-25 ps) and backward eT (700-1200 ps) processes were measured. Further understanding of the energetics is provided using Rehm-Weller analysis for the investigated photoinduced eT reactions. The results provide the rates of the eT across a molecular wall, akin to an isotropic solution, depending on the standard free energy of the reaction. The insights from this work could be utilized in the future design of efficient electron transfer processes across interfaces separating apolar and polar environments.

Quantum mechanical design of efficient second-order nonlinear optical materials based on heteroaromatic imido-substituted hexamolybdates: first theoretical framework of POM-based heterocyclic aromatic rings.

PubMed

Janjua, Muhammad Ramzan Saeed Ashraf

2012-11-05

This work was inspired by a previous report (Janjua et al. J. Phys. Chem. A 2009, 113, 3576-3587) in which the nonlinear-optical (NLO) response strikingly improved with an increase in the conjugation path of the ligand and the nature of hexamolybdates (polyoxometalates, POMs) was changed into a donor by altering the direction of charge transfer with a second aromatic ring. Herein, the first theoretical framework of POM-based heteroaromatic rings is found to be another class of excellent NLO materials having double heteroaromatic rings. First hyperpolarizabilities of a large number of push-pull-substituted conjugated systems with heteroaromatic rings have been calculated. The β components were computed at the density functional theory (DFT) level (BP86 geometry optimizations and LB94 time-dependent DFT). The largest β values are obtained with a donor (hexamolybdates) on the benzene ring and an acceptor (-NO(2)) on pyrrole, thiophene, and furan rings. The pyrrole imido-substituted hexamolybdate (system 1c) has a considerably large first hyperpolarizability, 339.00 × 10(-30) esu, and it is larger than that of (arylimido)hexamolybdate, calculated as 0.302 × 10(-30) esu (reference system 1), because of the double aromatic rings in the heteroaromatic imido-substituted hexamolybdates. The heteroaromatic rings act as a conjugation bridge between the electron acceptor (-NO(2)) and donor (polyanion). The introduction of an electron donor into heteroaromatic rings significantly enhances the first hyperpolarizabilities because the electron-donating ability is substantially enhanced when the electron donor is attached to the heterocyclic aromatic rings. Interposing five-membered auxiliary fragments between strong donor (polyanion) or acceptor (-NO(2)) groups results in a large computed second-order NLO response. The present investigation provides important insight into the NLO properties of (heteroaromatic) imido-substituted hexamolybdate derivatives because these compounds exhibit enhanced hyperpolarizabilities compared to typical NLO arylimido hexamolybdates and heterocyclic aromatic rings reported in the literature.

Insights Gained from the Dehalococcoides ethenogenes Strain 195’s Transcriptome Responding to a Wide Range of Respiration Rates and Substrate Types

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

fermented yeast , pure hydrogen, or endogenous biomass decay). When similarly respiring (~120 ?eeq PCE/(L-hr)) batch and PSS cultures were contrasted, the...electron equivalence (eeq) basis), and electron donor type (butyrate, lactate, yeast extract, fermented yeast , pure hydrogen, or endogenous biomass...acceptor ratios (0.7 to 17 on an electron equivalence (eeq) basis), and 12 electron donor type (butyrate, lactate, yeast extract, fermented yeast , pure

Rotaxanes and Photovoltaic Materials Based on Pi-Conjugated Donors and Acceptors: Toward Energy Transduction on the Nanoscale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruns, Carson J.

The flow of energy between its various forms is central to our understanding of virtually all natural phenomena, from the origins and fate of the universe to the mechanisms that underpin Life. Therefore, a deeper fundamental understanding of how to manage energy processes at the molecular scale will open new doors in science and technology. This dissertation describes organic molecules and materials that are capable of transducing various forms of energy on the nanoscale, namely, a class of mechanically interlocked molecules known as rotaxanes for electrochemical-to-mechanical energy transduction (Part I), and a class of thin films known as organic photovoltaics (OPVs) for solar-to-electric energy transduction (Part II). These materials are all based on conjugated molecules with a capacity to donate or accept pi-electrons. A contemporary challenge in molecular nanotechnology is the development of artificial molecular machines (AMMs) that mimic the ability of motor proteins (e.g. myosin, kinesin) to perform mechanical work by leveraging a combination of energy sources and rich structural chemistry. Part I describes the synthesis, characterization, molecular dynamics, and switching properties of a series of `daisy chain' and oligorotaxane AMM prototypes. All compounds are templated by charge transfer and hydrogen bonding interactions between pi-associated 1,5-dioxynaphthlene donors appended with polyether groups and pi-acceptors of either neutral (naphthalenediimide) or charged (4,4´-bipyridinium) varieties, and are synthesized using efficient one-pot copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition `click chemistry' protocols. The interlocked architectures of these rotaxanes enable them to express sophisticated secondary structures (i.e. foldamers) and mechanical motions in solution, which have been elucidated using dynamic 1H NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations, cyclic voltammetry, and spectroelectrochemistry experiments have demonstrated that the muscle-like contractile-extensile motions of the daisy chains can be controlled by redox or thermal stimuli. It is concluded that donor-acceptor daisy chains and oligorotaxanes of unprecendented complexity can be readily prepared using click chemistry and actuated in solution. Motivated by the global demand for low-cost renewable energy, novel pi-donor molecules based on thiophene and diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) moieties are investigated in the context of thin-film materials for OPV technologies in Part II. Homologous families of small-molecule donors have been synthesized to investigate the effects of various molecular design principles on the morphological, optical, electronic, and photovoltaic properties of the corresponding thin-film materials. This strategy has been executed in the context of inorganic-organic hybrid OPVs and also more conventional bulk heterojunction (BHJ) OPVs. In the former case, a series of terthiophene surfactants with systematic variations in valency, geometry, and flexibility are electrodeposited on transparent electrodes from aqueous solutions to yield lamellar Zn(OH)2 materials with nanoscale periodicity, which are characterized by scanning electron miscroscopy and two-dimensional grazing incidence X-ray scattering. It is concluded that monovalent, flexible, linear surfactants yield the most dense and anisotropic nanostructures that are ideal for OPVs. For BHJ OPVs, the family of compounds under investigation are small molecule (SM) donors based on electron-rich heterocyclic acenes (benzodithiophene, benzodifuran, naphtho-dithiophene) and electron-poor thiophene-flanked DPP units. Single crystal X-ray structures of the SM donors are compared with morphological, hole mobility, photovoltaic efficiency data on their blends with a common fullerene acceptor to elucidate the optimal molecular design principles for this class of OPVs. It is concluded that the best-performing molecules have a symmetric architecture in which the central acene core comprises an extended pi-system.

Optical and electrochemical characteristics of Ir(III) complexes with metalated 4-(4-bromophenyl)-2-methyl-1,3-thiazole and isocyanide, ethylenediamine, and diethyldithiocarbamate ligands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katlenok, E. A.; Kinzhalov, M. A.; Eremina, A. A.; Balashev, K. P.

2017-05-01

The influence of donor-acceptor properties of tert-butyl-, 2.6-dimethylphenyl-, and 4-bromophenyl-isocyanides (BuNC, XylNC, BpNC), ethylenediamine (En), and diethyldithiocarbamate ions (Dtc-) on the 1H and 13C NMR, IR, optical, and electrochemical characteristics of Ir(III) complexes with metalated 4-(4-bromophenyl)-2-methyl-1,3-thiazole is studied. Enhancement of the donor properties of BpNC, XylNC, BuNC, En, and Dtc- ligands leads to a bathochromic shift of metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) bands and to a decrease in the difference between the one-electron oxidation and reduction potentials of complexes. The bathochromic shift of the low-temperature phosphorescence of complexes in frozen (77 K) solutions with increasing donor properties of BpNC, XylNC, BuNC, En, and Dtc-ligands is caused by a decrease in the admixture of MLCT to the intraligand excited state of {Ir(bptz)2}. Quenching of the phosphorescence of complexes in liquid solutions is attributed to the thermally-induced population of excited d- d* states with subsequent nonradiative deactivation.

Transition from metal-ligand bonding to halogen bonding involving a metal as halogen acceptor a study of Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, and Hg complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, Vytor; Cremer, Dieter

2017-08-01

Utilizing all-electron Dirac-exact relativistic calculations with the Normalized Elimination of the Small Component (NESC) method and the local vibrational mode approach, the transition from metal-halide to metal halogen bonding is determined for Au-complexes interacting with halogen-donors. The local stretching force constants of the metal-halogen interactions reveal a smooth transition from weak non-covalent halogen bonding to non-classical 3-center-4-electron bonding and finally covalent metal-halide bonding. The strongest halogen bonds are found for dialkylaurates interacting with Cl2 or FCl. Differing trends in the intrinsic halogen-metal bond strength, the binding energy, and the electrostatic potential are explained.

Anaerobic Benzene Oxidation by Geobacter Species

PubMed Central

Bain, Timothy S.; Nevin, Kelly P.; Barlett, Melissa A.; Lovley, Derek R.

2012-01-01

The abundance of Geobacter species in contaminated aquifers in which benzene is anaerobically degraded has led to the suggestion that some Geobacter species might be capable of anaerobic benzene degradation, but this has never been documented. A strain of Geobacter, designated strain Ben, was isolated from sediments from the Fe(III)-reducing zone of a petroleum-contaminated aquifer in which there was significant capacity for anaerobic benzene oxidation. Strain Ben grew in a medium with benzene as the sole electron donor and Fe(III) oxide as the sole electron acceptor. Furthermore, additional evaluation of Geobacter metallireducens demonstrated that it could also grow in benzene-Fe(III) medium. In both strain Ben and G. metallireducens the stoichiometry of benzene metabolism and Fe(III) reduction was consistent with the oxidation of benzene to carbon dioxide with Fe(III) serving as the sole electron acceptor. With benzene as the electron donor, and Fe(III) oxide (strain Ben) or Fe(III) citrate (G. metallireducens) as the electron acceptor, the cell yields of strain Ben and G. metallireducens were 3.2 × 109 and 8.4 × 109 cells/mmol of Fe(III) reduced, respectively. Strain Ben also oxidized benzene with anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) as the sole electron acceptor with cell yields of 5.9 × 109 cells/mmol of AQDS reduced. Strain Ben serves as model organism for the study of anaerobic benzene metabolism in petroleum-contaminated aquifers, and G. metallireducens is the first anaerobic benzene-degrading organism that can be genetically manipulated. PMID:23001648

Theoretical characterization and design of small molecule donor material containing naphthodithiophene central unit for efficient organic solar cells.

PubMed

Duan, Yu-Ai; Geng, Yun; Li, Hai-Bin; Jin, Jun-Ling; Wu, Yong; Su, Zhong-Min

2013-07-15

To seek for high-performance small molecule donor materials used in heterojunction solar cell, six acceptor-donor-acceptor small molecules based on naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b']dithiophene (NDT) units with different acceptor units were designed and characterized using density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory. Their geometries, electronic structures, photophysical, and charge transport properties have been scrutinized comparing with the reported donor material NDT(TDPP)2 (TDPP  =  thiophene-capped diketopyrrolopyrrole). The open circuit voltage (V(oc)), energetic driving force(ΔE(L-L)), and exciton binding energy (E(b)) were also provided to give an elementary understanding on their cell performance. The results reveal that the frontier molecular orbitals of 3-7 match well with the acceptor material PC61 BM, and compounds 3-5 were found to exhibit the comparable performances to 1 and show promising potential in organic solar cells. In particular, comparing with 1, system 7 with naphthobisthiadiazole acceptor unit displays broader absorption spectrum, higher V(oc), lower E(b), and similar carrier mobility. An in-depth insight into the nature of the involved excited states based on transition density matrix and charge density difference indicates that all S1 states are mainly intramolecular charge transfer states with the charge transfer from central NDT unit to bilateral acceptor units, and also imply that the exciton of 7 can be dissociated easily due to its large extent of the charge transfer. In a word, 7 maybe superior to 1 and may act as a promising donor candidate for organic solar cell. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigations on the photoreactions of phenothiazine and phenoxazine in presence of 9-cyanoanthracene by using steady state and time resolved spectroscopic techniques.

PubMed

Bardhan, Munmun; Mandal, Paulami; Tzeng, Wen-Bih; Ganguly, Tapan

2010-09-01

By using electrochemical, steady state and time resolved (fluorescence lifetime and transient absorption) spectroscopic techniques, detailed investigations were made to reveal the mechanisms of charge separation or forward electron transfer reactions within the electron donor phenothiazine (PTZH) or phenoxazine (PXZH) and well known electron acceptor 9-cyanoanthracene (CNA). The transient absorption spectra suggest that the charge separated species formed in the excited singlet state resulted from intermolecular photoinduced electron transfer reactions within the donor PTZH (or PXZH) and CNA acceptor relaxes to the corresponding triplet state. Though alternative mechanisms of via formations of contact neutral radical by H-transfer reaction have been proposed but the observed results obtained from the time resolved measurements indicate that the regeneration of ground state reactants is primarily responsible due to direct recombination of triplet contact ion-pair (CIP) or solvent-separated ion-pair (SSIP).

Molecular Engineering of UV/Vis Light-Emitting Diode (LED)-Sensitive Donor-π-Acceptor-Type Sulfonium Salt Photoacid Generators: Design, Synthesis, and Study of Photochemical and Photophysical Properties.

PubMed

Wu, Xingyu; Jin, Ming; Xie, Jianchao; Malval, Jean-Pierre; Wan, Decheng

2017-11-07

A series of donor-π-acceptor-type sulfonium salt photoacid generators (PAGs) were designed and synthesized by systematically changing electron-donating groups, π-conjugated systems, electron-withdrawing groups, and the number of branches through molecular engineering. These PAGs can effectively decompose under UV/Vis irradiation from a light-emitting diode (LED) light source because of the matching absorption and emitting spectra of the LEDs. The absorption and acid-generation properties of these sulfonium salts were elucidated by UV/Vis spectroscopy and so forth. Results indicated that the PAG performance benefited from the introduction of strong electron-donating groups, specific π-conjugated structures, certain electron-withdrawing groups, or two-branched structures. Most sulfonium salts showed potential as photoinitiators under irradiation by a wide variety of UV and visible LEDs. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Can time-dependent density functional theory predict intersystem crossing in organic chromophores? A case study on benzo(bis)-X-diazole based donor-acceptor-donor type molecules.

PubMed

Tam, Teck Lip Dexter; Lin, Ting Ting; Chua, Ming Hui

2017-06-21

Here we utilized new diagnostic tools in time-dependent density functional theory to explain the trend of intersystem crossing in benzo(bis)-X-diazole based donor-acceptor-donor type molecules. These molecules display a wide range of fluorescence quantum yields and triplet yields, making them excellent candidates for testing the validity of these diagnostic tools. We believe that these tools are cost-effective and can be applied to structurally similar organic chromophores to predict/explain the trends of intersystem crossing, and thus fluorescence quantum yields and triplet yields without the use of complex and expensive multireference configuration interaction or multireference pertubation theory methods.

Incorporating fluorinated moieties in fully conjugated donor-acceptor block copolymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Youngmin; Wang, Qing; Gomez, Enrique D.

Fully conjugated donor-acceptor block copolymers are promising candidates for photovoltaics due to their ability to microphase separate at length scales commensurate with exciton diffusion lengths. These materials can also serve as model systems to study the relationship between molecular structure, microstructure, and optoelectronic properties of conjugated polymers. The development of new donor-acceptor block copolymers relies on the manipulation of the chemical structure to fine tune properties and improve overall performance when employed in photovoltaic devices. To this end, we have demonstrated the incorporation of fluorinated moieties in conjugated block copolymers. The introduction of fluorine, a strong electron withdrawing element, is known to influence phase separation and the bandgap, and as a result, optoelectronic properties. Fluorine was introduced to the acceptor block of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)-block-poly((9,9-bis(2-octyl)fluorene-2,7-diyl)-alt-(4,7-di(thiophene-2-yl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-5 ',5?-diyl) (P3HT- b-PFTBT). PFTBTs were prepared with di-fluorinated and mono-fluorinated TBT. We find that fluorination impacts the bandgap, morphology and performance in devices.

p/n-Polarity of thiophene oligomers in photovoltaic cells: role of molecular vs. supramolecular properties.

PubMed

Ghosh, Tanwistha; Gopal, Anesh; Saeki, Akinori; Seki, Shu; Nair, Vijayakumar C

2015-04-28

Molecular and supramolecular properties play key roles in the optoelectronic properties and photovoltaic performances of organic materials. In the present work, we show how small changes in the molecular structure affect such properties, which in turn control the intrinsic and fundamental properties such as the p/n-polarity of organic semiconductors in bulk-heterojunction solar cells. Herein, we designed and synthesized two acceptor-donor-acceptor type semiconducting thiophene oligomers end-functionalized with oxazolone/isoxazolone derivatives (OT1 and OT2 respectively). The HOMO-LUMO energy levels of both derivatives were found to be positioned in such a way that they can act as electron acceptors to P3HT and electron donors to PCBM. However, OT1 functions as a donor (with PCBM) and OT2 as an acceptor (with P3HT) in BHJ photovoltaic cells, and their reverse roles results in either no or poor performance of the cells. Detailed studies using UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, time-correlated single photon counting, UV-photoelectron spectroscopy, density functional theory calculations, X-ray diffraction, and thermal gravimetric analysis proved that both molecular and supramolecular properties contributed equally but in a contrasting manner to the abovementioned observation. The obtained results were further validated by flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity studies which showed an excellent correlation between the structure, property, and device performances of the materials.

Parallel bulk heterojunction photovoltaics based on all-conjugated block copolymer additives

DOE PAGES

Mok, Jorge W.; Kipp, Dylan; Hasbun, Luis R.; ...

2016-08-23

We demonstrated that the addition of block copolymers to binary donor–acceptor blends represents an effective approach to target equilibrium, co-continuous morphologies of interpenetrating donors and acceptors in our recent study. We report a study of the impact of all-conjugated poly(thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-co-benzodithiophene)-b-polynaphthalene diimide (PTB7-b-PNDI) block copolymer additives on the electronic properties and photovoltaic performance of bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic active layers comprised of a PTB7 donor and a phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM61) acceptor. We find that small amounts of BCP additives lead to improved performance due to a large increase in the device open-circuit voltage (VOC), and the VOC is pinnedmore » to this higher value for higher BCP additive loadings. Such results contrast prior studies of ternary blend OPVs where either a continuous change in VOC or a value of VOC pinned to the lowest value is observed. We hypothesize and provide evidence in the form of device and morphology analyses that the impact of VOC is likely due to the formation of a parallel bulk heterojunction made up of isolated PCBM and PNDI acceptor domains separated by intermediate PTB7 donor domains. Our work demonstrates that all-conjugated block copolymers can be utilized as additives to both dictate morphology and modulate the electronic properties of the active layer.« less

Parallel bulk heterojunction photovoltaics based on all-conjugated block copolymer additives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mok, Jorge W.; Kipp, Dylan; Hasbun, Luis R.

We demonstrated that the addition of block copolymers to binary donor–acceptor blends represents an effective approach to target equilibrium, co-continuous morphologies of interpenetrating donors and acceptors in our recent study. We report a study of the impact of all-conjugated poly(thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-co-benzodithiophene)-b-polynaphthalene diimide (PTB7-b-PNDI) block copolymer additives on the electronic properties and photovoltaic performance of bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic active layers comprised of a PTB7 donor and a phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM61) acceptor. We find that small amounts of BCP additives lead to improved performance due to a large increase in the device open-circuit voltage (VOC), and the VOC is pinnedmore » to this higher value for higher BCP additive loadings. Such results contrast prior studies of ternary blend OPVs where either a continuous change in VOC or a value of VOC pinned to the lowest value is observed. We hypothesize and provide evidence in the form of device and morphology analyses that the impact of VOC is likely due to the formation of a parallel bulk heterojunction made up of isolated PCBM and PNDI acceptor domains separated by intermediate PTB7 donor domains. Our work demonstrates that all-conjugated block copolymers can be utilized as additives to both dictate morphology and modulate the electronic properties of the active layer.« less

Investigation of the donor and acceptor range for chiral carboligation catalyzed by the E1 component of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex

PubMed Central

Patel, Hetalben; Shim, Da Jeong; Farinas, Edgardo T.; Jordan, Frank

2013-01-01

The potential of thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes to catalyze C-C bond forming (carboligase) reactions with high enantiomeric excess has been recognized for many years. Here we report the application of the E1 component of the Escherichia coli 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex in the synthesis of chiral compounds with multiple functional groups in good yield and high enantiomeric excess, by varying both the donor substrate (different 2-oxo acids) and the acceptor substrate (glyoxylate, ethyl glyoxylate and methyl glyoxal). Major findings include the demonstration that the enzyme can accept 2-oxovalerate and 2-oxoisovalerate in addition to its natural substrate 2-oxoglutarate, and that the tested acceptors are also acceptable in the carboligation reaction, thereby very much expanding the repertory of the enzyme in chiral synthesis. PMID:24277992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mandal, Suman, E-mail: suman.mandal@sscu.iisc.ernet.in; Pal, Somnath; Hazarika, Abhijit

Topical observations of colossal permittivity (CP) with low dielectric loss in donor-acceptor cations co-doped rutile TiO{sub 2} have opened up several possibilities in microelectronics and energy-storage devices. Yet, the precise origin of the CP behavior, knowledge of which is essential to empower the device integration suitably, is highly disputed in the literature. From spectromicroscopic approach besides dielectric measurements, we explore that microscopic electronic inhomogeneities along with the nano-scale phase boundaries and the low temperature polaronic relaxation are mostly responsible for such a dielectric behavior, rather than electron-pinned defect-dipoles/grain-boundary effects as usually proposed. Donor-acceptor co-doping results in a controlled carrier-hopping inevitablymore » influencing the dielectric loss while invariably upholding the CP value.« less

Modeling donor/acceptor interactions: Combined roles of theory and computation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Newton, M.D.

2000-03-05

An extended superexchange model for electron transfer (ET) matrix elements (H{sub DA}) has been formulated as a superposition of McConnell-type pathways and implemented by combined use of configuration interaction wave functions (obtained using the INDO/s model of Zerner and co-workers) and the generalized Muliken-Hush formulation of charge-localized diabatic states. Applications are made for et (and hold transfer) in several donor/bridge/acceptor radical anion (and cation) systems, (DBA){sup {+-}}, allowing detailed comparison with experimental H{sub DA} estimates. For the case of oligo phenylene ethynylene (OPE) bridges, the role of {pi} and {sigma} electronic manifolds for different distributions of phenylene torsion angles ismore » analyzed in detail.« less

Generalized Mulliken-Hush analysis of electronic coupling interactions in compressed pi-stacked porphyrin-bridge-quinone systems.

PubMed

Zheng, Jieru; Kang, Youn K; Therien, Michael J; Beratan, David N

2005-08-17

Donor-acceptor interactions were investigated in a series of unusually rigid, cofacially compressed pi-stacked porphyrin-bridge-quinone systems. The two-state generalized Mulliken-Hush (GMH) approach was used to compute the coupling matrix elements. The theoretical coupling values evaluated with the GMH method were obtained from configuration interaction calculations using the INDO/S method. The results of this analysis are consistent with the comparatively soft distance dependences observed for both the charge separation and charge recombination reactions. Theoretical studies of model structures indicate that the phenyl units dominate the mediation of the donor-acceptor coupling and that the relatively weak exponential decay of rate with distance arises from the compression of this pi-electron stack.

Reducing exciton binding energy by increasing thin film permittivity: an effective approach to enhance exciton separation efficiency in organic solar cells.

PubMed

Leblebici, Sibel Y; Chen, Teresa L; Olalde-Velasco, Paul; Yang, Wanli; Ma, Biwu

2013-10-23

Photocurrent generation in organic solar cells requires that excitons, which are formed upon light absorption, dissociate into free carriers at the interface of electron acceptor and donor materials. The high exciton binding energy, arising from the low permittivity of organic semiconductor films, generally causes low exciton separation efficiency and subsequently low power conversion efficiency. We demonstrate here, for the first time, that the exciton binding energy in B,O-chelated azadipyrromethene (BO-ADPM) donor films is reduced by increasing the film permittivity by blending the BO-ADPM donor with a high dielectric constant small molecule, camphoric anhydride (CA). Various spectroscopic techniques, including impedance spectroscopy, photon absorption and emission spectroscopies, as well as X-ray spectroscopies, are applied to characterize the thin film electronic and photophysical properties. Planar heterojunction solar cells are fabricated with a BO-ADPM:CA film as the electron donor and C60 as the acceptor. With an increase in the dielectric constant of the donor film from ∼4.5 to ∼11, the exciton binding energy is reduced and the internal quantum efficiency of the photovoltaic cells improves across the entire spectrum, with an ∼30% improvement in the BO-ADPM photoactive region.

An overview of the first half-century of molecular electronics.

PubMed

Hush, Noel S

2003-12-01

The seminal ideas from which molecular electronics has developed were the theories of molecular conduction advanced in the late 1940s by Robert S. Mulliken and Albert Szent-Gyorgi. These were, respectively, the concept of donor-acceptor charge transfer complexes and the possibility that proteins might in fact not be insulators The next two decades saw a burgeoning of experimental and theoretical work on electron transfer systems, together with a lone effort by D.D. Eley on conduction in proteins. The call by Feynman in his famous 1959 lecture There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom for chemists, engineers and physicists to combine to build up structures from the molecular level was influential in turning attention to the possibility of engineering single molecules to function as elements in information-processing systems. This was made tangible by the proposal of Aviram and Ratner in 1974 to use a Mulliken-like electron donor-acceptor molecule as a molecular diode, generalizing molecular conduction into molecular electronics. In the early 1970s the remarkably visionary work of Forrest L. Carter of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratories began to appear: designs for molecular wires, switches, complex molecular logic elements, and a host of related ideas were advanced. Shortly after that, conferences on molecular electronics began to be held, and the interdisciplinary programs that Feynman envisaged. There was a surge in both experimental and theoretical work in molecular electronics, and the establishment of many research centres. The past five years or so have seen extraordinarily rapid progress in fabrication and theoretical understanding. The history of how separate lines of research emanating from fundamental insights of about 50 years ago have coalesced into a thriving international research program in what might be called the ultimate nanotechnology is the subject of this review; it concentrates on the lesser-appreciated early developments in the field.

Tracking Hole Transport in DNA Hairpins Using a Phenylethynylguanine Nucleobase.

PubMed

Brown, Kristen E; Singh, Arunoday P N; Wu, Yi-Lin; Mishra, Ashutosh Kumar; Zhou, Jiawang; Lewis, Frederick D; Young, Ryan M; Wasielewski, Michael R

2017-08-30

The hole transport dynamics of DNA hairpins possessing a stilbene electron acceptor and donor along with a modified guanine (G) nucleobase, specifically 8-(4'-phenylethynyl)deoxyguanosine, or EG, have been investigated. The nearly indistinguishable oxidation potentials of EG and G and unique spectroscopic characteristics of EG +• make it well-suited for directly observing transient hole occupation during charge transport between a stilbene electron donor and acceptor. In contrast to the cation radical G +• , EG +• possesses a strong absorption near 460 nm and has a distinct Raman-active ethynyl stretch. Both spectroscopic characteristics are easily distinguished from those of the stilbene donor/acceptor radical ion chromophores. Employing EG, we observe its role as a shallow hole trap, or as an intermediate hole transport site when a deeper trap state is present. Using a combination of ultrafast absorption and stimulated Raman spectroscopies, the hole-transport dynamics are observed to be similar in systems having EG vs G bases, with small perturbations to the charge transport rates and yields. These results show EG can be deployed at specified locations throughout the sequence to report on hole occupancy, thereby enabling detailed monitoring of the hole transport dynamics with base-site specificity.

Protein-ligand interfaces are polarized: discovery of a strong trend for intermolecular hydrogen bonds to favor donors on the protein side with implications for predicting and designing ligand complexes.

PubMed

Raschka, Sebastian; Wolf, Alex J; Bemister-Buffington, Joseph; Kuhn, Leslie A

2018-04-01

Understanding how proteins encode ligand specificity is fascinating and similar in importance to deciphering the genetic code. For protein-ligand recognition, the combination of an almost infinite variety of interfacial shapes and patterns of chemical groups makes the problem especially challenging. Here we analyze data across non-homologous proteins in complex with small biological ligands to address observations made in our inhibitor discovery projects: that proteins favor donating H-bonds to ligands and avoid using groups with both H-bond donor and acceptor capacity. The resulting clear and significant chemical group matching preferences elucidate the code for protein-native ligand binding, similar to the dominant patterns found in nucleic acid base-pairing. On average, 90% of the keto and carboxylate oxygens occurring in the biological ligands formed direct H-bonds to the protein. A two-fold preference was found for protein atoms to act as H-bond donors and ligand atoms to act as acceptors, and 76% of all intermolecular H-bonds involved an amine donor. Together, the tight chemical and geometric constraints associated with satisfying donor groups generate a hydrogen-bonding lock that can be matched only by ligands bearing the right acceptor-rich key. Measuring an index of H-bond preference based on the observed chemical trends proved sufficient to predict other protein-ligand complexes and can be used to guide molecular design. The resulting Hbind and Protein Recognition Index software packages are being made available for rigorously defining intermolecular H-bonds and measuring the extent to which H-bonding patterns in a given complex match the preference key.

Protein-ligand interfaces are polarized: discovery of a strong trend for intermolecular hydrogen bonds to favor donors on the protein side with implications for predicting and designing ligand complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raschka, Sebastian; Wolf, Alex J.; Bemister-Buffington, Joseph; Kuhn, Leslie A.

2018-02-01

Understanding how proteins encode ligand specificity is fascinating and similar in importance to deciphering the genetic code. For protein-ligand recognition, the combination of an almost infinite variety of interfacial shapes and patterns of chemical groups makes the problem especially challenging. Here we analyze data across non-homologous proteins in complex with small biological ligands to address observations made in our inhibitor discovery projects: that proteins favor donating H-bonds to ligands and avoid using groups with both H-bond donor and acceptor capacity. The resulting clear and significant chemical group matching preferences elucidate the code for protein-native ligand binding, similar to the dominant patterns found in nucleic acid base-pairing. On average, 90% of the keto and carboxylate oxygens occurring in the biological ligands formed direct H-bonds to the protein. A two-fold preference was found for protein atoms to act as H-bond donors and ligand atoms to act as acceptors, and 76% of all intermolecular H-bonds involved an amine donor. Together, the tight chemical and geometric constraints associated with satisfying donor groups generate a hydrogen-bonding lock that can be matched only by ligands bearing the right acceptor-rich key. Measuring an index of H-bond preference based on the observed chemical trends proved sufficient to predict other protein-ligand complexes and can be used to guide molecular design. The resulting Hbind and Protein Recognition Index software packages are being made available for rigorously defining intermolecular H-bonds and measuring the extent to which H-bonding patterns in a given complex match the preference key.

A computational study of hydrogen-bonded X3CH⋯YZ (X = Cl, F, NC; YZ = FLi, BF, CO, N2) complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDowell, Sean A. C.

2018-03-01

An MP2/6-311++G(3df,3pd) computational study of a series of hydrogen-bonded complexes X3CH⋯YZ (X = Cl, F, NC; YZ = FLi, BF, CO, N2) was undertaken to assess the trends in the relative stability and other molecular properties with variation of both the X group and the chemical hardness of the Y atom of YZ. The red- and blue-shifting propensities of the proton donor X3CH were investigated by considering the Csbnd H bond length change and its associated vibrational frequency shift. The proton donor Cl3CH, which has a positive dipole moment derivative with respect to Csbnd H bond extension, tends to form red-shifted complexes, this tendency being modified by the hardness (and dipole moment) associated with the proton acceptor. On the other hand, F3CH has a negative dipole moment derivative and tends to form blue-shifted complexes, suggesting that as X becomes more electron-withdrawing, the proton donor should have a negative dipole moment derivative and form blue-shifted complexes. Surprisingly, the most polar proton donor (NC)3CH was found to have a positive dipole moment derivative and produces red-shifted complexes. A perturbative model was found useful in rationalizing the trends for the Csbnd H bond length change and associated frequency shift.

Beyond Donor-Acceptor (D-A) Approach: Structure-Optoelectronic Properties-Organic Photovoltaic Performance Correlation in New D-A1 -D-A2 Low-Bandgap Conjugated Polymers.

PubMed

Chochos, Christos L; Drakopoulou, Sofia; Katsouras, Athanasios; Squeo, Benedetta M; Sprau, Christian; Colsmann, Alexander; Gregoriou, Vasilis G; Cando, Alex-Palma; Allard, Sybille; Scherf, Ullrich; Gasparini, Nicola; Kazerouni, Negar; Ameri, Tayebeh; Brabec, Christoph J; Avgeropoulos, Apostolos

2017-04-01

Low-bandgap near-infrared polymers are usually synthesized using the common donor-acceptor (D-A) approach. However, recently polymer chemists are introducing more complex chemical concepts for better fine tuning of their optoelectronic properties. Usually these studies are limited to one or two polymer examples in each case study so far, though. In this study, the dependence of optoelectronic and macroscopic (device performance) properties in a series of six new D-A 1 -D-A 2 low bandgap semiconducting polymers is reported for the first time. Correlation between the chemical structure of single-component polymer films and their optoelectronic properties has been achieved in terms of absorption maxima, optical bandgap, ionization potential, and electron affinity. Preliminary organic photovoltaic results based on blends of the D-A 1 -D-A 2 polymers as the electron donor mixed with the fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester demonstrate power conversion efficiencies close to 4% with short-circuit current densities (J sc ) of around 11 mA cm -2 , high fill factors up to 0.70, and high open-circuit voltages (V oc s) of 0.70 V. All the devices are fabricated in an inverted architecture with the photoactive layer processed in air with doctor blade technique, showing the compatibility with roll-to-roll large-scale manufacturing processes. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Reduced energy offset via substitutional doping for efficient organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells.

PubMed

Jin, Xiao; Sun, Weifu; Zhang, Qin; Ruan, Kelian; Cheng, Yuanyuan; Xu, Haijiao; Xu, Zhongyuan; Li, Qinghua

2015-06-01

Charge carrier transport in bulk heterojunction that is central to the device performance of solar cells is sensitively dependent on the energy level alignment of acceptor and donor. However, the effect of energy level regulation induced by nickel ions on the primary photoexcited electron transfer and the performance of P3HT/TiO₂ hybrid solar cells remains being poorly understood and rarely studied. Here we demonstrate that the introduction of the versatile nickel ions into TiO₂ nanocrystals can significantly elevate the conduction and valence band energy levels of the acceptor, thus resulting in a remarkable reduction of energy level offset between the conduction band of acceptor and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of donor. By applying transient photoluminescence and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopies, we demonstrate that the electron transfer becomes more competitive after incorporating nickel ions. In particular, the electron transfer life time is shortened from 30.2 to 16.7 ps, i.e., more than 44% faster than pure TiO₂ acceptor, thus leading to a notable increase of power conversion efficiency in organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells. This work underscores the promising virtue of engineering the reduction of 'excess' energy offset to accelerate electron transport and demonstrates the potential of nickel ions in applications of solar energy conversion and photon detectors.

Features of conductivity mechanisms in heavily doped compensated V{sub 1–x}Ti{sub x}FeSb Semiconductor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romaka, V. A., E-mail: vromaka@polynet.lviv.ua; Rogl, P.; Romaka, V. V.

2016-07-15

The crystal and electronic structure and also the energy and kinetic properties of n-VFeSb semiconductor heavily doped with the Ti acceptor impurity are investigated in the temperature and Ti concentration ranges of T = 4.2–400 K and N{sub A}{sup Ti} ≈ 9.5 × 10{sup 19}–3.6 × 10{sup 21} cm{sup –3} (x = 0.005–0.20), respectively. The complex mechanism of the generation of acceptor and donor structural defects is established. It is demonstrated that the presence of vacancies at Sb atomic sites in n-VFeSb gives rise to donor structural defects (“a priori doping”). Substitution of the Ti dopant for V in VFeSbmore » leads simultaneously to the generation of acceptortype structural defects, a decrease in the number of donor defects, and their removal in the concentration range of 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.03 via the occupation of vacancies by Sb atoms, and the generation of donor defects due to the occurrence of vacancies and an increase in their number. The result obtained underlies the technique for fabricating new n-VFeSb-based thermoelectric materials. The results are discussed in the context of the Shklovsky–Efros model for a heavily doped compensated semiconductor.« less

Effect of π-bridge units on properties of A-π-D-π-A-type nonfullerene acceptors for organic solar cells.

PubMed

Wang, Yan-Ling; Li, Quan-Song; Li, Ze-Sheng

2018-05-15

Acceptor-π-donor-π-acceptor (A-π-D-π-A)-types of small molecules are very promising nonfullerene acceptors to overcome the drawbacks of fullerene derivatives such as the weak absorption ability and electronic adjustability. However, only few attempts have been made to develop π-bridge units to construct highly efficient acceptors in OSCs. Herein, taking the reported acceptor P1 as a reference, five small-structured acceptors (P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6) have been designed via the replacement of the π-bridge unit. A combination of quantum chemistry and Marcus theory approaches is employed to investigate the effect of different π-bridge units on the optical, electronic, and charge transport properties of P1-P6. The calculation results show that the designed molecules P2 and P5 can become potential acceptor replacements of P1 due to their red-shifted absorption bands, appropriate energy levels, low exciton binding energy, and high electron affinity and electron mobility. Additionally, compared with P3HT/P1, P3HT/P2 and P3HT/P5 exhibit stronger and wider absorption peaks, larger electron transfer distances (DCT), greater transferred charge amounts (Δq), and smaller overlaps (Λ), which shows that P2 and P5 have more significant electron transfer characteristics and favorable exciton dissociation capabilities for enhancing the short-circuit current density (JSC) and thus, they are potential acceptors in OSCs.

Stimulation of anaerobic biodegradation of DDT and its metabolites in a muck soil: laboratory microcosm and mesocosm studies.

PubMed

Gohil, Hiral; Ogram, Andrew; Thomas, John

2014-09-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of selected electron donors and electron acceptors on the anaerobic biodegradation of DDT and its major metabolites in a muck soil with a long history of exposure to the pesticide. Loss of DDT was measured in anaerobic microcosms supplemented with H2, lactate, and acetate. The greatest loss of DDT (approximately 87 %) was observed in microcosms amended with lactate and no additional electron acceptor compared to the no additional electron donor or acceptor sets. An increase in measureable concentrations of DDx was observed in un-amended microcosms. In larger scale mesocosms, significant increases in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) corresponded with low redox potentials. Increases in DOC corresponded with sharp increases in measured concentrations of DDx, followed by a decrease in measured DDT concentrations in lactate-amended mesocosms. Our studies indicate that sorbed DDx is released upon anaerobic incubation, and that indigenous microorganisms capable of DDx degradation respond to lactate additions. Both the potential for release of sorbed DDx and the potential for biodegradation of DDx should be considered during remediation of DDx-contaminated organic soils at low redox potentials.

The Synthesis and Photophysical Characterization of Porphyrin Photoactive Materials for Use as Sensitizers in Organic Photovoltaics and Photodynamic Therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marin, Dawn Marie

Solar energy conversion and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are very different applications. However, both utilize very similar photoactive molecules called porphyrins. Porphyrins are structural analogs of chlorophyll and also function as prosthetic groups in some biological enzymes. Understanding the structure/function relationship of these molecules is crucial for enhancing the energy generation efficiency of molecular solar cells and improving chemotherapeutic activity in PDT. In this dissertation, two approaches were applied with the goal of increasing the efficiency of molecular semiconductors for these applications: the heavy atom effect and donor-acceptor molecules. We enhanced the efficiency of triplet excited state formation and singlet oxygen generation for porphyrin sensitizers using the heavy atom effect. The heavy atom effect induces spin-orbit coupling to promote intersystem crossing into the triplet state. In this study, a carbomethoxyphenyl substituent was replaced with either a bromophenyl or an iodophenyl substituent on 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carbomethoxyphenyl)porphyrin. The longer lifetimes obtained from the increase in the triplet excited state allow for longer exciton diffusion lengths and lower recombination rates in photovoltaics. Also, the enhanced intersystem crossing is beneficial for photodynamic therapy because it increases singlet oxygen generation, which destroys tumor cells. Optimizing photovoltaic performance and PDT efficacy can also be accomplished with donor-acceptor molecules because they have extended electronic pi bond delocalization across the molecule, which causes the molecule to absorb longer wavelengths of light. Donor-acceptor molecules should produce photovoltaic devices that absorb more of the solar spectrum and produce sensitizers that absorb wavelengths of light that can penetrate through tissues. Donor-acceptor molecules were synthesized using 5,15-bis(4-carbomethoxyphenyl)porphyrin as the acceptor and thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole derivatives as the donor. The excited state dynamics of the heavy atom derivatives and donor-acceptor molecules were studied using UV-vis spectroscopy, steady-state emission, time-resolved and delayed photoluminescence.

Contrasting performance of donor-acceptor copolymer pairs in ternary blend solar cells and two-acceptor copolymers in binary blend solar cells.

PubMed

Khlyabich, Petr P; Rudenko, Andrey E; Burkhart, Beate; Thompson, Barry C

2015-02-04

Here two contrasting approaches to polymer-fullerene solar cells are compared. In the first approach, two distinct semi-random donor-acceptor copolymers are blended with phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) to form ternary blend solar cells. The two poly(3-hexylthiophene)-based polymers contain either the acceptor thienopyrroledione (TPD) or diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP). In the second approach, semi-random donor-acceptor copolymers containing both TPD and DPP acceptors in the same polymer backbone, termed two-acceptor polymers, are blended with PC61BM to give binary blend solar cells. The two approaches result in bulk heterojunction solar cells that have the same molecular active-layer components but differ in the manner in which these molecular components are mixed, either by physical mixing (ternary blend) or chemical "mixing" in the two-acceptor (binary blend) case. Optical properties and photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies of the binary and ternary blends were found to have similar features and were described as a linear combination of the individual components. At the same time, significant differences were observed in the open-circuit voltage (Voc) behaviors of binary and ternary blend solar cells. While in case of two-acceptor polymers, the Voc was found to be in the range of 0.495-0.552 V, ternary blend solar cells showed behavior inherent to organic alloy formation, displaying an intermediate, composition-dependent and tunable Voc in the range from 0.582 to 0.684 V, significantly exceeding the values achieved in the two-acceptor containing binary blend solar cells. Despite the differences between the physical and chemical mixing approaches, both pathways provided solar cells with similar power conversion efficiencies, highlighting the advantages of both pathways toward highly efficient organic solar cells.

Nanostructured organic/inorganic semicondutor photovoltaics: Investigation on morphology and optoelectronics performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wanninayake, Aruna Pushpa Kumara

Organic solar cell is a promising technology because of the versatility of organic materials in terms of tunability of their electrical and optical properties. In addition, their relative insensitivity to film imperfections potentially allows for very low-cost high-throughput roll-to-roll processing. However, the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cell is still limited and needs to be improved in order to be competitive with grid parity. This work is focused on the design and characterization of a new organic/inorganic hybrid device to enhance the efficiency factors of bilayer organic solar cells such as: light absorption, exciton diffusion, exciton dissociation, charge transportation and charge collection at the electrodes. In a hybrid solar cell operation, external quantum efficiency is determined by these five factors. The external quantum efficiency has linear relationship to the power conversation efficiency via short circuit current density. Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) PSCs benefit from a homogeneous donor-acceptor (D-A) contact interface compared to their inorganic counterpart. A homogenous D-A interface offers a longer free path for charge carriers, resulting in a longer diffusional pathway and a larger coulomb interaction between electrons and holes. This is triggered by the low dielectric constant of organic semiconductors. Among various conventional donor-acceptor structures, poly(3-hexylthiophene)/[6,6]-phenyl-C70-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PCBM) mixture is the most promising and ideal donor-acceptor pair due to their unique properties. In order to take benefits from both organic and inorganic materials, inorganic nanoparticles are incorporated in this donor-acceptor polymer structure. Light trapping enhances light absorption and increases efficiencies with thinner device structure. In this study, copper oxide nanoparticles are used in the P3HT/PC70BM active layer to optimize the optical absorption properties in the blend. In addition, zinc oxide nanoparticles are used for tuning the conjugated polymer films due to their high electron accepting ability and optical absorption properties. In the zinc oxide structure, electrons exhibit higher mobility, which enhances the exciton dissociation efficiency. In addition, metal nanoparticles such as gold are added to the hole transport layer to enhance the overall hole transport ability. The optimum morphology of P3HT/PCBM films is described by two main features: 1) the molecular ordering within the donor or acceptor phase, which affects the photon absorption and carrier mobility; and 2) the scale of phase separation between the donor and the acceptor, which can directly influence the exciton dissociation and charge transport and/or collection processes. Hence, the molecular ordering and the phase separation between the donor and acceptor phases are crucial for solar cells with high efficiency. Optimization of the morphology of the organic/inorganic hybrid layers will be achieved via thermal annealing. The main goal of this work is to fabricate inorganic nanoparticles incorporated polymer PV devices with increased power conversion efficiency (PCE). This goal is achieved through four research objectives which are 1) enhancement of exciton generation and morphology by CuO NPs, 2) enhancement of exciton transportation and carrier diffusion by thermal annealing, 3) Improvement of exciton dissociation and electron mobility using ZnO NPs, and 4) improvement of hole collection ability using Au NPs. The key findings in this research can be applied to fabricate solar cells with higher power conversion efficiencies.

Mixing Behavior in Small Molecule: Fullerene Organic Photovoltaics [On the Mixing Behavior in Small Molecule: Fullerene Organic Photovoltaics

DOE PAGES

Oosterhout, Stefan D.; Savikhin, Victoria; Zhang, Junxiang; ...

2017-02-22

Here, we report a novel method to determine the amount of pure, aggregated phase of donor and acceptor in organic photovoltaic (OPV) bulk heterojunctions. By determination of the diffraction intensity per unit volume for both donor and acceptor, the volume content of pure, aggregated donor and acceptor in the blend can be determined. We find that for the small molecule X2:[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) system, in contrast to most polymer systems, all the PCBM is aggregated, indicating there is negligible miscibility of PCBM with X2. This provides an explanation why the performance of OPV devices of X2:PCBM are highmore » over a large range of PCBM concentrations. This is in contrast to many other OPV blends, where PCBM forms a mixed phase with the donor and does not provide sufficient transport for electrons when the PCBM concentration is low. This study demonstrates that a mixed phase is not necessarily a requirement for good OPV device performance.« less

Chloroplast biogenesis 89: development of analytical tools for probing the biosynthetic topography of photosynthetic membranes by determination of resonance excitation energy transfer distances separating metabolic tetrapyrrole donors from chlorophyll a acceptors.

PubMed

Kopetz, Karen J; Kolossov, Vladimir L; Rebeiz, Constantin A

2004-06-15

The thorough understanding of photosynthetic membrane assembly requires a deeper knowledge of the coordination and regulation of the chlorophyll (Chl) and thylakoid apoprotein biosynthetic pathways. As a working hypothesis we have recently proposed three different Chl-thylakoid apoprotein biosynthesis models: a single-branched Chl biosynthetic pathway (SBP)-single location model, a SBP-multilocation model, and a multibranched Chl biosynthetic pathway (MBP)-sublocation model. The detection of resonance excitation energy transfer between tetrapyrrole precursors of Chl, and several Chl-protein complexes, has made it possible to test the validity of the proposed Chl-thylakoid apoprotein biosynthesis models by resonance excitation energy transfer determinations. In this work, resonance excitation energy transfer techniques that allow the determination of distances separating tetrapyrrole donors from Chl-protein acceptors in green plants by using readily available electronic spectroscopic instrumentation are developed. It is concluded that the calculated distances are compatible with the MBP-sublocation model and incompatible with the operation of the SBP-single location Chl-protein biosynthesis model.

Luminescent substituted fluoranthenes - synthesis, structure, electrochemical and optical properties.

PubMed

Slodek, Aneta; Maroń, Anna; Pająk, Michał; Matussek, Marek; Grudzka-Flak, Iwona; Małecki, Jan Grzegorz; Świtlicka, Anna; Krompiec, Stanisław; Danikiewicz, Witold; Grela, Małgorzata; Gryca, Izabela; Penkala, Mateusz

2018-04-16

Six novel fluoranthene derivatives, three terminally substituted and three bis(fluoranthenes) with fluorene, bithiophene and carbazole spacers were obtained via [2+2+2] cycloaddition and thoroughly characterized. Based on the conducted studies, the obtained derivatives can be classified as D-A (donor-acceptor) and A-D-A (acceptor-donor-acceptor) systems, where fluoranthene unit acts as an electron-withdrawing unit. The optical results revealed that novel fluoranthene derivatives absorb light in the range of 236-417 nm originating from ππ* transition within the conjugated system. The compounds exhibit fluorescence ranging from deep blue to green originating mainly from intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) states. The high Stoke shifts, high quantum yield in solution (φ= 0.22-0.57) and in the solid state (φ= 0.18-0.44) have been observed for fluoranthene derivatives. All derivatives possess multi-step oxidations at low potentials. The electronic structure of presented compounds is additionally supported by TD-DFT computations. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High-Performance All-Polymer Solar Cells Achieved by Fused Perylenediimide-Based Conjugated Polymer Acceptors.

PubMed

Yin, Yuli; Yang, Jing; Guo, Fengyun; Zhou, Erjun; Zhao, Liancheng; Zhang, Yong

2018-05-09

We report three n-type polymeric electron acceptors (PFPDI-TT, PFPDI-T, and PFPDI-Se) based on the fused perylene diimide (FPDI) and thieno[3,2- b]thiophene, thiophene, or selenophene units for all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs). These FPDI-based polymer acceptors exhibit strong absorption between 350 and 650 nm with wide optical bandgap of 1.86-1.91 eV, showing good absorption compensation with the narrow bandgap polymer donor. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels were located at around -4.11 eV, which are comparable with those of the fullerene derivatives and other small molecular electron acceptors. The conventional all-PSCs based on the three polymer acceptors and PTB7-Th as polymer donor gave remarkable power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of >6%, and the PFPDI-Se-based all-PSC achieved the highest PCE of 6.58% with a short-circuit current density ( J sc ) of 13.96 mA/cm 2 , an open-circuit voltage ( V oc ) of 0.76 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 62.0%. More interestingly, our results indicate that the photovoltaic performances of the FPDI-based polymer acceptors are mainly determined by the FPDI unit with a small effect from the comonomers, which is quite different from the others reported rylenediimide-based polymer acceptors. This intriguing phenomenon is speculated as the huge geometry configuration of the FPDI unit, which minimizes the effect of the comonomer. These results highlight a promising future for the application of the FPDI-based polymer acceptors in the highly efficient all-PSCs.

Preferential inhibition of the plasma membrane NADH oxidase (NOX) activity by diphenyleneiodonium chloride with NADPH as donor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morre, D. James

2002-01-01

The cell-surface NADH oxidase (NOX) protein of plant and animal cells will utilize both NADH and NADPH as reduced electron donors for activity. The two activities are distinguished by a differential inhibition by the redox inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI). Using both plasma membranes and cells, activity with NADPH as donor was markedly inhibited by DPI at submicromolar concentrations, whereas with NADH as donor, DPI was much less effective or had no effect on the activity. The possibility of the inhibition being the result of two different enzymes was eliminated by the use of a recombinant NOX protein. The findings support the concept that NOX proteins serve as terminal oxidases for plasma membrane electron transport involving cytosolic reduced pyridine nucleotides as the natural electron donors and with molecular oxygen as the electron acceptor.

Emission spectroscopy of divalent-cation-doped GaN photocatalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirai, Takeshi; Harada, Takashi; Ikeda, Shigeru; Matsumura, Michio; Saito, Nobuo; Nishiyama, Hiroshi; Inoue, Yasunobu; Harada, Yoshiyuki; Ohno, Nobuhito; Maeda, Kazuhiko; Kubota, Jun; Domen, Kazunari

2011-12-01

Photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectra of GaN particles doped with divalent cations (Mg2+, Zn2+, and Be2+), which promote photocatalytic overall water splitting, were investigated. The PL and TRPL spectra were mainly attributed to donor-acceptor pair recombination between the divalent cation dopants and divalent anion impurities (O2- and S2-) unintentionally introduced from raw materials, which form acceptor and donor levels, respectively. These levels are likely to provide holes and electrons required for photocatalytic reactions, contributing to the photocatalytic activity of the GaN-based photocatalysts for overall water splitting.

Photochromic molecules as building blocks for molecular electronics.

PubMed

Peter, Belser

2010-01-01

Energy and electron transfer processes can be easily induced by a photonic excitation of a donor metal complex ([Ru(bpy)3]2), which is connected via a wire-type molecular fragment to an acceptor metal complex ([Os(bpy)3]2+). The rate constant for the transfer process can be determined by emission measurements of the two connected metal complexes. The system can be modified by incorporation of a switching unit or an interrupter into the wire, influencing the transfer process. Such a molecular device corresponds to an interrupter, mimic the same function applied in molecular electronics. We have used organic switches, which show photochromic properties. By irradiation with light of different wavelengths, the switch changes its functionality by a photochemical reaction from an OFF- to an ON-state and vice versa. The ON- respectively OFF-state is manifested by a color change but also in different conductivity properties for energy and electron transfer processes. Therefore, the mentioned molecular device can work as a simple interrupter, controlling the rate of the transfer processes.

Effect of solvent, electronic, and steric factors on the reactivity of 1,1'-diethylferrocene, 1,1'-diacetylferrocene, and 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene towards hydrogen peroxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fomin, V. M.; Kochetkova, K. S.; Galkina, M. S.

2017-07-01

The oxidation of Fc(C2H5)2, Fc(COCH3)2, and Fc(PPh2)2, where Fc is a ferrocene, with hydrogen peroxide in aprotic (dioxane and acetonitrile) and hydroxyl-containing (ethanol, acetonitrile-water, and water) solvents is studied via electron spectroscopy. The reactivity of these metal complexes relative to an oxidant is due to the electron-donor or electron-acceptor properties of substituents, their sizes, and their capability for the specific solvation by a particular solvent. Possible mechanisms of the oxidation of metal complexes are discussed. When Fc(PPh2)2 is oxidized, the formation of ferrocenyl cation Fc+(PPh2)2 is due to the redox isomerism of ferrocenylphosphonium cation Fc(PPh2)P+Ph2, which can form during the reaction between protonated complex Fc(PPh2)P(H+)Ph2 and H2O2.

Molecular Design of Efficient Organic D-A-π -A Dye Featuring Triphenylamine as Donor Fragment for Application in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

PubMed

Ferdowsi, Parnian; Saygili, Yasemin; Zhang, Weiwei; Edvinson, Tomas; Kavan, Ladislav; Mokhtari, Javad; Zakeeruddin, Shaik M; Grätzel, Michael; Hagfeldt, Anders

2018-01-23

A metal-free organic sensitizer, suitable for the application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), has been designed, synthesized and characterized both experimentally and theoretically. The structure of the novel donor-acceptor-π-bridge-acceptor (D-A-π-A) dye incorporates a triphenylamine (TPA) segment and 4-(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-ylethynyl)benzoic acid (BTEBA). The triphenylamine unit is widely used as an electron donor for photosensitizers, owing to its nonplanar molecular configuration and excellent electron-donating capability, whereas 4-(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-ylethynyl)benzoic acid is used as an electron acceptor unit. The influences of I 3 - /I - , [Co(bpy) 3 ] 3+/2+ and [Cu(tmby) 2 ] 2+/+ (tmby=4,4',6,6'-tetramethyl-2,2'-bipyridine) as redox electrolytes on the DSSC device performance were also investigated. The maximal monochromatic incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) reached 81 % and the solar light to electrical energy conversion efficiency of devices with [Cu(tmby) 2 ] 2+/+ reached 7.15 %. The devices with [Co(bpy) 3 ] 3+/2+ and I 3 - /I - electrolytes gave efficiencies of 5.22 % and 6.14 %, respectively. The lowest device performance with a [Co(bpy) 3 ] 3+/2+ -based electrolyte is attributed to increased charge recombination. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Donors, Acceptors, and Traps in AlGaN and AlGaN/GaN Epitaxial Layers

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-07-31

the background. 3.3 Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS): acceptor-type defects Positrons injected into defect-free GaN are annihilated by electrons...electron concentration n, and the average Ga-vacancy VGa concentration deduced from positron annihilation spectroscopy . 0.09 3.47 3.46 - 3.45 •ŗ.47225...of this paper, are often investigated by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), and the usual analysis of DLTS data is based on the assumption that

Anatomy of the β-branching enzyme of polyketide biosynthesis and its interaction with an acyl-ACP substrate.

PubMed

Maloney, Finn P; Gerwick, Lena; Gerwick, William H; Sherman, David H; Smith, Janet L

2016-09-13

Alkyl branching at the β position of a polyketide intermediate is an important variation on canonical polyketide natural product biosynthesis. The branching enzyme, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl synthase (HMGS), catalyzes the aldol addition of an acyl donor to a β-keto-polyketide intermediate acceptor. HMGS is highly selective for two specialized acyl carrier proteins (ACPs) that deliver the donor and acceptor substrates. The HMGS from the curacin A biosynthetic pathway (CurD) was examined to establish the basis for ACP selectivity. The donor ACP (CurB) had high affinity for the enzyme (Kd = 0.5 μM) and could not be substituted by the acceptor ACP. High-resolution crystal structures of HMGS alone and in complex with its donor ACP reveal a tight interaction that depends on exquisite surface shape and charge complementarity between the proteins. Selectivity is explained by HMGS binding to an unusual surface cleft on the donor ACP, in a manner that would exclude the acceptor ACP. Within the active site, HMGS discriminates between pre- and postreaction states of the donor ACP. The free phosphopantetheine (Ppant) cofactor of ACP occupies a conserved pocket that excludes the acetyl-Ppant substrate. In comparison with HMG-CoA (CoA) synthase, the homologous enzyme from primary metabolism, HMGS has several differences at the active site entrance, including a flexible-loop insertion, which may account for the specificity of one enzyme for substrates delivered by ACP and the other by CoA.

Fe(III) and S0 reduction by Pelobacter carbinolicus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lovley, D.R.; Phillips, E.J.P.; Lonergan, D.J.; Widma, P.K.

1995-01-01

There is a close phylogenetic relationship between Pelobacter species and members of the genera Desulfuromonas and Geobacter, and yet there has been a perplexing lack of physiological similarities. Pelobacter species have been considered to have a fermentative metabolism. In contrast, Desulfuromonas and Geobacter species have a respiratory metabolism with Fe(III) serving as the common terminal electron acceptor in all species. However, the ability of Pelobacter species to reduce Fe(III) had not been previously evaluated. When a culture of Pelobacter carbinolicus that had grown by fermentation of 2,3- butanediol was inoculated into the same medium supplemented with Fe(III), the Fe(III) was reduced. There was less accumulation of ethanol and more production of acetate in the presence of Fe(III). P. carbinolicus grew with ethanol as the sole electron donor and Fe(III) as the sole electron acceptor. Ethanol was metabolized to acetate. Growth was also possible on Fe(III) with the oxidation of propanol to propionate or butanol to butyrate if acetate was provided as a carbon source. P. carbinolicus appears capable of conserving energy to support growth from Fe(III) respiration as it also grew with H2 or formate as the electron donor and Fe(III) as the electron acceptor. Once adapted to Fe(III) reduction, P. carbinolicus could also grow on ethanol or H2 with S0 as the electron acceptor. P. carbinolicus did not contain detectable concentrations of the c-type cytochromes that previous studies have suggested are involved in electron transport to Fe(III) in other organisms that conserve energy to support growth from Fe(III) reduction. These results demonstrate that P. carbinolicus may survive in some sediments as an Fe(III) or S0 reducer rather than growing fermentatively on rare substrates or syntrophically as an ethanol-oxidizing acetogen. These studies also suggest that the ability to use Fe(III) as a terminal electron acceptor may be an important unifying feature of the Geobacter-Desulfuromonas- Pelobacter branch of the delta Proteobacteria.

Enhancement in Organic Photovoltaic Efficiency through the Synergistic Interplay of Molecular Donor Hydrogen Bonding and -Stacking

DOE PAGES

Shewmon, Nathan; Watkins, Davita; Galindo, Johan; ...

2015-07-20

For organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells based on the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) structure, it remains challenging to rationally control the degree of phase separation and percolation within blends of donors and acceptors to secure optimal charge separation and transport. Reported is a bottom-up, supramolecular approach to BHJ OPVs wherein tailored hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) interactions between π-conjugated electron donor molecules encourage formation of vertically aligned donor π-stacks while simultaneously suppressing lateral aggregation; the programmed arrangement facilitates fine mixing with fullerene acceptors and efficient charge transport. The approach is illustrated using conventional linear or branched quaterthiophene donor chromophores outfitted with terminal functional groupsmore » that are either capable or incapable of self-complementary H-bonding. When applied to OPVs, the H-bond capable donors yield a twofold enhancement in power conversion efficiency relative to the comparator systems, with a maximum external quantum efficiency of 64%. H-bond promoted assembly results in redshifted absorption (in neat films and donor:C 60 blends) and enhanced charge collection efficiency despite disparate donor chromophore structure. Both features positively impact photocurrent and fill factor in OPV devices. Film structural characterization by atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering reveals a synergistic interplay of lateral H-bonding interactions and vertical π-stacking for directing the favorable morphology of the BHJ.« less

Novel High Efficient Organic Photovoltaic Materials: Appendix for Summary of Research. Appendix

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Sam

2002-01-01

There are many different kinds of conjugated polymers that may be useful in photovoltaic devices. So far, the most popular and successful conjugated polymers used in photovoltaic devices include poly(1,4-)phenylenevinylenes (PPV), C60 and their derivatives. The discovery of electro-luminescence in PPV has stimulated a great deal of interest in developing "plastic" solid-state semiconductor devices. The overall synthetic methodology for the preparation of PPV can be divided into three main categories: (1) side chain derivatization, (2) precursor approach, and (3) in-situ polymerization. In this project, the first method was adopted. As discussed in project proposal and literatures, the overall efficiency of photovoltaic devices containing conjugated polymers is determined by the materials ability to generate excitons from incoming radiation, and then to separate the charges at donor/acceptor interfaces, and then to transport charges to respective electrodes. Given that effective exciton diffusion range are typical less then 30 nm, unique morphological structures are needed. This need led to several research groups to the idea that interpenetrating or bi-continuous networks of donor (electron donating) and acceptor (electron withdrawing) polymers should give better results. One approach involved the use of functionalized PPV. The attachment of electron withdrawing cyano groups to a PPV forms the CN-PPV, making it a strong electron acceptor. Underivatized PPV is a generally considered a hole-transporting material. Using blends of MEH-PPV, a soluble donor PPV derivative, as a hole transporter and CN-PPV as an electron transporter, a quantum efficiencies of up to 6% was achieved.

Organic solid state optical switches and method for producing organic solid state optical switches

DOEpatents

Wasielewski, M.R.; Gaines, G.L.; Niemczyk, M.P.; Johnson, D.G.; Gosztola, D.J.; O`Neil, M.P.

1993-01-01

This invention consists of a light-intensity dependent molecular switch comprised of a compound which shuttles an electron or a plurality of electrons from a plurality of electron donors to an electron acceptor upon being stimulated with light of predetermined wavelengths, and a method for making said compound.

Systematic Analysis of Polymer Molecular Weight Influence on the Organic Photovoltaic Performance.

PubMed

Katsouras, Athanasios; Gasparini, Nicola; Koulogiannis, Chrysanthos; Spanos, Michael; Ameri, Tayebeh; Brabec, Christoph J; Chochos, Christos L; Avgeropoulos, Apostolos

2015-10-01

The molecular weight of an electron donor-conjugated polymer is as essential as other well-known parameters in the chemical structure of the polymer, such as length and the nature of any side groups (alkyl chains) positioned on the polymeric backbone, as well as their placement, relative strength, the ratio of the donor and acceptor moieties in the backbone of donor-acceptor (D-A)-conjugated polymers, and the arrangement of their energy levels for organic photovoltaic performance. Finding the "optimal" molecular weight for a specific conjugated polymer is an important aspect for the development of novel photovoltaic polymers. Therefore, it is evident that the chemistry of functional conjugated polymers faces major challenges and materials have to adopt a broad range of specifications in order to be established for high photovoltaic performance. In this review, the approaches followed for enhancing the molecular weight of electron-donor polymers are presented in detail, as well as how this influences the optoelectronic properties, charge transport properties, structural conformation, morphology, and the photovoltaic performance of the active layer. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fullerene C{sub 70} as a p-type donor in organic photovoltaic cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhuang, Taojun; Wang, Xiao-Feng, E-mail: charles1976110@hotmail.com, E-mail: zrhong@ucla.edu, E-mail: kid@yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp; Sano, Takeshi

2014-09-01

Fullerenes and their derivatives have been widely used as n-type materials in organic transistor and photovoltaic devices. Though it is believed that they shall be ambipolar in nature, there have been few direct experimental proofs for that. In this work, fullerene C{sub 70}, known as an efficient acceptor, has been employed as a p-type electron donor in conjunction with 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene hexacarbonitrile as an electron acceptor in planar-heterojunction (PHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. High fill factors (FFs) of more than 0.70 were reliably achieved with the C{sub 70} layer even up to 100 nm thick in PHJ cells, suggesting the superior potentialmore » of fullerene C{sub 70} as the p-type donor in comparison to other conventional donor materials. The optimal efficiency of these unconventional PHJ cells was 2.83% with a short-circuit current of 5.33 mA/cm{sup 2}, an open circuit voltage of 0.72 V, and a FF of 0.74. The results in this work unveil the potential of fullerene materials as donors in OPV devices, and provide alternative approaches towards future OPV applications.« less

Directing the path of light-induced electron transfer at a molecular fork using vibrational excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delor, Milan; Archer, Stuart A.; Keane, Theo; Meijer, Anthony J. H. M.; Sazanovich, Igor V.; Greetham, Gregory M.; Towrie, Michael; Weinstein, Julia A.

2017-11-01

Ultrafast electron transfer in condensed-phase molecular systems is often strongly coupled to intramolecular vibrations that can promote, suppress and direct electronic processes. Recent experiments exploring this phenomenon proved that light-induced electron transfer can be strongly modulated by vibrational excitation, suggesting a new avenue for active control over molecular function. Here, we achieve the first example of such explicit vibrational control through judicious design of a Pt(II)-acetylide charge-transfer donor-bridge-acceptor-bridge-donor 'fork' system: asymmetric 13C isotopic labelling of one of the two -C≡C- bridges makes the two parallel and otherwise identical donor→acceptor electron-transfer pathways structurally distinct, enabling independent vibrational perturbation of either. Applying an ultrafast UVpump(excitation)-IRpump(perturbation)-IRprobe(monitoring) pulse sequence, we show that the pathway that is vibrationally perturbed during UV-induced electron transfer is dramatically slowed down compared to its unperturbed counterpart. One can thus choose the dominant electron transfer pathway. The findings deliver a new opportunity for precise perturbative control of electronic energy propagation in molecular devices.

5' modification of duplex DNA with a ruthenium electron donor-acceptor pair using solid-phase DNA synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, Natia L.; Meade, Thomas J.

2003-01-01

Incorporation of metalated nucleosides into DNA through covalent modification is crucial to measurement of thermal electron-transfer rates and the dependence of these rates with structure, distance, and position. Here, we report the first synthesis of an electron donor-acceptor pair of 5' metallonucleosides and their subsequent incorporation into oligonucleotides using solid-phase DNA synthesis techniques. Large-scale syntheses of metal-containing oligonucleotides are achieved using 5' modified phosporamidites containing [Ru(acac)(2)(IMPy)](2+) (acac is acetylacetonato; IMPy is 2'-iminomethylpyridyl-2'-deoxyuridine) (3) and [Ru(bpy)(2)(IMPy)](2+) (bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine; IMPy is 2'-iminomethylpyridyl-2'-deoxyuridine) (4). Duplexes formed with the metal-containing oligonucleotides exhibit thermal stability comparable to the corresponding unmetalated duplexes (T(m) of modified duplex = 49 degrees C vs T(m) of unmodified duplex = 47 degrees C). Electrochemical (3, E(1/2) = -0.04 V vs NHE; 4, E(1/2) = 1.12 V vs NHE), absorption (3, lambda(max) = 568, 369 nm; 4, lambda(max) = 480 nm), and emission (4, lambda(max) = 720 nm, tau = 55 ns, Phi = 1.2 x 10(-)(4)) data for the ruthenium-modified nucleosides and oligonucleotides indicate that incorporation into an oligonucleotide does not perturb the electronic properties of the ruthenium complex or the DNA significantly. In addition, the absence of any change in the emission properties upon metalated duplex formation suggests that the [Ru(bpy)(2)(IMPy)](2+)[Ru(acac)(2)(IMPy)](2+) pair will provide a valuable probe for DNA-mediated electron-transfer studies.

Distinguishing between Dexter and rapid sequential electron transfer in covalently linked donor-acceptor assemblies.

PubMed

Soler, Monica; McCusker, James K

2008-04-09

The syntheses, physical, and photophysical properties of a family of complexes having the general formula [M2(L)(mcb)(Ru(4,4'-(X)2-bpy)2)](PF6)3 (where M = Mn(II) or Zn(II), X = CH3 or CF3, mcb is 4'-methyl-4-carboxy-2,2'-bipyridine, and L is a Schiff base macrocycle derived from 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol and bis(2-aminoethyl)-N-methylamine) are described. The isostructural molecules all consist of dinuclear metal cores covalently linked to a Ru(II) polypyridyl complex. Photoexcitation of [Mn2(L)(mcb)(Ru((CF3)2-bpy)2)](PF6)3 (4) in deoxygenated CH2Cl2 solution results in emission characteristic of the 3MLCT excited state of the Ru(II) chromophore but with a lifetime (tau(obs) = 5.0 +/- 0.1 ns) and radiative quantum yield (Phi(r) approximately 7 x 10(-4)) that are significantly attenuated relative to the Zn(II) model complex [Zn2(L)(mcb)(Ru((CF3)2-bpy)2)](PF6)3 (6) (tau(obs) = 730 +/- 30 ns and Phi(r) = 0.024, respectively). Quenching of the 3MLCT excited state is even more extensive in the case of [Mn2(L)(mcb)(Ru((CH3)2-bpy)2)](PF6)3 (3), whose measured lifetime (tau(obs) = 45 +/- 5 ps) is >10(4) shorter than the corresponding model complex [Zn2(L)(mcb)(Ru((CH3)2-bpy)2)](PF6)3 (5) (tau(obs) = 1.31 +/- 0.05 micros). Time-resolved absorption measurements on both Mn-containing complexes at room-temperature revealed kinetics that were independent of probe wavelength; no spectroscopic signatures for electron-transfer photoproducts were observed. Time-resolved emission data for complex 4 acquired in CH2Cl2 solution over a range of 200-300 K could be fit to an expression of the form k(nr) = k0 + A x exp{-DeltaE/kB T} with k0 = 1.065 +/- 0.05 x 10(7) s(-1), A = 3.7 +/- 0.5 x 10(10) s(-1), and DeltaE = 1230 +/- 30 cm(-1). Assuming an electron-transfer mechanism, the variable-temperature data on complex 4 would require a reorganization energy of lambda approximately 0.4-0.5 eV which is too small to be associated with charge separation in this system. This result coupled with the lack of enhanced emission at temperatures below the glass-to-fluid transition of the solvent and the absence of visible absorption features associated with the Mn(II)2 core allows for a definitive assignment of Dexter transfer as the dominant excited-state reaction pathway. A similar conclusion was reached for complex 3 based in part on the smaller driving force for electron transfer (DeltaG0(ET) = -0.1 eV), the increase in probability of Dexter transfer due to the closer proximity of the donor excited state to the dimanganese acceptor, and a lack of emission from the compound upon formation of an optical glass at 80 K. Electronic coupling constants for Dexter transfer were determined to be approximately 10 cm(-1) and approximately 0.15 cm(-1) in complexes 3 and 4, respectively, indicating that the change in spatial localization of the excited state from the bridge (complex 3) to the periphery of the chromophore (complex 4) results in a decrease in electronic coupling to the dimanganese core of nearly 2 orders of magnitude. In addition to providing insight into the influence of donor/acceptor proximity on exchange energy transfer, this study underscores the utility of variable-temperature measurements in cases where Dexter and electron-transfer mechanisms can lead to indistinguishable spectroscopic observables.

Infrared Detector Research

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-08-01

Bratt, Howard Davis, Frank Renda , Paul Chia, Arthur Lockwood. Bell Telephone Labs Leo F. Johnson, Alfred U. MacRae, Paul Norton. Texas Ins truments Werner...impurities which can "donate" their extra electron not required for bonding with the silicon atoms. When there are more acceptors than donors the material...will be p-type. The extra electrons from the donors can complete the bond missing due to the boron atoms. This process is call compensation. The

Atropisomerization of di-para-substituted propyl-bridged biphenyl cyclophanes.

PubMed

Rotzler, Jürgen; Gsellinger, Heiko; Bihlmeier, Angela; Gantenbein, Markus; Vonlanthen, David; Häussinger, Daniel; Klopper, Wim; Mayor, Marcel

2013-01-07

The influence of electron donors and electron acceptors of variable strength in the 4 and 4' position of 2 and 2' propyl-bridged axial chiral biphenyl cyclophanes on their atropisomerization process was studied. Estimated free energies ΔG(‡)(T) of the rotation around the central biphenyl bond which were obtained from (1)H-NMR coalescence measurements were correlated to the Hammett parameters σ(p) as a measure for electron donor and acceptor strength. It is demonstrated that the resulting nice linear correlation is mainly based on the influence of the different substituents on the π-system of the biphenyl cyclophanes. By lineshape analysis the rate constants were calculated and by the use of the Eyring equation the enthalpic and entropic contributions were evaluated. Density functional theory calculations show a planar transition state of the isomerization process and the calculated energy barriers based on this reaction mechanism are in good agreement with the experimentally obtained free energies.

Ultrafast electron transfer at organic semiconductor interfaces: Importance of molecular orientation

DOE PAGES

Ayzner, Alexander L.; Nordlund, Dennis; Kim, Do -Hwan; ...

2014-12-04

Much is known about the rate of photoexcited charge generation in at organic donor/acceptor (D/A) heterojunctions overaged over all relative arrangements. However, there has been very little experimental work investigating how the photoexcited electron transfer (ET) rate depends on the precise relative molecular orientation between D and A in thin solid films. This is the question that we address in this work. We find that the ET rate depends strongly on the relative molecular arrangement: The interface where the model donor compound copper phthalocyanine is oriented face-on with respect to the fullerene C 60 acceptor yields a rate that ismore » approximately 4 times faster than that of the edge-on oriented interface. Our results suggest that the D/A electronic coupling is significantly enhanced in the face-on case, which agrees well with theoretical predictions, underscoring the importance of controlling the relative interfacial molecular orientation.« less

Bicarbonate requirement for the water-oxidizing complex of photosystem II.

PubMed

Klimov, V V; Baranov, S V

2001-01-05

It is well established that bicarbonate stimulates electron transfer between the primary and secondary electron acceptors, Q(A) and Q(B), in formate-inhibited photosystem II; the non-heme Fe between Q(A) and Q(B) plays an essential role in the bicarbonate binding. Strong evidence of a bicarbonate requirement for the water-oxidizing complex (WOC), both O2 evolving and assembling from apo-WOC and Mn2+, of photosystem II (PSII) preparations has been presented in a number of publications during the last 5 years. The following explanations for the involvement of bicarbonate in the events on the donor side of PSII are considered: (1) bicarbonate serves as an electron donor (alternative to water or as a way of involvement of water molecules in the oxidative reactions) to the Mn-containing O2 center; (2) bicarbonate facilitates reassembly of the WOC from apo-WOC and Mn2+ due to formation of the complexes MnHCO3+ and Mn(HCO3)2 leading to an easier oxidation of Mn2+ with PSII; (3) bicarbonate is an integral component of the WOC essential for its function and stability; it may be considered a direct ligand to the Mn cluster; (4) the WOC is stabilized by bicarbonate through its binding to other components of PSII.

Energy transfer in a mechanically trapped exciplex.

PubMed

Klosterman, Jeremy K; Iwamura, Munetaka; Tahara, Tahei; Fujita, Makoto

2009-07-15

Host-guest complexes involving M(6)L(4) coordination cages can display unusual photoreactivity, and enclathration of the very large fluorophore bisanthracene resulted in an emissive, mechanically trapped intramolecular exciplex. Mechanically linked intramolecular exciplexes are important for understanding the dependence of energy transfer on donor-acceptor distance, orientation, and electronic coupling but are relatively unexplored. Steady-state and picosecond time-resolved fluorescence measurements have revealed that selective excitation of the encapsulated guest fluorophore results in efficient energy transfer from the excited guest to an emissive host-guest exciplex state.

Definition and determination of the triplet-triplet energy transfer reaction coordinate.

PubMed

Zapata, Felipe; Marazzi, Marco; Castaño, Obis; Acuña, A Ulises; Frutos, Luis Manuel

2014-01-21

A definition of the triplet-triplet energy transfer reaction coordinate within the very weak electronic coupling limit is proposed, and a novel theoretical formalism is developed for its quantitative determination in terms of internal coordinates The present formalism permits (i) the separation of donor and acceptor contributions to the reaction coordinate, (ii) the identification of the intrinsic role of donor and acceptor in the triplet energy transfer process, and (iii) the quantification of the effect of every internal coordinate on the transfer process. This formalism is general and can be applied to classical as well as to nonvertical triplet energy transfer processes. The utility of the novel formalism is demonstrated here by its application to the paradigm of nonvertical triplet-triplet energy transfer involving cis-stilbene as acceptor molecule. In this way the effect of each internal molecular coordinate in promoting the transfer rate, from triplet donors in the low and high-energy limit, could be analyzed in detail.

Postadsorption Work Function Tuning via Hydrogen Pressure Control

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The work function of metal substrates can be easily tuned, for instance, by adsorbing layers of molecular electron donors and acceptors. In this work, we discuss the possibility of changing the donor/acceptor mixing ratio reversibly after adsorption by choosing a donor/acceptor pair that is coupled via a redox reaction and that is in equilibrium with a surrounding gas phase. We discuss such a situation for the example of tetrafluoro-1,4-benzenediol (TFBD)/tetrafluoro-1,4-benzoquinone (TFBQ), adsorbed on Cu(111) and Ag(111) surfaces. We use density functional theory and ab initio thermodynamics to show that arbitrary TFBD/TFBQ mixing ratios can be set using hydrogen pressures attainable in low to ultrahigh vacuum. Adjusting the mixing ratio allows modifying the work function over a range of about 1 eV. Finally, we contrast single-species submonolayers with mixed layers to discuss why the resulting inhomogeneities in the electrostatic energy above the surface have different impacts on the interfacial level alignment and the work function. PMID:26692915

Definition and determination of the triplet-triplet energy transfer reaction coordinate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zapata, Felipe; Marazzi, Marco; Castaño, Obis

2014-01-21

A definition of the triplet-triplet energy transfer reaction coordinate within the very weak electronic coupling limit is proposed, and a novel theoretical formalism is developed for its quantitative determination in terms of internal coordinates The present formalism permits (i) the separation of donor and acceptor contributions to the reaction coordinate, (ii) the identification of the intrinsic role of donor and acceptor in the triplet energy transfer process, and (iii) the quantification of the effect of every internal coordinate on the transfer process. This formalism is general and can be applied to classical as well as to nonvertical triplet energy transfermore » processes. The utility of the novel formalism is demonstrated here by its application to the paradigm of nonvertical triplet-triplet energy transfer involving cis-stilbene as acceptor molecule. In this way the effect of each internal molecular coordinate in promoting the transfer rate, from triplet donors in the low and high-energy limit, could be analyzed in detail.« less

Tracking Electron Uptake from a Cathode into Shewanella Cells: Implications for Energy Acquisition from Solid-Substrate Electron Donors

PubMed Central

Rajeev, Pournami; Jain, Abhiney; Pirbadian, Sahand; Okamoto, Akihiro; Gralnick, Jeffrey A.; El-Naggar, Mohamed Y.; Nealson, Kenneth H.

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT While typically investigated as a microorganism capable of extracellular electron transfer to minerals or anodes, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 can also facilitate electron flow from a cathode to terminal electron acceptors, such as fumarate or oxygen, thereby providing a model system for a process that has significant environmental and technological implications. This work demonstrates that cathodic electrons enter the electron transport chain of S. oneidensis when oxygen is used as the terminal electron acceptor. The effect of electron transport chain inhibitors suggested that a proton gradient is generated during cathode oxidation, consistent with the higher cellular ATP levels measured in cathode-respiring cells than in controls. Cathode oxidation also correlated with an increase in the cellular redox (NADH/FMNH2) pool determined with a bioluminescence assay, a proton uncoupler, and a mutant of proton-pumping NADH oxidase complex I. This work suggested that the generation of NADH/FMNH2 under cathodic conditions was linked to reverse electron flow mediated by complex I. A decrease in cathodic electron uptake was observed in various mutant strains, including those lacking the extracellular electron transfer components necessary for anodic-current generation. While no cell growth was observed under these conditions, here we show that cathode oxidation is linked to cellular energy acquisition, resulting in a quantifiable reduction in the cellular decay rate. This work highlights a potential mechanism for cell survival and/or persistence on cathodes, which might extend to environments where growth and division are severely limited. PMID:29487241

Enhanced reduction of an azo dye using henna plant biomass as a solid-phase electron donor, carbon source, and redox mediator.

PubMed

Huang, Jingang; Chu, Shushan; Chen, Jianjun; Chen, Yi; Xie, Zhengmiao

2014-06-01

The multiple effects of henna plant biomass as a source of carbon, electron donor, and redox mediator (RM) on the enhanced bio-reduction of Orange II (AO7) were investigated. The results indicated that the maximum AO7 reduction rate in the culture with henna powder was ∼6-fold that in the sludge control culture lacking henna. On the one hand, AO7 reduction can be advantageously enhanced by the release of available electron donors; on the other hand, the associated lawsone can act as a fixed RM and play a potential role in shuttling electrons from the released electron donors to the final electron acceptor, AO7. The soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) during each experiment and the FTIR spectra suggested that the weakened AO7 reduction along with the retention of henna powder might not be attributed to the lack of fixed lawsone but rather to the insufficiency of electron donors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tuning Optoelectronic Properties of Organic Semiconductors Via Donor-Acceptor Cocrystals and Interfacial Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chen

Organic donor-acceptor (D-A) interaction has attracted intensive research interest because of the promising applications in electronic devices and renewable energy. Depending on the interaction process, the optoelectronic properties of organic semiconductors may change dramatically. To improve their performance and expand the applications, we have investigated the structure-property relationship in D-A cocrystals and nanofibril composites. These materials provide unique D-A interface structures, thus allowing tunable charge transfer across the interface, which can be modified and controlled by exquisite molecule design and supramolecular assembly. In Chapter 2, we studied the fabrication, conductivity, and chemiresistive sensor performance of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) - 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) charge transfer cocrystal microfibers. Compared to TCNQ and TTF, TTF-TCNQ cocrystal has much higher conductivity under ambient conditions, due to the high yield of charge separation, which also induces high polarization at the interface, resulting in different binding intensity towards alkyl and aromatic amines. Based on this investment, we developed a TTF-TCNQ chemiresistive sensor to efficiently discriminate alkyl and aromatic amine vapors. In Chapter 3, we further designed a new series of D-A cocrystals, and studied the coassembly and optical properties. The cocrystal is composed of coronene and perylene diimide at 1:1 molar ratio and belongs to the triclinic system, as confirmed by X-ray analysis. The donor and acceptor molecules perform an alternate pi-pi stacking along the (100) direction, leading to the strong one-dimensional growth tendency of macroscopic cocrystal. Additionally, due to the charge transfer interaction, the cocrystal shows a new and largely red-shifted photoluminescence band, compared to the crystals of the components. In Chapter 4, we alternatively developed a series of donor-acceptor nanofibril composites, in which the donor and acceptor nanofibers become the building blocks. By changing the side chains into alkyl groups, the composite forms a homogeneous film with a large donor-acceptor interface and favorable photoinduced charge transfer, leading to a high photoconductivity enhancement, which is a three order magnification of the photoconductivity of the donor and acceptor nanofibers. Furthermore, our measurement proved the D-A interface with alkyl chains interdigitating is compatible and tunable to external alkane vapors, making the composite suitable for chemiresistive sensors for alkane detection.

Picosecond spectroscopic study of chlorophyll-based models for the primary photochemistry of photosynthesis. [Dimers and trimers of chlorophyllide derivatives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bucks, R.R.; Netzel, T.L.; Fujita, I.

1982-05-27

A series of covalently linked dimers and trimers of chlorophyllide derivatives was investigated by time-resolved absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy (3 to 10/sup 4/ ps). For these compounds, the free energy difference between the singlet excited state of the electron donor and the anticipated cation-anion photoproduct (..delta..G/sub ET/) is estimated to range from +200 to -400 MeV. For the dimers studied, the singlet-excited-state lifetimes range from 1 to 7 ns and depend inversely on the solvent's static dielectric constant. Since no decrease in lifetime or fluorescence quantum yield was found as ..delta..G/sub ET/ became more negative, this effect is unlikely tomore » be due to slow electron transfer. It may be a result of fluctuating intramolecular association of the nonpolar macrocycles in solvents with a high dielectric constant. We also studied two trimers, each having the same chlorophyllide a dimer as the electron donor, but with pyropheophorbide a or pheophorbide a as the electron acceptor (the latter is 90 MeV easier to reduce than the former). For the trimer with pheophorbide a as the acceptor, there is evidence for a new path of radiationless decay which may involve an electron-transfer product. However, the rate of formation of this product is slow (less than or equal to 10/sup 10/ s/sup -1/), and its yield is low (less than or equal to 50%). Taken together, these results suggest that chlorophyll-based, donor-acceptor pairs connected by flexible chains longer than five atoms are not likely to duplicate the highly efficient excited-singlet-state electron-transfer reactions characteristic of the primary photochemistry of photosynthetic organisms.« less

Dynamics and mechanisms of interfacial photoinduced electron transfer processes of third generation photovoltaics and photocatalysis.

PubMed

Bauer, Christophe; Teuscher, Joël; Brauer, Jan C; Punzi, Angela; Marchioro, Arianna; Ghadiri, Elham; De Jonghe, Jelissa; Wielopolski, Mateusz; Banerji, Natalie; Moser, Jacques E

2011-01-01

Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) across molecular/bulk interfaces has gained attention only recently and is still poorly understood. These interfaces offer an excellent case study, pertinent to a variety of photovoltaic systems, photo- and electrochemistry, molecular electronics, analytical detection, photography, and quantum confinement devices. They play in particular a key role in the emerging fields of third-generation photovoltaic energy converters and artificial photosynthetic systems aimed at the production of solar fuels, creating a need for a better understanding and theoretical treatment of the dynamics and mechanisms of interfacial PET processes. We aim to achieve a fundamental understanding of these phenomena by designing experiments that can be used to test and alter modern theory and computational modeling. One example illustrating recent investigations into the details of the ultrafast processes that form the basis for photoinduced charge separation at a molecular/bulk interface relevant to dye-sensitized solar cells is briefly presented here: Kinetics of interfacial PET and charge recombination processes were measured by fs and ns transient spectroscopy in a heterogeneous donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) system, where D is a Ru(II)(terpyridyl-PO3)(NCS)3 complex, B an oligo-p-phenylene bridge, and A nanocrystalline TiO2. The forward ET reaction was found to be faster than vibrational relaxation of the vibronic excited state of the donor. Instead, the back ET occurred on the micros time scale and involved fully thermalized species. The D-A distance dependence of the electron transfer rate was studied by varying the number of p-phenylene units contained in the bridge moiety. The remarkably low damping factor beta = 0.16 angstroms(-1) observed for the ultrafast charge injection from the dye excited state into the conduction band of TiO2 is attributed to the coupling of electron tunneling with nonequilibrium vibrations redistributed on the bridge, giving rise to polaronic transport of charges from the donor ligand to the acceptor solid oxide surface.

Charge-transfer complexes of 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone with amino molecules in polar solvents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berto, Silvia; Chiavazza, Enrico; Ribotta, Valentina; Daniele, Pier Giuseppe; Barolo, Claudia; Giacomino, Agnese; Vione, Davide; Malandrino, Mery

2015-10-01

The charge-transfer complexes have scientific relevance because this type of molecular interaction is at the basis of the activity of pharmacological compounds and because the absorption bands of the complexes can be used for the quantification of electron donor molecules. This work aims to assess the stability of the charge-transfer complexes between the electron acceptor 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) and two drugs, procaine and atenolol, in acetonitrile and ethanol. The stability of DDQ in solution and the time required to obtain the maximum complex formation were evaluated. The stoichiometry and the stability of the complexes were determined, respectively, by Job's plot method and by the elaboration of UV-vis titrations data. The latter task was carried out by using the non-linear global analysis approach to determine the equilibrium constants. This approach to data elaboration allowed us to overcome the disadvantages of the classical linear-regression method, to obtain reliable values of the association constants and to calculate the entire spectra of the complexes. NMR spectra were recorded to identify the portion of the donor molecule that was involved in the interaction. The data support the participation of the aliphatic amino groups in complex formation and exclude the involvement of the aromatic amine present in the procaine molecule.

High rates of anaerobic oxidation of methane, ethane and propane coupled to thiosulphate reduction.

PubMed

Suarez-Zuluaga, Diego A; Weijma, Jan; Timmers, Peer H A; Buisman, Cees J N

2015-03-01

Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to sulphate reduction and the use of ethane and propane as electron donors by sulphate-reducing bacteria represent new opportunities for the treatment of streams contaminated with sulphur oxyanions. However, growth of microbial sulphate-reducing populations with methane, propane or butane is extremely slow, which hampers research and development of bioprocesses based on these conversions. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that the growth rate with possible alternative terminal electron acceptors such as thiosulphate and elemental sulphur may be higher, which would facilitate future research. Here, we investigate the use of these electron acceptors for oxidation of methane, ethane and propane, with marine sediment as inoculum. Mixed marine sediments originating from Aarhus Bay (Denmark) and Eckernförde Bay (Germany) were cultivated anaerobically at a pH between 7.2 and 7.8 and a temperature of 15 °C in the presence of methane, ethane and propane and various sulphur electron acceptors. The sulphide production rates in the conditions with methane, ethane and propane with sulphate were respectively 2.3, 2.2 and 1.8 μmol S L(-1) day(-1). For sulphur, no reduction was demonstrated. For thiosulphate, the sulphide production rates were up to 50 times higher compared to those of sulphate, with 86.2, 90.7 and 108.1 μmol S L(-1) day(-1) for methane, ethane and propane respectively. This sulphide production was partly due to disproportionation, 50 % for ethane but only 7 and 14 % for methane and propane respectively. The oxidation of the alkanes in the presence of thiosulphate was confirmed by carbon dioxide production. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of thiosulphate use as electron acceptor with ethane and propane as electron donors. Additionally, these results indicate that thiosulphate is a promising electron acceptor to increase start-up rates for sulphate-reducing bioprocesses coupled to short-chain alkane oxidation.

Femtosecond-picosecond laser photolysis studies on the dynamics of excited charge-transfer complexes: Aromatic hydrocarbon-acid anhydride, -tetracyanoethylene, and -tetracyanoquinodimethane systems in acetonitrile solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Asahi, Tsuyoshi; Mataga, Noboru

1991-03-07

Formation processes of contact ion pairs (CIP) from the excited Franck-Condon (FC) state of charge-transfer (CT) complexes of aromatic hydrocarbons with acid anhydride as well as cyano compound acceptors in acetonitrile solution and charge recombination (CR) rates (k{sub CR}{sup CIP}) of produced CIP states have been investigated by femtosecond and picosecond laser phototlysis and time-resolved absorption spectral measurements covering a wide range of free energy gap-{Delta}G{degree}{sub ip} between the ion pair and the ground state. It has been confirmed that the CIP formation becomes faster and k{sub CR}{sup CIP} of the produced CIP increases with increase of the strengths ofmore » the electron donor (D) and acceptor (A) in the complex, i.e., with decrease of the {minus}{Delta}G{degree}{sub ip} value. This peculiar energy gap dependence of k{sub CR}{sup CIP}, quite different from the bell-shaped one observed in the case of the solvent-separated ion pairs (SSIP) or loose ion pairs (LIP) formed by encounter between fluorescer and quencher in the fluoresence quenching reaction, has been interpreted by assuming the change of electronic and geometrical structures of CIP depending on the strengths of D and A.« less

Microbial electrochemical energy storage and recovery in a combined electrotrophic and electrogenic biofilm

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Electroactive biofilms, used as biocatalysts in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs), are usually operated either as electrogenic (the electrode is the electron acceptor) or electrotrophic (the electrode is the electron donor). Here, we enriched a non-photosynthetic bifunctional electroactive biofilm c...

Phenothiazine-anthraquinone donor-acceptor molecules: synthesis, electronic properties and DFT-TDDFT computational study.

PubMed

Zhang, Wen-Wei; Mao, Wei-Li; Hu, Yun-Xia; Tian, Zi-Qi; Wang, Zhi-Lin; Meng, Qing-Jin

2009-09-17

Two donor-acceptor molecules with different pi-electron conjugative units, 1-((10-methyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)ethynyl)anthracene-9,10-dione (AqMp) and 1,1'-(10-methyl-10H-phenothiazine-3,7-diyl)bis(ethyne-2,1-diyl)dianthracene-9,10-dione (Aq2Mp), have been synthesized and investigated for their photochemical and electrochemical properties. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations provide insights into their molecular geometry, electronic structures, and properties. These studies satisfactorily explain the electrochemistry of the two compounds and indicate that larger conjugative effect leads to smaller HOMO-LUMO gap (Eg) in Aq2Mp. Both compounds show ICT and pi --> pi* transitions in the UV-visible range in solution, and Aq2Mp has a bathochromic shift and shows higher oscillator strength of the absorption, which has been verified by time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations. The differences between AqMp and Aq2Mp indicate that the structural and conjugative effects have great influence on the electronic properties of the molecules.

Mössbauer study of iron minerals transformations by Fuchsiella ferrireducens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gracheva, M. A.; Chistyakova, N. I.; Antonova, A. V.; Rusakov, V. S.; Zhilina, T. N.; Zavarzina, D. G.

2017-11-01

Biogenic transformations of iron-containing minerals synthesized ferrihydrite, magnetite and hydrothermal siderite by anaerobic alkaliphilic bacterium Fuchsiella ferrireducens (strain Z-7101T) were studied by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Mössbauer investigations of solid phase samples obtained after microbial transformation were carried out at room temperature and at 82 K. It was found that all tested minerals transformed during bacterial growth. In the presence of synthesized ferrihydrite, added as an electron acceptor, a mixture of large (more than 100 nm) and small (˜5 nm) particles of magnetically ordered phase and siderite was formed. Synthesized magnetite that contains both Fe3+ and Fe2+ forms could serve as electron acceptor as well as an electron donor for F.ferrireducens growth. As a result of its biotransformation, no siderite formation was observed while small particles of magnetite were formed. In the case of the addition of siderite as an electron donor formation of a small amount of a new phase containing Fe2+ caused by recrystallization of siderite during bacterial growth was detected.

Materials Design of the Codoping for the Fabrication of Low-Resistivity p-Type ZnSe and GaN by ab-initio Electronic Structure Calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katayama-Yoshida, H.; Yamamoto, T.

1997-08-01

We propose an effective doping method, the codoping (doping with n- and p-type dopants at the same time) method, for the fabrication of low-resistivity p-type ZnSe and GaN with wide-band-gap based upon ab-initio electronic band structure calculations. p-type doping eminently leads to an increase in the electrostatic energy, called the Madelung energy, which shifts the Se 4p levels for p-type doped ZnSe and the N 2p levels for p-type doped GaN materials towards higher energy regions. This leads to a destabilization of ionic charge distributions in p-type ZnSe and p-type GaN crystals, resulting in the self-compensation of anion intrinsic defects. For ZnSe crystals, we propose the codoping of n-type In donors at Zn sites and p-type N acceptors at Se sites based on the calculation. In addition, we propose the codoping of n-type Si-donors at Ga sites (n-type O donors at N sites) and p-type Be- or Mg acceptors at Ga sites. The codoping decreases the Madelung energy and leads to an increase in the net acceptor carrier density.

Studies of Luminescence Performance on Carbazole Donor and Quinoline Acceptor Based Conjugated Polymer.

PubMed

Upadhyay, Anjali; S, Karpagam

2016-03-01

We report on the synthesis of conjugated polymer (CV-QP) containing carbazole (donor) and quinoline (acceptor) using Wittig methodology. The structural, optical and thermal properties of the polymer were investigated by FT-IR, NMR, GPC, UV, PL, cyclic voltammetry, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The polymer exhibits thermal stability upto 200 °C and shows good solubility in common organic solvents. The polymer has optical absorption band in a thin film at 360 nm and emission band formed at 473 nm. The optical energy band gap was found to be 2.69 eV as calculated from the onset absorption edge. Fluorescence quenching of the polymer CV-QP was found by using DMA (electron donor) and DMTP (electron acceptor). AFM image indicated that triangular shaped particles were observed and the particle size was found as 1.1 μm. The electrochemical studies of CV-QP reveal that, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of the CV-QP are 6.35 and 3.70 eV, which indicated that the polymers are expected to provide charge transporting properties for the development of polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs).

Conjugated block copolymers as model materials to examine charge transfer in donor-acceptor systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, Enrique; Aplan, Melissa; Lee, Youngmin

Weak intermolecular interactions and disorder at junctions of different organic materials limit the performance and stability of organic interfaces and hence the applicability of organic semiconductors to electronic devices. The lack of control of interfacial structure has also prevented studies of how driving forces promote charge photogeneration, leading to conflicting hypotheses in the organic photovoltaic literature. Our approach has focused on utilizing block copolymer architectures -where critical interfaces are controlled and stabilized by covalent bonds- to provide the hierarchical structure needed for high-performance organic electronics from self-assembled soft materials. For example, we have demonstrated control of donor-acceptor heterojunctions through microphase-separated conjugated block copolymers to achieve 3% power conversion efficiencies in non-fullerene photovoltaics. Furthermore, incorporating the donor-acceptor interface within the molecular structure facilitates studies of charge transfer processes. Conjugated block copolymers enable studies of the driving force needed for exciton dissociation to charge transfer states, which must be large to maximize charge photogeneration but must be minimized to prevent losses in photovoltage in solar cell devices. Our work has systematically varied the chemical structure, energetics, and dielectric constant to perturb charge transfer. As a consequence, we predict a minimum dielectric constant needed to minimize the driving force and therefore simultaneously maximize photocurrent and photovoltage in organic photovoltaic devices.

Energy relay from an unconventional yellow dye to CdS/CdSe quantum dots for enhanced solar cell performance.

PubMed

Narayanan, Remya; Das, Amrita; Deepa, Melepurath; Srivastava, Avanish Kumar

2013-12-02

A new design for a quasi-solid-state Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) enabled solar cell with unattached Lucifer yellow (LY) dye molecules as donors and CdS/CdSe quantum dots (QDs) tethered to titania (TiO2 ) as acceptors is presented. The Forster radius is experimentally determined to be 5.29 nm. Sequential energy transfer from the LY dye to the QDs and electron transfer from the QDs to TiO2 is followed by fluorescence quenching and electron lifetime studies. Cells with a donor-acceptor architecture (TiO2 /CdS/CdSe/ZnS-LY/S(2-)-multi-walled carbon nanotubes) show a maximum incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 53 % at 530 nm. This is the highest efficiency among Ru-dye free FRET-enabled quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs), and is much higher than the donor or acceptor-only cells. The FRET-enhanced solar cell performance over the majority of the visible spectrum paves the way to harnessing the untapped potential of the LY dye as an energy relay fluorophore for the entire gamut of dye sensitized, organic, or hybrid solar cells. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Synthesis and characterization of donor-acceptor copolymers carrying triphenylamine units for photovoltaic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumann, Katharina; Thelakkat, Mukundan

2012-09-01

The synthesis and analysis of solution processable polymers for organic solar cells is crucial for innovative solar cell technologies such as printing processes. In the field of donor materials for photovoltaic applications, polymers based on tetraphenylamine (TPA) are well known hole conducting materials. Here, we synthesized two conjugated TPA containing copolymers via Suzuki polycondensation. We investigated the tuning of the energy levels of the TPA based polymers by two different concepts. Firstly, we introduced an acceptor unit in the side chain. The main-chain of this copolymer was built from TPA units. The resulting copolymer 2-(4-((4'-((4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)(paratolyl) amino)biphenyl-4-yl)(para-tolyl)amino)benzylidene) malononitrile P1 showed a broader absorption up to 550 nm. Secondly, we used a donor-acceptor concept by synthesizing a copolymer with alternating electron donating TPA and electron withdrawing Thieno[3,4-b]thiophene ester units. Consequently, the absorption maximum in the copolymer octyl-6-(4-((4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)(p-tolyl)amino)phenyl)-4-methylthieno[3,4-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate P2 was red shifted to 580 nm. All three polymers showed high thermal stability. By UV-vis and Cyclic voltammetry measurements the optical and electrochemical properties of the polymers were analyzed.

Temperature-Dependent Compensation and Optical Quenching by Thermal Oxygen Donors in Germanium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, D.; Guptill, M.; Huffman, J.; Krabach, T.; Raines, S.

1994-01-01

Photothermal ionization spectroscopy of germanium, doped in the impurity-band conduction range with gallium acceptors and with thermal oxygen donors, reveals that the donors and acceptors compensate each other at temperatures higher than about 5K, but that the impurities coexist as neutral donors and acceptors at lower temperatures.

Formate-induced inhibition of the water-oxidizing complex of photosystem II studied by EPR.

PubMed

Feyziev, Y M; Yoneda, D; Yoshii, T; Katsuta, N; Kawamori, A; Watanabe, Y

2000-04-04

The effects of various formate concentrations on both the donor and the acceptor sides in oxygen-evolving PS II membranes (BBY particles) were examined. EPR, oxygen evolution and variable chlorophyll fluorescence have been observed. It was found that formate inhibits the formation of the S(2) state multiline signal concomitant with stimulation of the Q(A)(-)Fe(2+) signal at g = 1.82. The decrease and the increase in intensities of the multiline and Q(A)(-)Fe(2+) signals, respectively, had a linear relation for formate concentrations between 5 and 500 mM. The g = 4.1 signal formation measured in the absence of methanol was not inhibited by formate up to 250 mM in the buffer. In the presence of 3% methanol the g = 4.1 signal evolved as formate concentration increased. The evolved signal could be ascribed to the inhibited centers. Oxygen evolution measured in the presence of an electron acceptor, phenyl-p-benzoquinone, was also inhibited by formate proportionally to the decrease in the multiline signal intensity. The inhibition seemed to be due to a retarded electron transfer from the water-oxidizing complex to Y(Z)(+), which was observed in the decay kinetics of the Y(Z)(+) signal induced by illumination above 250 K. These results show that formate induces inhibition of water oxidation reactions as well as electron transfer on the PS II acceptor side. The inhibition effects of formate in PS II were found to be reversible, indicating no destructive effect on the reaction center induced by formate.

Isolation of Geobacter species from diverse sedimentary environments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coaxes, J.D.; Phillips, E.J.P.; Lonergan, D.J.; Jenter, H.; Lovley, D.R.

1996-01-01

In an attempt to better understand the microorganisms responsible for Fe(III) reduction in sedimentary environments, Fe(III)-reducing microorganisms were enriched for and isolated from freshwater aquatic sediments, a pristine deep aquifer, and a petroleum-contaminated shallow aquifer. Enrichments were initiated with acetate or toluene as the electron donor and Fe(III) as the electron acceptor. Isolations were made with acetate or benzoate. Five new strains which could obtain energy for growth by dissimilatory Fe(III) reduction were isolated. All five isolates are gram- negative strict anaerobes which grow with acetate as the electron donor and Fe(III) as the electron acceptor. Analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence of the isolated organisms demonstrated that they all belonged to the genus Geobacter in the delta subdivision of the Proteobacteria. Unlike the type strain, Geobacter metallireducens, three of the five isolates could use H2 as an electron donor fur Fe(III) reduction. The deep subsurface isolate is the first Fe(III) reducer shown to completely oxidize lactate to carbon dioxide, while one of the freshwater sediment isolates is only the second Fe(III) reducer known that can oxidize toluene. The isolation of these organisms demonstrates that Geobacter species are widely distributed in a diversity of sedimentary environments in which Fe(III) reduction is an important process.

The donor-acceptor approach allows a black-to-transmissive switching polymeric electrochrome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaujuge, P. M.; Ellinger, S.; Reynolds, J. R.

2008-10-01

In the context of the fast-growing demand for innovative high-performance display technologies, the perspective of manufacturing low-cost functional materials that can be easily processed over large areas or finely printed into individual pixels, while being mechanically deformable, has motivated the development of novel electronically active organic components fulfilling the requirements for flexible displays and portable applications. Among all technologies relying on a low-power stimulated optical change, non-emissive organic electrochromic devices (ECDs) offer the advantage of being operational under a wide range of viewing angles and lighting conditions spanning direct sunlight as desired for various applications including signage, information tags and electronic paper. Combining mechanical flexibility, high contrast ratios and fast response times, along with colour tunability through structural control, polymeric electrochromes constitute the most attractive organic electronics for tomorrow's reflective/transmissive ECDs and displays. Although red, blue and most recently green electrochromic polymers (ECPs) required for additive primary colour space were investigated, attempts to make saturated black ECPs have not been reported, probably owing to the complexity of designing materials absorbing effectively over the whole visible spectrum. Here, we report on the use of the donor-acceptor approach to make the first neutral-state black polymeric electrochrome. Processable black-to-transmissive ECPs promise to affect the development of both reflective and transmissive ECDs by providing lower fabrication and processing costs through printing, spraying and coating methods, along with good scalability when compared with their traditional inorganic counterparts.

Photoluminescence Study of N-Type Thermal Conversion in Semi-Insulating GaAs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

free electron to the crystal. For example, in GaAs, a tellurium atom on an arsenic site (TeAs) or a silicon atom on a gallium site (SiGa) are donor atoms...Photoconductivity Photoluminescenc Silicon, SiGa 5.81 6.80 Germanium, GeGa 6.08 Sulfur, SAs 6.10 Selenium, SeAs 5.89 6.10 Tellurium , TeAs When an electron...34 to the neutral donor or acceptor (Ref 16:15). The following excitonic com- plexes have been observed in GaAs: (i) exciton bound to a neutron donor at

Design of organic ternary blends and small-molecule bulk heterojunctions: photophysical considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajesh, Kallarakkal Ramakrishnan; Paudel, Keshab; Johnson, Brian; Hallani, Rawad; Anthony, John; Ostroverkhova, Oksana

2015-01-01

We explored relationships between photophysical processes and solar cell characteristics in solution-processable bulk heterojunctions (BHJs), in particular: (1) polymer donor:fullerene acceptor:small-molecule (SM) nonfullerene acceptor, (2) polymer donor:SM donor:SM nonfullerene acceptor, and (3) SM donor:SM nonfullerene or fullerene acceptor. Addition of a nonfullerene SM acceptor to "efficient" polymer:fullerene BHJs led to a reduction in power conversion efficiency (PCE), mostly due to decreased charge photogeneration efficiency and increased disorder. By contrast, addition of an SM donor to "inefficient" polymer:SM nonfullerene acceptor BHJs led to a factor of two to three improvement in the PCE, due to improved charge photogeneration efficiency and transport. In most blends, exciplex formation was observed and correlated with a reduced short-circuit current (Jsc) without negatively impacting the open-circuit voltage (Voc). A factor of ˜5 higher PCE was observed in SM donor:fullerene acceptor BHJs as compared to SMBHJs with the same SM donor but nonfullerene acceptor, due to enhanced charge carrier photogeneration in the blend with fullerene. Our study revealed that the HOMO and LUMO energies of molecules comprising a blend are not reliable parameters for predicting Voc of the blend, and an understanding of the photophysics is necessary for interpreting solar cell characteristics and improving the molecular design of BHJs.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peng, Yuan; Wang, Junling, E-mail: jlwang@ntu.edu.sg; Zheng, Jianwei

Single n-type dopant in CuO has either a deep donor level or limited solubility, inefficient in generating free electrons. We have performed ab-initio study of the donor-acceptor codoping to obtain n-type CuO. Our results show that N codoping can slightly improve the donor level of Zr and In by forming shallower n-type complexes (Zr{sub Cu}-N{sub O} and 2In{sub Cu}-N{sub O}), but their formation energies are too high to be realized in experiments. However, Li codoping with Al and Ga is found to be relatively easy to achieve. 2Al{sub Cu}-Li{sub Cu} and 2Ga{sub Cu}-Li{sub Cu} have shallower donor levels than singlemore » Al and Ga by 0.14 eV and 0.08 eV, respectively, and their formation energies are reasonably low to act as efficient codopants. Moreover, Li codoping with both Al and Ga produce an empty impurity band just below the host conduction band minimum, which may reduce the donor ionization energy at high codoping concentrations.« less

Supramolecular Approaches to Nanoscale Morphological Control in Organic Solar Cells

PubMed Central

Haruk, Alexander M.; Mativetsky, Jeffrey M.

2015-01-01

Having recently surpassed 10% efficiency, solar cells based on organic molecules are poised to become a viable low-cost clean energy source with the added advantages of mechanical flexibility and light weight. The best-performing organic solar cells rely on a nanostructured active layer morphology consisting of a complex organization of electron donating and electron accepting molecules. Although much progress has been made in designing new donor and acceptor molecules, rational control over active layer morphology remains a central challenge. Long-term device stability is another important consideration that needs to be addressed. This review highlights supramolecular strategies for generating highly stable nanostructured organic photovoltaic active materials by design. PMID:26110382

Dissimilatory Fe(III) reduction by the marine microorganism Desulfuromonas acetoxidans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roden, E.E.; Lovley, D.R.

1993-01-01

The ability of the marine microorganism Desulfuromonas acetoxidans to reduce Fe(III) was investigated because of its close phylogenetic relationship with the freshwater dissimilatory Fe(III) reducer Geobacter metallireducens. Washed cell suspensions of the type strain of D. acetoxidans reduced soluble Fe(III)-citrate and Fe(III) complexed with nitriloacetic acid. The c-type cytochrome(s) of D. acetoxidans was oxidized by Fe(III)- citrate and Mn(IV)-oxalate, as well as by two electron acceptors known to support growth, colloidal sulfur and malate. D. acetoxidans grew in defined anoxic, bicarbonate-buffered medium with acetate as the sole electron donor and poorly crystalline Fe(III) or Mn(IV) as the sole electron acceptor. Magnetite (Fe3O4) and siderite (FeCO3) were the major end products of Fe(III) reduction, whereas rhodochrosite (MnCO3) was the end product of Mn(IV) reduction. Ethanol, propanol, pyruvate, and butanol also served as electron donors for Fe(III) reduction. In contrast to D. acetoxidans, G. metallireducens could only grow in freshwater medium and it did not conserve energy to support growth from colloidal S0 reduction. D. acetoxidans is the first marine microorganism shown to conserve energy to support growth by coupling the complete oxidation of organic compounds to the reduction of Fe(III) or Mn(IV). Thus, D. acetoxidans provides a model enzymatic mechanism for Fe(III) or Mn(IV) oxidation of organic compounds in marine and estuarine sediments. These findings demonstrate that 16S rRNA phylogenetic analyses can suggest previously unrecognized metabolic capabilities of microorganisms.

New donor-acceptor conjugates based on a trifluorenylporphyrin linked to a redox-switchable ruthenium unit.

PubMed

Merhi, Areej; Zhang, Xu; Yao, Dandan; Drouet, Samuel; Mongin, Olivier; Paul, Frédéric; Williams, J A Gareth; Fox, Mark A; Paul-Roth, Christine O

2015-05-28

Reactions of the 16-electron ruthenium complex [Ru(dppe)2Cl][PF6] with metal-free and zinc ethynylphenyltrifluorenylporphyrins and respectively, gave the new dyads and with ethynylruthenium group as a potential electron donor and the porphyrin as a potential electron acceptor. The redox properties of the porphyrins were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and UV spectroelectrochemistry (SEC), which reveal that the monocation and monoanion of metal-free porphyrin are stable under these conditions whereas the formation of the corresponding radical cation or anion of the zinc porphyrin was accompanied by partial decomplexation of the zinc ion. Oxidations of the dyads and gave stable radical cations as probed using IR, NIR and UV SEC methods. These cations show similar NIR and IR bands to those reported for the known 17-electron [Ru(dppe)2(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CPh)Cl](+) radical cation. Remarkably, the dyad has four stable redox states +2/+1/0/-1 where the second oxidation and first reduction processes take place at the porphyrin unit. Simulated absorption spectra on at optimised geometries obtained by TD-DFT computations with the CAM-B3LYP functional are shown to be in very good agreement with the observed UV absorption spectra of . The spectra of and their oxidised and reduced species were interpreted with the aid of the TD-DFT data. Fluorescence measurements reveal that the dyads and are only weakly emitting compared to and , indicative of quenching of the porphyrinic singlet excited state by the ruthenium centre.

Probes labelled with energy transfer coupled dyes

DOEpatents

Mathies, R.A.; Glazer, A.; Ju, J.

1997-11-18

Compositions are provided comprising sets of fluorescent labels carrying pairs of donor and acceptor dye molecules, designed for efficient excitation of the donors at a single wavelength and emission from the acceptor in each of the pairs at different wavelengths. The different molecules having different donor-acceptor pairs can be modified to have substantially the same mobility under separation conditions, by varying the distance between the donor and acceptor in a given pair. Particularly, the fluorescent compositions find use as labels in sequencing nucleic acids. 7 figs.

Fluorescent labels and their use in separations

DOEpatents

Mathies, Richard A.; Glazer, Alexander; Ju, Jingyue

1997-01-01

Compositions are provided comprising sets of fluorescent labels carrying pairs of donor and acceptor dye molecules, designed for efficient excitation of the donors at a single wavelength and emission from the acceptor in each of the pairs at different wavelengths. The different molecules having different donor-acceptor pairs can be modified to have substantially the same mobility under separation conditions, by varying the distance between the donor and acceptor in a given pair. Particularly, the fluorescent compositions find use as labels in sequencing nucleic acids.

Probes labelled with energy transfer coupled dyes

DOEpatents

Mathies, Richard A.; Glazer, Alexander; Ju, Jingyue

1997-01-01

Compositions are provided comprising sets of fluorescent labels carrying pairs of donor and acceptor dye molecules, designed for efficient excitation of the donors at a single wavelength and emission from the acceptor in each of the pairs at different wavelengths. The different molecules having different donor-acceptor pairs can be modified to have substantially the same mobility under separation conditions, by varying the distance between the donor and acceptor in a given pair. Particularly, the fluorescent compositions find use as labels in sequencing nucleic acids.

Tuning the Direction of Intramolecular Charge Transfer and the Nature of the Fluorescent State in a T-Shaped Molecular Dyad.

PubMed

Felouat, Abdellah; D'Aléo, Anthony; Charaf-Eddin, Azzam; Jacquemin, Denis; Le Guennic, Boris; Kim, Eunsun; Lee, Kwang Jin; Woo, Jae Heun; Ribierre, Jean-Charles; Wu, Jeong Weon; Fages, Frédéric

2015-06-18

Controlling photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer at the molecular scale is key to the development of molecular devices for nanooptoelectronics. Here, we describe the design, synthesis, electronic characterization, and photophysical properties of two electron donor-acceptor molecular systems that consist of tolane and BF2-containing curcuminoid chromophoric subunits connected in a T-shaped arrangement. The two π-conjugated segments intersect at the electron acceptor dioxaborine core. From steady-state electronic absorption and fluorescence emission, we find that the photophysics of the dialkylamino-substituted analogue is governed by the occurrence of two closely lying excited states. From DFT calculations, we show that excitation in either of these two states results in a distinct shift of the electron density, whether it occurs along the curcuminoid or tolane moiety. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy confirmed these findings. As a consequence, the nature of the emitting state and the photophysical properties are strongly dependent on solvent polarity. Moreover, these characteristics can also be switched by protonation or complexation at the nitrogen atom of the amino group. These features set new approaches toward the construction of a three-terminal molecular system in which the lateral branch would transduce a change of electronic state and ultimately control charge transport in a molecular-scale device.

A hydrogen-oxidizing, Fe(III)-reducing microorganism from the Great Bay estuary, New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Caccavo, F.; Blakemore, R.P.; Lovley, D.R.

1992-01-01

A dissimilatory Fe(III)- and Mn(IV)-reducing bacterium was isolated from bottom sediments of the Great Bay estuary, New Hampshire. The isolate was a facultatively anaerobic gram-negative rod which did not appear to fit into any previously described genus. It was temporarily designated strain BrY. BrY grew anaerobically in a defined medium with hydrogen or lactate as the electron donor and Fe(III) as the electron acceptor. BrY required citrate, fumarate, or malate as a carbon source for growth on H2 and Fe(III). With Fe(III) as the sole electron acceptor, BrY metabolized hydrogen to a minimum threshold at least 60-fold lower than the threshold reported for pure cultures of sulfate reducers. This finding supports the hypothesis that when Fe(III) is available, Fe(III) reducers can outcompete sulfate reducers for electron donors. Lactate was incompletely oxidized to acetate and carbon dioxide with Fe(III) as the electron acceptor. Lactate oxidation was also coupled to the reduction of Mn(IV), U(VI), fumarate, thiosulfate, or trimethylamine n-oxide under anaerobic conditions. BrY provides a model for how enzymatic metal reduction by respiratory metal-reducing microorganisms has the potential to contribute to the mobilization of iron and trace metals and to the immobilization of uranium in sediments of Great Bay Estuary.

Spectroscopy of nitrophenolates in vacuo: effect of spacer, configuration, and microsolvation on the charge-transfer excitation energy.

PubMed

Brøndsted Nielsen, Steen; Brøndsted Nielsen, Mogens; Rubio, Angel

2014-04-15

In a charge-transfer (CT) transition, electron density moves from one end of the molecule (donor) to the other end (acceptor). This type of transition is of paramount importance in nature, for example, in photosynthesis, and it governs the excitation of several protein biochromophores and luminophores such as the oxyluciferin anion that accounts for light emission from fireflies. Both transition energy and oscillator strength are linked to the coupling between the donor and acceptor groups: The weaker the coupling, the smaller the excitation energy. But a weak coupling necessarily also causes a low oscillator strength possibly preventing direct excitation (basically zero probability in the noncoupling case). The coupling is determined by the actual spacer between the two groups, and whether the spacer acts as an insulator or a conductor. However, it can be difficult or even impossible to distinguish the effect of the spacer from that of local solvent molecules that often cause large solvent shifts due to different ground-state and excited-state stabilization. This calls for gas-phase spectroscopy experiments where absorption by the isolated molecule is identified to unequivocally establish the intrinsic molecular properties with no perturbations from a microenvironment. From such insight, the effect of a protein microenvironment on the CT excited state can be deduced. In this Account, we review our results over the last 5 years from mass spectroscopy experiments using specially designed apparatus on several charged donor-acceptor ions that are based on the nitrophenolate moiety and π-extended derivatives, which are textbook examples of donor-acceptor chromophores. The phenolate oxygen is the donor, and the nitro group is the acceptor. The choice of this system is also based on the fact that phenolate is a common structural motif of biochromophores and luminophores, for example, it is a constituent of the oxyluciferin anion. A presentation of the setups used for gas-phase ion spectroscopy in Aarhus is given, and we address issues of whether double bonds or triple bonds best convey electronic coupling between the phenolate oxygen and the nitro group, the significance of separating the donor and acceptor spatially, the influence of cross-conjugation versus linear conjugation, and along this line ortho versus meta versus para configuration, and not least the effect of a single solvent molecule (water, methanol, or acetonitrile). From systematic studies, a clear picture has emerged that has been supported by high-level calculations of electronically excited states. Our work shows that CC2 coupled-cluster calculations of vertical excitation energies are within 0.2 eV of experimental band maxima, and importantly, that the theoretical method is excellent in predicting the relative order of excitation energies of a series of nitrophenolates. Finally, we discuss future challenges such as following the change in absorption as a function of the number of solvent molecules and when gradually approaching the bulk limit.

Role of coherence and delocalization in photo-induced electron transfer at organic interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramavicius, V.; Pranculis, V.; Melianas, A.; Inganäs, O.; Gulbinas, V.; Abramavicius, D.

2016-09-01

Photo-induced charge transfer at molecular heterojunctions has gained particular interest due to the development of organic solar cells (OSC) based on blends of electron donating and accepting materials. While charge transfer between donor and acceptor molecules can be described by Marcus theory, additional carrier delocalization and coherent propagation might play the dominant role. Here, we describe ultrafast charge separation at the interface of a conjugated polymer and an aggregate of the fullerene derivative PCBM using the stochastic Schrödinger equation (SSE) and reveal the complex time evolution of electron transfer, mediated by electronic coherence and delocalization. By fitting the model to ultrafast charge separation experiments, we estimate the extent of electron delocalization and establish the transition from coherent electron propagation to incoherent hopping. Our results indicate that even a relatively weak coupling between PCBM molecules is sufficient to facilitate electron delocalization and efficient charge separation at organic interfaces.

Probing Supramolecular Interactions between a Crown Ether Appended Zinc Phthalocyanine and an Ammonium Group Appended to a C60 Derivative.

PubMed

Lederer, Marcus; Hahn, Uwe; Strub, Jean-Marc; Cianférani, Sarah; Van Dorsselaer, Alain; Nierengarten, Jean-François; Torres, Tomas; Guldi, Dirk M

2016-02-01

Self-assembly driven by crown ether complexation of zinc phthalocyanines equipped with one 18-crown-6 moiety and fullerenes bearing an ammonium head group afforded a novel donor-acceptor hybrid. In reference experiments, fullerenes containing a Boc-protected amine functionality have been probed. The circumvention of zinc phthalocyanine aggregation is important for the self-assembly, which required the addition of pyridine. From absorption and fluorescence titration assays, which provided sound and unambiguous evidence for mutual interactions between the electron donor and the electron acceptor within the hybrids, association constants in the order of 8.0×10 5  m -1 have been derived. The aforementioned is based on 1:1 stoichiometries, which have been independently confirmed by Job's plot measurements. In the excited state, which has been examined by transient absorption experiments, intermolecular charge separation evolves from the photoexcited zinc phthalocyanine to the fullerene subunit and leads to short-lived charge-separated states. Interestingly, photoexcitation of zinc phthalocyanine dimers/aggregates can also be followed by an intermolecular charge separation between vicinal phthalocyanines. These multicomponent supramolecular ensembles have also been shown by in-depth electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) studies, giving rise to the formation and detection of a variety of non-covalently linked species. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fascinating transformations of donor-acceptor complexes of group 13 metal (Al, Ga, In) derivatives with nitriles and isonitriles: from monomeric cyanides to rings and cages.

PubMed

Timoshkin, Alexey Y; Schaefer, Henry F

2003-08-20

Formation of the donor-acceptor complexes of group 13 metal derivatives with nitriles and isonitriles X(3)M-D (M = Al,Ga,In; X = H,Cl,CH(3); D = RCN, RNC; R = H,CH(3)) and their subsequent reactions have been theoretically studied at the B3LYP/pVDZ level of theory. Although complexation with MX(3) stabilizes the isocyanide due to the stronger M-C donor-acceptor bond, this stabilization (20 kJ mol(-1) at most) is not sufficient to make the isocyanide form more favorable. Relationships between the dissociation enthalpy DeltaH degrees (298)(diss), charge-transfer q(CT), donor-acceptor bond energy E(DA), and the shift of the vibrational stretching mode of the CN group upon coordination Deltaomega(CN) have been examined. For a given metal center, there is a good correlation between the energy of the donor-acceptor bond and the degree of a charge transfer. Prediction of the DeltaH degrees (298)(diss) on the basis of the shift of CN stretching mode is possible within limited series of cyanide complexes (for the fixed M,R); in contrast, complexes of the isocyanides exhibit very poor Deltaomega(CN) - DeltaH degrees (298)(diss) correlation. Subsequent X ligand transfer and RX elimination reactions yielding monomeric (including donor-acceptor stabilized) and variety of oligomeric cage and ring compounds with [MN]n, [MC]n, [MNC]n cores have been considered and corresponding to thermodynamic characteristics have been obtained for the first time. Monomeric aluminum isocyanides X(2)AlNC are more stable compared to Al-C bonded isomers; for gallium and indium situation is reversed, in qualitative agreement with Pearson's HSAB concept. Substitution of X by CN in MX(3) increases the dissociation enthalpy of the MX(2)CN-NH(3) complex compared to that for MX(3)-NH(3), irrespective of the substituent X. Mechanisms of the initial reaction of the X transfer have been studied for the case X = R = H. The process of hydrogen transfer from the metal to the carbon atom in H(3)M-CNH is thermodynamically favorable and is likely to be intramolecular. By contrast, intramolecular hydrogen transfer in H(3)M-NCH has been definitely ruled out. Head-to-tail dimeric species [H(3)M-(NC)H](2) are formed exothermically and exhibit low H.H distances, which can assist in hydrogen transfer, and are likely to be the starting point for H(2) elimination. Elimination of H(2), CH(4), and C(2)H(6) from X(3)M-(NC)R adducts is very favorable thermodynamically; by contrast, elimination of HCl and CH(3)Cl is highly unfavorable even if formation of oligomer species takes place. Thus, high-temperature generation of gas-phase rings and clusters has been predicted viable in the cases X = H,CH(3) and their presence in the reactor media should not be neglected. Moderate stability of [HMCH(2)NH](4) clusters (especially in the cases M = Ga, In) makes these species viable intermediates of gas-phase reactions. Their formation may be responsible for the carbon contamination in the course of metal organic chemical vapor deposition processes of group 13 binary nitrides.

Reduction of bromate to bromide coupled to acetate oxidation by anaerobic mixed microbial cultures.

PubMed

van Ginkel, C G; van Haperen, A M; van der Togt, B

2005-01-01

Bromate, a weakly mutagenic oxidizing agent, exists in surface waters. The biodegradation of bromate was investigated by assessing the ability of mixed cultures of micro-organisms for utilization of bromate as electron acceptor and acetate as electron donor. Reduction of bromate was only observed at relatively low concentrations (<3.0 mM) in the absence of molecular oxygen. Under these conditions bromate was reduced stoichiometrically to bromide. Unadapted sludge from an activated sludge treatment plant and a digester reduced bromate without lag period at a constant rate. Using an enrichment culture adapted to bromate, it was demonstrated that bromate was a terminal electron acceptor for anaerobic growth. Approximately 50% of the acetate was utilized for growth with bromate by the enrichment culture. A doubling of 20 h was estimated from a logarithmic growth curve. Other electron acceptors, like perchlorate, chlorate and nitrate, were not reduced or at negligible rates by bromate-utilizing microorganisms.

Chemical Bonding and Thermodynamics in Superconductivity and Superfluidity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Love, Peter

2012-05-01

Superconductivity and superfluidity are physical states that occur in a variety of chemical and physical systems. These physical states share a common type of real, or virtual, chemical bonding. Each of the systems discussed herein contain at least one real, or effective, coordinate covalent bond. This is formed from an electron pair donor species and an electron pair acceptor species. When the electronegativity difference between the electron pair donor and acceptor species is sufficiently small, the resultant coordinate covalent bond density can be substantial. If delocalized, this bond density can result in a significant increase in the electron pair orbital volume relative to that of the parent species, and an increase in the valence shell orbital entropy. In terms of the normalized Gibbs-Helmholtz equation, this results in a concomitant decrease in free energy of the delocalized electronic system. A decrease in free energy to negative values can support a boson state, and superconductivity. A clear example of these principles is the occurrence of superconductivity in the ceramic material, MgB2. These generalizations apply to superconducting elements, high temperature superconductors, superconducting alloys, and equivalently to superfluid 4He.

Identification of rhenium donors and sulfur vacancy acceptors in layered MoS{sub 2} bulk samples

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brandão, F. D., E-mail: fdbrand@fisica.ufmg.br; Ribeiro, G. M.; Vaz, P. H.

2016-06-21

MoS{sub 2} monolayers, a two-dimensional (2D) direct semiconductor material with an energy gap of 1.9 eV, offer many opportunities to be explored in different electronic devices. Defects often play dominant roles in the electronic and optical properties of semiconductor devices. However, little experimental information about intrinsic and extrinsic defects or impurities is available for this 2D system, and even for macroscopic 3D samples for which MoS{sub 2} shows an indirect bandgap of 1.3 eV. In this work, we evaluate the nature of impurities with unpaired spins using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in different geological macroscopic samples. Regarding the fact that monolayers aremore » mostly obtained from natural crystals, we expect that the majority of impurities found in macroscopic samples are also randomly present in MoS{sub 2} monolayers. By EPR at low temperatures, rhenium donors and sulfur vacancy acceptors are identified as the main impurities in bulk MoS{sub 2} with a corresponding donor concentration of about 10{sup 8–12} defects/cm{sup 2} for MoS{sub 2} monolayer. Electrical transport experiments as a function of temperature are in good agreement with the EPR results, revealing a shallow donor state with an ionization energy of 89 meV and a concentration of 7 × 10{sup 15 }cm{sup −3}, which we attribute to rhenium, as well as a second deeper donor state with ionization energy of 241 meV with high concentration of 2 × 10{sup 19 }cm{sup −3} and net acceptor concentration of 5 × 10{sup 18 }cm{sup −3} related to sulfur vacancies.« less

Self-assembled via axial coordination magnesium porphyrin-imidazole appended fullerene dyad: spectroscopic, electrochemical, computational, and photochemical studies.

PubMed

D'Souza, Francis; El-Khouly, Mohamed E; Gadde, Suresh; McCarty, Amy L; Karr, Paul A; Zandler, Melvin E; Araki, Yasuyaki; Ito, Osamu

2005-05-26

Spectroscopic, redox, and electron transfer reactions of a self-assembled donor-acceptor dyad formed by axial coordination of magnesium meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (MgTPP) and fulleropyrrolidine appended with an imidazole coordinating ligand (C(60)Im) were investigated. Spectroscopic studies revealed the formation of a 1:1 C(60)Im:MgTPP supramolecular complex, and the anticipated 1:2 complex could not be observed because of the needed large amounts of the axial coordinating ligand. The formation constant, K(1), for the 1:1 complex was found to be (1.5 +/- 0.3) x 10(4) M(-1), suggesting fairly stable complex formation. The geometric and electronic structures of the dyads were probed by ab initio B3LYP/3-21G() methods. The majority of the highest occupied frontier molecular orbital (HOMO) was found to be located on the MgTPP entity, while the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) was on the fullerene entity, suggesting that the charge-separated state of the supramolecular complex is C(60)Im(*-):MgTPP(*+). Redox titrations involving MgTPP and C(60)Im allowed accurate determination of the oxidation and reduction potentials of the donor and acceptor entities in the supramolecular complex. These studies revealed more difficult oxidation, by about 100 mV, for MgTPP in the pentacoordinated C(60)Im:MgTPP compared to pristine MgTPP in o-dichlorobenzene. A total of six one-electron redox processes corresponding to the oxidation and reduction of the zinc porphyrin ring and the reduction of fullerene entities was observed within the accessible potential window of the solvent. The excited state events were monitored by both steady state and time-resolved emission as well as transient absorption techniques. In o-dichlorobenzene, upon coordination of C(60)Im to MgTPP, the main quenching pathway involved electron transfer from the singlet excited MgTPP to the C(60)Im moiety. The rate of forward electron transfer, k(CS), calculated from the picosecond time-resolved emission studies was found to be 1.1 x 10(10) s(-1) with a quantum yield, Phi(CS), of 0.99, indicating fast and efficient charge separation. The rate of charge recombination, k(CR), evaluated from nanosecond transient absorption studies, was found to be 8.3 x 10(7) s(-1). A comparison between k(CS) and k(CR) suggested an excellent opportunity to utilize the charge-separated state for further electron-mediating processes.

Chemical and quantum simulation of electron transfer through a polypeptide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ungar, L.W.; Voth, G.A.; Newton, M.D.

1999-08-26

Quantum rate theory, molecular dynamics simulations, and semiempirical electronic structure calculations are used to fully investigate electron transfer mediated by a solvated polypeptide for the first time. Using a stationary-phase approximation, the nonadiabatic electron-transfer rate constant is calculated from the nuclear free energies and the electronic coupling between the initial and final states. The former are obtained from quantum path integral and classical molecular dynamics simulations; the latter are calculated using semiempirical electronic structure calculations and the generalized Mulliken-Hush method. Importantly, no parameters are fit to kinetic data. The simulated system consists of a solvated four-proline polypeptide with a tris(bipyridine)rutheniummore » donor group and an oxypentamminecobalt acceptor group. From the simulation data entropy and energy contributions to the free energies are distinguished. Quantum suppression of the barrier, including important solvent contributions, is demonstrated. Although free energy profiles along the reaction coordinate are nearly parabolic, pronounced departures from harmonic behavior are found for the separate energy and entropy functions. Harmonic models of the system are compared to simulation results in order to quantify anharmonic effects. Electronic structure calculations show that electronic coupling elements vary considerably with system conformation, even when the effective donor-acceptor separation remains roughly constant. The calculations indicate that electron transfer in a significant range of conformations linking the polypeptide to the acceptor may contribute to the overall rate constant. After correction for limitations of the solvent model, the simulations and calculations agree well with the experimental activation energy and Arrhenius prefactor.« less

Density functional theory design D-D-A type small molecule with 1.03 eV narrow band gap: effect of electron donor unit for organic photovoltaic solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sıdır, İsa

2017-10-01

Six new low-band-gap copolymers of donor-donor-acceptor (D-D-A) architecture have been designed using density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory methods in order to use them in organic photovoltaic cell (OPVC). Phenanthro[3,4-d:9,10-d‧]bis([1,2,3]thiadiazole)-10,12-dicarbonitrile moiety has been used as an acceptor for all compounds. We insert benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b‧]dithiophene and N,N-diphenylbenzo[1,2-b:4,5-b‧]dithiophen-2-amine units as donor to complete designing of copolymers. In order to tuning the optical and electronic properties, we have modified the donor unit by substituted with amine, methoxyamine, N-methylenethiophen-2-amine, methoxy, alkoxy moieties. The band gap (Eg), HOMO and LUMO values and plots, open circuit voltage (VOC) as well as optical properties have been analysed for designed copolymers. The optimised copolymers exhibit low-band-gap lying in the range of 1.03-2.24 eV. DPTD-6 copolymer presents the optimal properties to be used as an active layer due to its low Eg (1.03 eV) and a moderate VOC (0.56 eV). Thus, OPVC based on this copolymer in bulk-heterojunction composites with [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as an acceptor has been modelled. Eg and VOC values of composite material DPTD-6:PCBM are found as 1.32 and 0.65 eV, respectively. A model band diagram has been established for OPVC, simulating the energy transfer between active layers.

Ammonification in Bacillus subtilis Utilizing Dissimilatory Nitrite Reductase Is Dependent on resDE

PubMed Central

Hoffmann, Tamara; Frankenberg, Nicole; Marino, Marco; Jahn, Dieter

1998-01-01

During anaerobic nitrate respiration Bacillus subtilis reduces nitrate via nitrite to ammonia. No denitrification products were observed. B. subtilis wild-type cells and a nitrate reductase mutant grew anaerobically with nitrite as an electron acceptor. Oxygen-sensitive dissimilatory nitrite reductase activity was demonstrated in cell extracts prepared from both strains with benzyl viologen as an electron donor and nitrite as an electron acceptor. The anaerobic expression of the discovered nitrite reductase activity was dependent on the regulatory system encoded by resDE. Mutation of the gene encoding the regulatory Fnr had no negative effect on dissimilatory nitrite reductase formation. PMID:9422613

Organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Jianhui; Inganäs, Olle; Friend, Richard H.; Gao, Feng

2018-02-01

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have been dominated by donor:acceptor blends based on fullerene acceptors for over two decades. This situation has changed recently, with non-fullerene (NF) OSCs developing very quickly. The power conversion efficiencies of NF OSCs have now reached a value of over 13%, which is higher than the best fullerene-based OSCs. NF acceptors show great tunability in absorption spectra and electron energy levels, providing a wide range of new opportunities. The coexistence of low voltage losses and high current generation indicates that new regimes of device physics and photophysics are reached in these systems. This Review highlights these opportunities made possible by NF acceptors, and also discuss the challenges facing the development of NF OSCs for practical applications.

Crucial role of nuclear dynamics for electron injection in a dye–semiconductor complex

DOE PAGES

Monti, Adriano; Negre, Christian F. A.; Batista, Victor S.; ...

2015-06-05

In this study, we investigate the electron injection from a terrylene-based chromophore to the TiO 2 semiconductor bridged by a recently proposed phenyl-amide-phenyl molecular rectifier. The mechanism of electron transfer is studied by means of quantum dynamics simulations using an extended Hückel Hamiltonian. It is found that the inclusion of the nuclear motion is necessary to observe the photoinduced electron transfer. In particular, the fluctuations of the dihedral angle between the terrylene and the phenyl ring modulate the localization and thus the electronic coupling between the donor and acceptor states involved in the injection process. The electron propagation shows characteristicmore » oscillatory features that correlate with interatomic distance fluctuations in the bridge, which are associated with the vibrational modes driving the process. The understanding of such effects is important for the design of functional dyes with optimal injection and rectification properties.« less

Determination of Acceptor Concentration, Depletion Width, Donor Level Movement and Sensitivity Factor of ZnO on Diamond Heterojunction under UV Illumination

PubMed Central

Saw, Kim Guan; Tneh, Sau Siong; Yam, Fong Kwong; Ng, Sha Shiong; Hassan, Zainuriah

2014-01-01

The concentration of acceptor carriers, depletion width, magnitude of donor level movement as well as the sensitivity factor are determined from the UV response of a heterojunction consisting of ZnO on type IIb diamond. From the comparison of the I-V measurements in dark condition and under UV illumination we show that the acceptor concentration (∼1017 cm−3) can be estimated from p-n junction properties. The depletion width of the heterojunction is calculated and is shown to extend farther into the ZnO region in dark condition. Under UV illumination, the depletion width shrinks but penetrates both materials equally. The ultraviolet illumination causes the donor level to move closer to the conduction band by about 50 meV suggesting that band bending is reduced to allow more electrons to flow from the intrinsically n-type ZnO. The sensitivity factor of the device calculated from the change of threshold voltages, the ratio of dark and photocurrents and identity factor is consistent with experimental data. PMID:24586707

Ternary blend polymer solar cells with self-assembled structure for enhancing power conversion efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhenhua; Li, Hongfei; Nam, Chang-Yong; Kisslinger, Kim; Satija, Sushil; Rafailovich, Miriam

Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) polymer solar cells are an area of intense interest due to their advantages such as mechanical flexibility. The active layer is typically spin coated from the solution of polythiophene derivatives (donor) and fullerenes (acceptor) and interconnected domains are formed because of phase separation. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of BHJ solar cell is restricted by the disordered inner structures in the active layer, donor or acceptor domains isolated from electrodes. Here we report a self-assembled columnar structure formed by phase separation between (PCDTBT) and polystyrene (PS) for the active layer morphology optimization. The BHJ solar cell device based on this structure is promising for exhibiting higher performance due to the shorter carrier transportation pathway and larger interfacial area between donor and acceptor. The surface morphology is investigated with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the columnar structure is studied by investigation of cross-section of the blend thin film of PCDTBT and PS under the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The different morphological structures formed via phase segregation are correlated with the performance of the BHJ solar cells.

Impact on electronic structure of donor/acceptor blend in organic photovoltaics by decontamination of molybdenum-oxide surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Yuta; Akaike, Kouki; Fukuda, Takeshi; Sato, Daisuke; Fuse, Takuya; Iwahashi, Takashi; Ouchi, Yukio; Kanai, Kaname

2018-05-01

Molybdenum oxide (MoOx) is widely used as the hole-transport layer in bulk-heterojunction organic photovoltaics (BHJ-OPVs). During the fabrication of solution-processed BHJ-OPVs on vacuum-deposited MoOx film, the film must be exposed to N2 atmosphere in a glove box, where the donor/acceptor blends are spin-coated from a mixed solution. Employing photoelectron spectroscopy, we reveal that the exposure of the MoOx film to such atmosphere contaminates the MoOx surface. Annealing the contaminated MoOx film at 160 °C for 5 min, prior to spin-coating the blend film, can partially remove the carbon and oxygen adsorbed on the MoOx surface during the exposure of MoOx. However, the contamination layer on the MoOx surface does not affect the energy-level alignment at the interface between MoOx and the donor/acceptor blend. Hence, significant improvement in the performance of BHJ-OPVs by mildly annealing the MoOx layer, which was previously reported, can be explained by the reduction of undesired contamination.

Surface properties of calcium and magnesium oxide nanopowders grafted with unsaturated carboxylic acids studied with inverse gas chromatography.

PubMed

Maciejewska, Magdalena; Krzywania-Kaliszewska, Alicja; Zaborski, Marian

2012-09-28

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was applied at infinite dilution to evaluate the surface properties of calcium and magnesium oxide nanoparticles and the effect of surface grafted unsaturated carboxylic acid on the nanopowder donor-acceptor characteristics. The dispersive components (γ(s)(D)) of the free energy of the nanopowders were determined by Gray's method, whereas their tendency to undergo specific interactions was estimated based on the electron donor-acceptor approach presented by Papirer. The calcium and magnesium oxide nanoparticles exhibited high surface energies (79 mJ/m² and 74 mJ/m², respectively). Modification of nanopowders with unsaturated carboxylic acids decreased their specific adsorption energy. The lowest value of γ(s)(D) was determined for nanopowders grafted with undecylenic acid, approximately 55 mJ/m². The specific interactions were characterised by the molar free energy (ΔG(A)(SP)) and molar enthalpy (ΔH(A)(SP)) of adsorption as well as the donor and acceptor interaction parameters (K(A), K(D)). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Empirically based device modeling of bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierre, Adrien; Lu, Shaofeng; Howard, Ian A.; Facchetti, Antonio; Arias, Ana Claudia

2013-10-01

An empirically based, open source, optoelectronic model is constructed to accurately simulate organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. Bulk heterojunction OPV devices based on a new low band gap dithienothiophene- diketopyrrolopyrrole donor polymer (P(TBT-DPP)) are blended with PC70BM and processed under various conditions, with efficiencies up to 4.7%. The mobilities of electrons and holes, bimolecular recombination coefficients, exciton quenching efficiencies in donor and acceptor domains and optical constants of these devices are measured and input into the simulator to yield photocurrent with less than 7% error. The results from this model not only show carrier activity in the active layer but also elucidate new routes of device optimization by varying donor-acceptor composition as a function of position. Sets of high and low performance devices are investigated and compared side-by-side.

Molecular design and theoretical characterization of benzodithiophene based organic photovoltaic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Labanya; Sahu, Sridhar

2018-05-01

Two different oligomers, containing methyl substituted Benzodithiophene (BDT) as donor unit, fluorinated thiophene as the π-bridge unit and two different kinds of acceptors based on fluorinated benzothiadiazole, fluorinated benzoselenadiazole units are designed for bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cell (OSC). The ground and excited state properties of those donor-π-acceptor-π-donor (D-π-A-π-D) oligomeric configurations are characterized via density functional (DFT) and time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The parameters such as dipole moment (ρ), chemical potential (µ), electronegativity (χ), frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis, HOMO-LUMO gap, open circuit voltage (Voc) and driving force (ΔE) are calculated to analyze geometrical, electronic structural, quantum chemical and photovoltaic properties of the compounds. In addition, optical absorption spectra are also presented for the optical characterization of the compounds.

Ab Initio Analysis of Auger-Assisted Electron Transfer.

PubMed

Hyeon-Deuk, Kim; Kim, Joonghan; Prezhdo, Oleg V

2015-01-15

Quantum confinement in nanoscale materials allows Auger-type electron-hole energy exchange. We show by direct time-domain atomistic simulation and analytic theory that Auger processes give rise to a new mechanism of charge transfer (CT) on the nanoscale. Auger-assisted CT eliminates the renown Marcus inverted regime, rationalizing recent experiments on CT from quantum dots to molecular adsorbates. The ab initio simulation reveals a complex interplay of the electron-hole and charge-phonon channels of energy exchange, demonstrating a variety of CT scenarios. The developed Marcus rate theory for Auger-assisted CT describes, without adjustable parameters, the experimental plateau of the CT rate in the region of large donor-acceptor energy gap. The analytic theory and atomistic insights apply broadly to charge and energy transfer in nanoscale systems.

Luminescent Quantum Dot Bioconjugates in Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Assays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clapp, Aaron; Medintz, Igor; Goldman, Ellen; Anderson, George; Mauro, J. Matthew; Mattoussi, Hedi

2003-03-01

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) such as those made of CdSe-ZnS core-shell nanocrystals offer a promising alternative to organic dyes in a variety of biological tagging applications. They exhibit high resistance to chemical and photo-degradations, are highly luminescent, and show unique size-specific optical and spectroscopic properties. We have previously demonstrated a useful method for attaching proteins to CdSe-ZnS QDs using dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) surface capping groups and electrostatic self-assembly in aqueous environments. We have used this conjugation strategy to build solution-based QD-conjugate sensors based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between QD donors and dye-labeled protein acceptors. Specific binding between the QD-ligand donor and dye-labeled receptor was achieved. In another example, the dye receptor was grafted directly onto the protein, then immobilized onto the QD surface via an electrostatic self-assembly process. The QD-complexes were optically excited in a region where absorption of the dye is negligible compared to that of the nanocrystals. We observed a continuous decrease of the QD emission accompanied by a steady and pronounced increase of the acceptor emission as the ratio of dye to QD was increased. The results of these experiments suggest efficient resonance energy transfer between the QD donor and the dye acceptor upon ligand-receptor binding. We will present these data and discuss other aspects such as donor-acceptor separation distance, degree of overlap between absorption of the acceptor and emission of the QD, and reverse FRET (upon ligand-receptor release) in a reversible assay.

Charge separation and carrier dynamics in donor-acceptor heterojunction photovoltaic systems.

PubMed

Teuscher, Joël; Brauer, Jan C; Stepanov, Andrey; Solano, Alicia; Boziki, Ariadni; Chergui, Majed; Wolf, Jean-Pierre; Rothlisberger, Ursula; Banerji, Natalie; Moser, Jacques-E

2017-11-01

Electron transfer and subsequent charge separation across donor-acceptor heterojunctions remain the most important areas of study in the field of third-generation photovoltaics. In this context, it is particularly important to unravel the dynamics of individual ultrafast processes (such as photoinduced electron transfer, carrier trapping and association, and energy transfer and relaxation), which prevail in materials and at their interfaces. In the frame of the National Center of Competence in Research "Molecular Ultrafast Science and Technology," a research instrument of the Swiss National Science Foundation, several groups active in the field of ultrafast science in Switzerland have applied a number of complementary experimental techniques and computational simulation tools to scrutinize these critical photophysical phenomena. Structural, electronic, and transport properties of the materials and the detailed mechanisms of photoinduced charge separation in dye-sensitized solar cells, conjugated polymer- and small molecule-based organic photovoltaics, and high-efficiency lead halide perovskite solar energy converters have been scrutinized. Results yielded more than thirty research articles, an overview of which is provided here.

Real-Space Bonding Indicator Analysis of the Donor-Acceptor Complexes X3BNY3, X3AlNY3, X3BPY3, and X3AlPY3 (X, Y = H, Me, Cl).

PubMed

Mebs, Stefan; Beckmann, Jens

2017-10-12

Calculations of real-space bonding indicators (RSBI) derived from Atoms-In-Molecules (AIM), Electron Localizability Indicator (ELI-D), Non-Covalent Interactions index (NCI), and Density Overlap Regions Indicator (DORI) toolkits for a set of 36 donor-acceptor complexes X 3 BNY 3 (1, 1a-1h), X 3 AlNY 3 (2, 2a-2h), X 3 BPY 3 (3, 3a-3h), and X 3 AlPY 3 (4, 4a-4h) reveal that the donor-acceptor bonds comprise covalent and ionic interactions in varying extents (X = Y = H for 1-4; X = H, Y = Me for 1a-4a; X = H, Y = Cl for 1b-4b; X = Me, Y = H for 1c-4c; X, Y = Me for 1d-4d; X = Me, Y = Cl for 1e-4e; X = Cl, Y = H for 1f-4f; X = Cl, Y = Me for 1g-4g; X, Y = Cl for 1h-4h). The phosphinoboranes X 3 BPY 3 (3, 3a-3h) in general and Cl 3 BPMe 3 (3f) in particular show the largest covalent contributions and the least ionic contributions. The aminoalanes X 3 AlNY 3 (2, 2a-2h) in general and Me 3 AlNCl 3 (2e) in particular show the least covalent contributions and the largest ionic contributions. The aminoboranes X 3 BNY 3 (1, 1a-1h) and the phosphinoalanes X 3 AlPY 3 (4, 4a-4h) are midway between phosphinoboranes and aminoalanes. The degree of covalency and ionicity correlates with the electronegativity difference BP (ΔEN = 0.15) < AlP (ΔEN = 0.58) < BN (ΔEN = 1.00) < AlN (ΔEN = 1.43) and a previously published energy decomposition analysis (EDA). To illustrate the importance of both contributions in Lewis formula representations, two resonance formulas should be given for all compounds, namely, the canonical form with formal charges denoting covalency and the arrow notation pointing from the donor to the acceptor atom to emphasis ionicity. If the Lewis formula mainly serves to show the atomic connectivity, the most significant should be shown. Thus, it is legitimate to present aminoalanes using arrows; however, for phosphinoboranes the canonical form with formal charges is more appropriate.

Fullerene derivatives as electron acceptors for organic photovoltaic cells.

PubMed

Mi, Dongbo; Kim, Ji-Hoon; Kim, Hee Un; Xu, Fei; Hwang, Do-Hoon

2014-02-01

Energy is currently one of the most important problems humankind faces. Depletion of traditional energy sources such as coal and oil results in the need to develop new ways to create, transport, and store electricity. In this regard, the sun, which can be considered as a giant nuclear fusion reactor, represents the most powerful source of energy available in our solar system. For photovoltaic cells to gain widespread acceptance as a source of clean and renewable energy, the cost per watt of solar energy must be decreased. Organic photovoltaic cells, developed in the past two decades, have potential as alternatives to traditional inorganic semiconductor photovoltaic cells, which suffer from high environmental pollution and energy consumption during production. Organic photovoltaic cells are composed of a blended film of a conjugated-polymer donor and a soluble fullerene-derivative acceptor sandwiched between a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)-coated indium tin oxide positive electrode and a low-work-function metal negative electrode. Considerable research efforts aim at designing and synthesizing novel fullerene derivatives as electron acceptors with up-raised lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy, better light-harvesting properties, higher electron mobility, and better miscibility with the polymer donor for improving the power conversion efficiency of the organic photovoltaic cells. In this paper, we systematically review novel fullerene acceptors synthesized through chemical modification for enhancing the photovoltaic performance by increasing open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and fill factor, which determine the performance of organic photovoltaic cells.

Defect states of complexes involving a vacancy on the boron site in boronitrene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngwenya, T. B.; Ukpong, A. M.; Chetty, N.

2011-12-01

First principles calculations have been performed to investigate the ground state properties of freestanding monolayer hexagonal boronitrene (h-BN). We have considered monolayers that contain native point defects and their complexes, which form when the point defects bind with the boron vacancy on the nearest-neighbor position. The changes in the electronic structure are analyzed to show the extent of localization of the defect-induced midgap states. The variations in formation energies suggest that defective h-BN monolayers that contain carbon substitutional impurities are the most stable structures, irrespective of the changes in growth conditions. The high energies of formation of the boron vacancy complexes suggest that they are less stable, and their creation by ion bombardment would require high-energy ions compared to point defects. Using the relative positions of the derived midgap levels for the double vacancy complex, it is shown that the quasi-donor-acceptor pair interpretation of optical transitions is consistent with stimulated transitions between electron and hole states in boronitrene.

The evolutionary pathway from anoxygenic to oxygenic photosynthesis examined by comparison of the properties of photosystem II and bacterial reaction centers.

PubMed

Allen, J P; Williams, J C

2011-01-01

In photosynthetic organisms, such as purple bacteria, cyanobacteria, and plants, light is captured and converted into energy to create energy-rich compounds. The primary process of energy conversion involves the transfer of electrons from an excited donor molecule to a series of electron acceptors in pigment-protein complexes. Two of these complexes, the bacterial reaction center and photosystem II, are evolutionarily related and structurally similar. However, only photosystem II is capable of performing the unique reaction of water oxidation. An understanding of the evolutionary process that lead to the development of oxygenic photosynthesis can be found by comparison of these two complexes. In this review, we summarize how insight is being gained by examination of the differences in critical functional properties of these complexes and by experimental efforts to alter pigment-protein interactions of the bacterial reaction center in order to enable it to perform reactions, such as amino acid and metal oxidation, observable in photosystem II.

Nonradiative inter- and intramolecular energy transfer from the aromatic donor anisole to a synthesized photoswitchable acceptor system.

PubMed

Bardhan, Munmun; Bhattacharya, Sudeshna; Misra, Tapas; Mukhopadhyay, Rupa; De, Asish; Chowdhury, Joydeep; Ganguly, Tapan

2010-02-01

We report steady state and time resolved fluorescence measurements on acetonitrile (ACN) solutions of the model compounds, energy donor anisole (A) and a photoswitchable acceptor N,N'-1,2-phenylene di-p-tosylamide (B) and the multichromophore (M) where A and B are connected by a spacer containing both rigid triple (acetylenic) and flexible methylene bonds. Both steady state and time correlated single photon counting measurements demonstrate that though intermolecular energy transfer, of Forster type, between the donor and acceptor moieties occurs with rate 10(8)s(-1) but when these two reacting components are linked by a spacer (multichromophore, M) the observed transfer rate ( approximately 10(11)s(-1)) enhances. This seemingly indicates that the imposition of the spacer by inserting a triple bond may facilitate in the propagation of electronic excitation energy through bond. The time resolved fluorescence measurements along with the theoretical predictions using Configuration interaction singles (CIS) method by using 6-31G (d,p) basis set, implemented in the Gaussian package indicate the formations of the two excited conformers of B. The experimental findings made from the steady state and time resolved fluorescence measurements demonstrate that, though two different isomeric species of the acceptor B are formed in the excited singlet states, the prevailing singlet-singlet nonradiative energy transfer route was found from the donor A to the relatively longer-lived isomeric species of B. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distributions of microbial activities in deep subseafloor sediments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

D'Hondt, Steven; Jorgensen, Bo Barker; Miller, D. Jay; Batzke, Anja; Blake, Ruth; Cragg, Barry A.; Cypionka, Heribert; Dickens, Gerald R.; Ferdelman, Timothy; Hinrichs, Kai-Uwe;

Anaerobic oxidation of arsenite in Mono Lake water and by a facultative, arsenite-oxidizing chemoautotroph, strain MLHE-1

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oremland, R.S.; Hoeft, S.E.; Santini, J.M.; Bano, N.; Hollibaugh, R.A.; Hollibaugh, J.T.

2002-01-01

Arsenite [As(III)]-enriched anoxic bottom water from Mono Lake, California, produced arsenate [As(V)] during incubation with either nitrate or nitrite. No such oxidation occurred in killed controls or in live samples incubated without added nitrate or nitrite. A small amount of biological As(III) oxidation was observed in samples amended with Fe(III) chelated with nitrolotriacetic acid, although some chemical oxidation was also evident in killed controls. A pure culture, strain MLHE-1, that was capable of growth with As(III) as its electron donor and nitrate as its electron acceptor was isolated in a defined mineral salts medium. Cells were also able to grow in nitrate-mineral salts medium by using H2 or sulfide as their electron donor in lieu of As(III). Arsenite-grown cells demonstrated dark 14CO2 fixation, and PCR was used to indicate the presence of a gene encoding ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Strain MLHE-1 is a facultative chemoautotroph, able to grow with these inorganic electron donors and nitrate as its electron acceptor, but heterotrophic growth on acetate was also observed under both aerobic and anaerobic (nitrate) conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of its 16S ribosomal DNA sequence placed strain MLHE-1 within the haloalkaliphilic Ectothiorhodospira of the ??-Proteobacteria. Arsenite oxidation has never been reported for any members of this subgroup of the Proteobacteria.

Supramolecular aromaticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karabıyık, Hande; Sevinçek, Resul; Karabıyık, Hasan

2014-05-01

We report experimental and theoretical evidences for supramolecular aromaticity as a new concept to be widely used in researches about molecular crystals. CSD survey regarding frequently encountered resonance-assisted H-bonds (RAHBs) in formic acid, formamide, formimidamide, formic acid-formamide, and formamide-formimidamide dimers shows that supramolecular quasirings formed by RAHBs have remarkable electronic delocalization within themselves, which is reminiscent of aromaticity at supramolecular level. This study criticizes and reevaluates the validity of conventional judgment which states that ring systems formed by intermolecular H-bonds cannot be aromatic. Thus, the term aromaticity can be extended to supramolecular systems formed by RAHBs. Supramolecular aromaticity has a multi-fold nature involving both σ- and π-delocalization, and σ-delocalization through RAHBs takes on a task of compensating σ-deficiency within quasirings. Atomic composition in donor-acceptor set of the dimers is descriptive for supramolecular aromaticity. We revised bond-valence parameters for RAHBs and they suggest that hypervalent character of H atoms is more pronounced than their hypovalent character in RAHBs. The σ-delocalized bonding within H-bonded quasirings necessitates hypervalent character of H atoms. Quantum chemical calculations based on adiabatic Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT) between the monomers reveal that topological parameters at ring critical points (RCPs) of the quasirings correlate well with Shannon's entropic aromaticity index. The presence of additional LP orbital on O atoms implying more diffused LP-orbitals in donor-acceptor set leads to the formation of resonance-disabling states reducing supramolecular aromaticity of a quasiring and energetic cost of the electron transfer between the monomers. There is a nonignorable electron transfer between the monomers even in the cases where H atoms are close to donor or acceptor atom. NBO analyses have revealed that formally vacant LP* orbitals on H-atoms in TS geometries mediate intermolecular electron transfer as a result of the hyperconjugative stereoelectronic interactions.

Impact of Temperature and Non-Gaussian Statistics on Electron Transfer in Donor–Bridge–Acceptor Molecules

DOE PAGES

Waskasi, Morteza M.; Newton, Marshall D.; Matyushov, Dmitry V.

2017-03-16

A combination of experimental data and theoretical analysis provides evidence of a bell-shaped kinetics of electron transfer in the Arrhenius coordinates ln k vs 1/T . This kinetic law is a temperature analog of the familiar Marcus bell-shaped dependence based on ln k vs the reaction free energy. These results were obtained for reactions of intramolecular charge shift between the donor and acceptor separated by a rigid spacer studied experimentally by Miller and co-workers. The non-Arrhenius kinetic law is a direct consequence of the solvent reorganization energy and reaction driving force changing approximately as hyperbolic functions with temperature. The reorganizationmore » energy decreases and the driving force increases when temperature is increased. The point of equality between them marks the maximum of the activationless reaction rate. Reaching the consistency between the kinetic and thermodynamic experimental data requires the non-Gaussian statistics of the donor-acceptor energy gap described by the Q-model of electron transfer. Furthermore, the theoretical formalism combines the vibrational envelope of quantum vibronic transitions with the Q-model describing the classical component of the Franck-Condon factor and a microscopic solvation model of the solvent reorganization energy and the reaction free energy.« less

NaEuF4/Au@Ag2S nanoparticles-based fluorescence resonant transfer DNA sensor for ultrasensitive detection of DNA energy.

PubMed

Liu, Yuhong; Zhao, Linlin; Zhang, Jin; Zhang, Jinzha; Zhao, Wenbo; Mao, Chun

2016-12-01

The work investigates a new fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) system using NaEuF 4 nanoparticles (NPs) and Au@Ag 2 S NPs as the energy donor-acceptor pair for the first time. The NaEuF 4 /Au@Ag 2 S NPs-based FRET DNA sensor was constructed with NaEuF 4 NPs as the fluorescence (FL) donor and Au@Ag 2 S core-shell NPs as FL acceptor. In order to find the matching energy acceptor, the amount of AgNO 3 and Na 2 S were controlled in the synthesis process to overlap the absorption spectrum of energy acceptor with the emission spectrum of energy donors. The sensitivity of FRET-based DNA sensor can be enhanced and the self-absorption of ligand as well as the background of signals can be decreased because of Eu 3+ which owns large Stokes shifts and narrow emission bands due to f-f electronic transitions of 4f shell. We obtained the efficient FRET system by studying suitable distance between the donor and acceptor. Then the FRET-based DNA sensor was used for the design of specific and sensitive detection of target DNA and the quenching efficiency (ΔFL/F 0 , ΔFL=F-F 0 ) of FL was logarithmically related to the concentration of the target DNA, ranging from 100aM to 100pM. We can realize an ultrasensitive detection of target DNA with a detection limit of 32 aM. This proposed method was feasible to analyse target DNA in real samples with satisfactory results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Organic sensitizers from D-π-A to D-A-π-A: effect of the internal electron-withdrawing units on molecular absorption, energy levels and photovoltaic performances.

PubMed

Wu, Yongzhen; Zhu, Weihong

2013-03-07

The high performance and low cost of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have drawn great interest from both academic and industrial circles. The research on exploring novel efficient sensitizers, especially on inexpensive metal-free pure organic dyes, has never been suspended. The donor-π bridge-acceptor (D-π-A) configuration is mainstream in the design of organic sensitizers due to its convenient modulation of the intramolecular charge-transfer nature. Recently, it has been found that incorporation of additional electron-withdrawing units (such as benzothiadiazole, benzotriazole, quinoxaline, phthalimide, diketopyrrolopyrrole, thienopyrazine, thiazole, triazine, cyanovinyl, cyano- and fluoro-substituted phenyl) into the π bridge as internal acceptors, termed the D-A-π-A configuration, displays several advantages such as tuning of the molecular energy levels, red-shift of the charge-transfer absorption band, and distinct improvement of photovoltaic performance and stability. We apply the D-A-π-A concept broadly to the organic sensitizers containing additional electron-withdrawing units between electron donors and acceptors. This review is projected to summarize the category of pure organic sensitizers on the basis of the D-A-π-A feature. By comparing the structure-property relationship of typical photovoltaic D-A-π-A dyes, the important guidelines in the design of such materials are highlighted.

Improving Photoconductance of Fluorinated Donors with Fluorinated Acceptors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garner, Logan E.; Larson, Bryon; Oosterhout, Stefan

2016-11-21

This work investigates the influence of fluorination of both donor and acceptor materials on the generation of free charge carriers in small molecule donor/fullerene acceptor BHJ OPV active layers. A fluorinated and non-fluorinated small molecule analogue were synthesized and their optoelectronic properties characterized. The intrinsic photoconductance of blends of these small molecule donors was investigated using time-resolved microwave conductivity. Blends of the two donor molecules with a traditional non-fluorinated fullerene (PC70BM) as well as a fluorinated fullerene (C60(CF3)2-1) were investigated using 5% and 50% fullerene loading. We demonstrate for the first time that photoconductance in a 50:50 donor:acceptor BHJ blendmore » using a fluorinated fullerene can actually be improved relative to a traditional non-fluorinated fullerene by fluorinating the donor molecule as well.« less

Novel Luminescent Probe Based on a Terbium(III) Complex for Hemoglobin Determination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yegorova, A. V.; Leonenko, I. I.; Aleksandrova, D. I.; Scrypynets, Yu. V.; Antonovich, V. P.; Ukrainets, I. V.

2014-09-01

We have studied the spectral luminescent properties of Tb(III) and Eu(III) complexes with a number of novel derivatives of oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid amides (L1-L5 ). We have observed quenching of the luminescence of 1:1 Tb(III)-L1-5 complexes by hemoglobin (Hb), which is explained by resonance energy transfer of electronic excitation from the donor (Tb(III)-L1-5 ) to the acceptor (Hb). Using the novel luminescent probe Tb(III)-L1, we have developed a method for determining Hb in human blood. The calibration Stern-Volmer plot is linear in the Hb concentration range 0.6-36.0 μg/mL, detection limit 0.2 μg/mL (3·10-9 mol/L).

Carbon nanotubes--electronic/electrochemical properties and application for nanoelectronics and photonics.

PubMed

Sgobba, Vito; Guldi, Dirk M

2009-01-01

The fundamental chemical, redox, electrochemical, photoelectrochemical, optical and optoelectronic features of carbon nanotubes are surveyed with particular emphasis on the most relevant applications as electron donor/electron acceptor or as electron conductor/hole conductor materials, in solutions and in the solid state. Methods that aim at p- and n-doping as a means to favor hole or electron injection/transport are covered as well (critical review, 208 references).

Shewanella oneidensis in a lactate-fed pure-culture and a glucose-fed co-culture with Lactococcus lactis with an electrode as electron acceptor

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) employing mixed microbial communities as biocatalysts are gaining importance as potential renewable energy, bioremediation, or biosensing devices. While we are beginning to understand how individual microbial species interact with an electrode as electron donor, li...

Synthesis of poly(benzothiadiazole-co-dithienobenzodithiophenes) and effect of thiophene insertion for high-performance polymer solar cells.

PubMed

Yun, Hui-Jun; Lee, Yun-Ji; Yoo, Seung-Jin; Chung, Dae Sung; Kim, Yun-Hi; Kwon, Soon-Ki

2013-09-23

We describe herein the synthesis of novel donor-acceptor conjugated polymers with dithienobenzodithiophenes (DTBDT) as the electron donor and 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole as the electron acceptor for high-performance organic photovoltaics (OPVs). We studied the effects of strategically inserting thiophene into the DTBDT as a substituent on the skeletal structure on the opto-electronic performances of fabricated devices. From UV/Vis absorption, electrochemical, and field-effect transistor analyses, we found that the thiophene-containing DTBDT derivative can substantially increase the orbital overlap area between adjacent conjugated chains and thus dramatically enhance charge-carrier mobility up to 0.55 cm(2)  V(-1)  s(-1). The outstanding charge-transport characteristics of this polymer allowed the realization of high-performance organic solar cells with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.1 %. Detailed studies on the morphological factors that enable the maximum PCE of the polymer solar cells are discussed along with a hole/electron mobility analysis based on the space-charge-limited current model. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Theoretical characterization of photoinduced electron transfer in rigidly linked donor-acceptor molecules: the fragment charge difference and the generalized Mulliken-Hush schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sheng-Jui; Chen, Hung-Cheng; You, Zhi-Qiang; Liu, Kuan-Lin; Chow, Tahsin J.; Chen, I.-Chia; Hsu, Chao-Ping

2010-10-01

We calculate the electron transfer (ET) rates for a series of heptacyclo[6.6.0.02,6.03,13.014,11.05,9.010,14]-tetradecane (HCTD) linked donor-acceptor molecules. The electronic coupling factor was calculated by the fragment charge difference (FCD) [19] and the generalized Mulliken-Hush (GMH) schemes [20]. We found that the FCD is less prone to problems commonly seen in the GMH scheme, especially when the coupling values are small. For a 3-state case where the charge transfer (CT) state is coupled with two different locally excited (LE) states, we tested with the 3-state approach for the GMH scheme [30], and found that it works well with the FCD scheme. A simplified direct diagonalization based on Rust's 3-state scheme was also proposed and tested. This simplified scheme does not require a manual assignment of the states, and it yields coupling values that are largely similar to those from the full Rust's approach. The overall electron transfer (ET) coupling rates were also calculated.

Method of fabricating an optoelectronic device having a bulk heterojunction

DOEpatents

Shtein, Max [Princeton, NJ; Yang, Fan [Princeton, NJ; Forrest, Stephen R [Princeton, NJ

2008-09-02

A method of fabricating an organic optoelectronic device having a bulk heterojunction comprises the steps of: depositing a first layer over a first electrode by organic vapor phase deposition, wherein the first layer comprises a first organic small molecule material; depositing a second layer on the first layer such that the second layer is in physical contact with the first layer, wherein the interface of the second layer on the first layer forms a bulk heterojunction; and depositing a second electrode over the second layer to form the optoelectronic device. In another embodiment, a first layer having protrusions is deposited over the first electrode, wherein the first layer comprises a first organic small molecule material. For example, when the first layer is an electron donor layer, the first electrode is an anode, the second layer is an electron acceptor layer, and the second electrode is a cathode. As a further example, when the first layer is an electron acceptor layer, the first electrode is a cathode, the second layer is an electron donor layer, and the second electrode is an anode.

Substitutional and interstitial oxygen in wurtzite GaN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, A. F.

2005-11-01

Density-functional theory was used to compute energy-minimum configurations and formation energies of substitutional and interstitial oxygen (O) in wurtzite GaN. The results indicate that O substituted at a N site (ON) acts as a single donor with the ionized state (ON+1) being the most stable O state in p-type GaN. In n-type GaN, interstitial O (OI) is predicted to be a double acceptor and O substituted at a Ga site (OGa) is predicted to be a triple acceptor. The formation energies of these two species are comparable to that of ON in n-type GaN and, as such, they should form and compensate the ON donors. The extent of compensation was estimated for both Ga-rich and N-rich conditions with a total O concentration of 1017cm-3. Ga-rich conditions yielded negligible compensation and an ON concentration in excess of 9.9×1016cm-3. N-rich conditions yielded a 25% lower ON concentration, due to the increased stability of OI and OGa relative to ON, and moderate compensation. These findings are consistent with experimental results indicating that O acts as a donor in GaN(O). Complexes of ON with the Mg acceptor and OI with the Si donor were examined. Binding energies for charge-conserving reactions were ⩾0.5eV, indicating that these complexes can exist in equilibrium at room temperature. Complexes of ON with the Ga vacancy in n-type GaN were also examined and their binding energies were 1.2 and 1.4eV, indicating that appreciable concentrations can exist in equilibrium even at elevated temperatures.

The Case Against Charge Transfer Interactions in Dissolved Organic Matter Photophysics.

PubMed

McKay, Garrett; Korak, Julie A; Erickson, Paul R; Latch, Douglas E; McNeill, Kristopher; Rosario-Ortiz, Fernando L

2018-01-16

The optical properties of dissolved organic matter influence chemical and biological processes in all aquatic ecosystems. Dissolved organic matter optical properties have been attributed to a charge-transfer model in which donor-acceptor complexes play a primary role. This model was evaluated by measuring the absorbance and fluorescence response of organic matter isolates to changes in solvent temperature, viscosity, and polarity, which affect the position and intensity of spectra for known donor-acceptor complexes of organic molecules. Absorbance and fluorescence spectral shape were largely unaffected by these changes, indicating that the distribution of absorbing and emitting species was unchanged. Overall, these results call into question the wide applicability of the charge-transfer model for explaining organic matter optical properties and suggest that future research should explore other models for dissolved organic matter photophysics.

Electron Transfer Pathways Facilitating U(VI) Reduction by Fe(II) on Al- vs Fe-Oxides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taylor, S. D.; Becker, U.; Rosso, K. M.

This study continues mechanistic development of heterogeneous electron transfer (ET) pathways at mineral surfaces in aquatic environments that enable the reduction U(VI) by surface-associated Fe(II). Using computational molecular simulation within the framework of Marcus Theory, our findings highlight the importance of the configurations and interaction of the electron donor and acceptor species with the substrate, with respect to influencing its electronic structure and thereby the ability of semiconducting minerals to facilitate ET. U(VI) reduction by surface-associated Fe(II) (adsorbed or structurally incorporated into the lattice) on an insulating, corundum (001) surface (α-Al2O3) occurs when proximal inner-sphere (IS) surface complexes are formed,more » such that ET occurs through a combination of direct exchange (i.e., Fe d- and U f-orbitals overlap through space) and superexchange via intervening surface oxygen atoms. U(VI) reduction by coadsorbed Fe(II) on the isostructural semiconducting hematite (α-Fe2O3) basal surface requires either their direct electronic interaction (e.g., IS complexation) or mediation of this interaction indirectly through the surface via an intrasurface pathway. Conceptually possible longer-range ET by charge-hopping through surface Fe atoms was investigated to determine whether this indirect pathway is competitive with direct ET. The calculations show that energy barriers are large for this conduction-based pathway; interfacial ET into the hematite surface is endothermic (+80.1 kJ/mol) and comprises the rate-limiting step (10–6 s–1). The presence of the IS adsorbates appears to weaken the electronic coupling between underlying Fe ions within the surface, resulting in slower intra-surface ET (10–5 s–1) than expected in the bulk basal plane. Our findings lay out first insights into donor-acceptor communication via a charge-hopping pathway through the surface for heterogeneous reduction of U(VI) by Fe(II) and help provide a basis for experimental interrogation of this important process at mineral-water interfaces.« less

Molecular interaction studies revealed the bifunctional behavior of triheme cytochrome PpcA from Geobacter sulfurreducens toward the redox active analog of humic substances

DOE PAGES

Dantas, Joana M.; Kokhan, Oleksandr; Pokkuluri, P. Raj; ...

2015-06-09

Humic substances (HS) constitute a significant fraction of natural organic matter in terrestrial and aquatic environments and can act as terminal electron acceptors in anaerobic microbial respiration. Geobacter sulfurreducens has a remarkable respiratory versatility and can utilize the HS analog anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) as a terminal electron acceptor or its reduced form (AH 2QDS) as an electron donor. Previous studies set the triheme cytochrome PpcA as a key component for HS respiration in G. sulfurreducens, but the process is far from fully understood. In this work, NMR chemical shift perturbation measurements were used to map the interaction region between PpcA andmore » AH 2QDS, and to measure their binding affinity. The results showed that the AH 2QDS binds reversibly to the more solvent exposed edge of PpcA heme IV. The NMR and visible spectroscopies coupled to redox measurements were used to determine the thermodynamic parameters of the PpcA:quinol complex. The higher reduction potential of heme IV (- 127 mV) compared to that of AH 2QDS (- 184 mV) explains why the electron transfer is more favorable in the case of reduction of the cytochrome by the quinol. The clear evidence obtained for the formation of an electron transfer complex between AH 2QDS and PpcA, combined with the fact that the protein also formed a redox complex with AQDS, revealed for the first time the bifunctional behavior of PpcA toward an analog of the HS. In conclusion, such behavior might confer selective advantage to G. sulfurreducens, which can utilize the HS in any redox state available in the environment for its metabolic needs.« less

Formate Metabolism in Shewanella oneidensis Generates Proton Motive Force and Prevents Growth without an Electron Acceptor.

PubMed

Kane, Aunica L; Brutinel, Evan D; Joo, Heena; Maysonet, Rebecca; VanDrisse, Chelsey M; Kotloski, Nicholas J; Gralnick, Jeffrey A

2016-04-01

Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 is a facultative anaerobe that thrives in redox-stratified environments due to its ability to utilize a wide array of terminal electron acceptors. Conversely, the electron donors utilized by S. oneidensis are more limited and include products of primary fermentation such as lactate, pyruvate, formate, and hydrogen. Lactate, pyruvate, and hydrogen metabolisms inS. oneidensis have been described previously, but little is known about the role of formate oxidation in the ecophysiology of these bacteria. Formate is produced by S. oneidensis through pyruvate formate lyase during anaerobic growth on carbon sources that enter metabolism at or above the level of pyruvate, and the genome contains three gene clusters predicted to encode three complete formate dehydrogenase complexes. To determine the contribution of each complex to formate metabolism, strains lacking one, two, or all three annotated formate dehydrogenase gene clusters were generated and examined for growth rates and yields on a variety of carbon sources. Here, we report that formate oxidation contributes to both the growth rate and yield of S. oneidensis through the generation of proton motive force. Exogenous formate also greatly accelerated growth on N-acetylglucosamine, a carbon source normally utilized very slowly by S. oneidensis under anaerobic conditions. Surprisingly, deletion of all three formate dehydrogenase gene clusters enabled growth of S. oneidensis using pyruvate in the absence of a terminal electron acceptor, a mode of growth never before observed in these bacteria. Our results demonstrate that formate oxidation is a fundamental strategy under anaerobic conditions for energy conservation inS. oneidensis. Shewanella species have garnered interest in biotechnology applications for their ability to respire extracellular terminal electron acceptors, such as insoluble iron oxides and electrodes. While much effort has gone into studying the proteins for extracellular electron transport, how electrons generated through the oxidation of organic carbon sources enter this pathway remains understudied. Here, we quantify the role of formate oxidation in the anaerobic physiology of Shewanella oneidensis Formate oxidation contributes to both the growth rate and yield on a variety of carbon sources through the generation of proton motive force. Advances in our understanding of the anaerobic metabolism of S. oneidensis are important for our ability to utilize and engineer this organism for applications in bioenergy, biocatalysis, and bioremediation. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Formate Metabolism in Shewanella oneidensis Generates Proton Motive Force and Prevents Growth without an Electron Acceptor

PubMed Central

Kane, Aunica L.; Brutinel, Evan D.; Joo, Heena; Maysonet, Rebecca; VanDrisse, Chelsey M.; Kotloski, Nicholas J.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 is a facultative anaerobe that thrives in redox-stratified environments due to its ability to utilize a wide array of terminal electron acceptors. Conversely, the electron donors utilized by S. oneidensis are more limited and include products of primary fermentation such as lactate, pyruvate, formate, and hydrogen. Lactate, pyruvate, and hydrogen metabolisms in S. oneidensis have been described previously, but little is known about the role of formate oxidation in the ecophysiology of these bacteria. Formate is produced by S. oneidensis through pyruvate formate lyase during anaerobic growth on carbon sources that enter metabolism at or above the level of pyruvate, and the genome contains three gene clusters predicted to encode three complete formate dehydrogenase complexes. To determine the contribution of each complex to formate metabolism, strains lacking one, two, or all three annotated formate dehydrogenase gene clusters were generated and examined for growth rates and yields on a variety of carbon sources. Here, we report that formate oxidation contributes to both the growth rate and yield of S. oneidensis through the generation of proton motive force. Exogenous formate also greatly accelerated growth on N-acetylglucosamine, a carbon source normally utilized very slowly by S. oneidensis under anaerobic conditions. Surprisingly, deletion of all three formate dehydrogenase gene clusters enabled growth of S. oneidensis using pyruvate in the absence of a terminal electron acceptor, a mode of growth never before observed in these bacteria. Our results demonstrate that formate oxidation is a fundamental strategy under anaerobic conditions for energy conservation in S. oneidensis. IMPORTANCE Shewanella species have garnered interest in biotechnology applications for their ability to respire extracellular terminal electron acceptors, such as insoluble iron oxides and electrodes. While much effort has gone into studying the proteins for extracellular electron transport, how electrons generated through the oxidation of organic carbon sources enter this pathway remains understudied. Here, we quantify the role of formate oxidation in the anaerobic physiology of Shewanella oneidensis. Formate oxidation contributes to both the growth rate and yield on a variety of carbon sources through the generation of proton motive force. Advances in our understanding of the anaerobic metabolism of S. oneidensis are important for our ability to utilize and engineer this organism for applications in bioenergy, biocatalysis, and bioremediation. PMID:26883823

Impact of proton transfer phenomena on the electronic structure of model Schiff bases: an AIM/NBO/ELF study.

PubMed

Panek, Jarosław J; Filarowski, Aleksander; Jezierska-Mazzarello, Aneta

2013-10-21

Understanding of the electronic structure evolution due to a proton dynamics is a key issue in biochemistry and material science. This paper reports on density functional theory calculations of Schiff bases containing short, strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds where the bridged proton is located: (i) at the donor site, (ii) strongly delocalized, and (iii) at the acceptor site. The mobility of the bridged proton and its influence on the molecular structure and properties of the chosen Schiff base derivatives have been investigated on the basis of Atoms in Molecules, Natural Bond Orbitals, and Electron Localization Function theories. It has been observed that the extent of the bridged proton delocalization is strongly modified by the steric and inductive effects present in the studied compounds introduced by various substituents. It has been shown that: (i) potential energy profiles for the proton motion are extremely dependent on the substitution of the aromatic ring, (ii) the topology of the free electron pairs present at the donor∕acceptor site, as well as their electron populations, are affected qualitatively by the bridged proton position, (iii) the distortion of the molecular structure due to the bridged proton dynamics includes the atomic charge fluctuations, which are in some cases non-monotonic, and (iv) topology of the ELF recognizes events of proton detachment from the donor and attachment to the acceptor. The quantitative and qualitative results shed light onto molecular consequences of the proton transfer phenomena.

Frenkel and Charge-Transfer Excitations in Donor-acceptor Complexes from Many-Body Green's Functions Theory.

PubMed

Baumeier, Björn; Andrienko, Denis; Rohlfing, Michael

2012-08-14

Excited states of donor-acceptor dimers are studied using many-body Green's functions theory within the GW approximation and the Bethe-Salpeter equation. For a series of prototypical small-molecule based pairs, this method predicts energies of local Frenkel and intermolecular charge-transfer excitations with the accuracy of tens of meV. Application to larger systems is possible and allowed us to analyze energy levels and binding energies of excitons in representative dimers of dicyanovinyl-substituted quarterthiophene and fullerene, a donor-acceptor pair used in state of the art organic solar cells. In these dimers, the transition from Frenkel to charge transfer excitons is endothermic and the binding energy of charge transfer excitons is still of the order of 1.5-2 eV. Hence, even such an accurate dimer-based description does not yield internal energetics favorable for the generation of free charges either by thermal energy or an external electric field. These results confirm that, for qualitative predictions of solar cell functionality, accounting for the explicit molecular environment is as important as the accurate knowledge of internal dimer energies.

NLOphoric rigid pyrazino-phenanthroline donor-π-acceptor compounds: Investigation of structural and solvent effects on non-linear optical properties using computational methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kothavale, Shantaram; Katariya, Santosh; Sekar, Nagaiyan

2018-01-01

Rigid pyrazino-phenanthroline based donor-π-acceptor-π-auxiliary acceptor type compounds have been studied for their linear and non-linear optical properties. The non-linear optical (NLO) behavior of these dyes was studied by calculating the values of static α , β and γ using solvatochromic as well as computational methods. The results obtained by solvatochromic method are correlated theoretically with Density Functional Theory (DFT) using B3LYP/6-31G (d), CAM B3LYP/6-31 G(d), B3LYP/6-31++ g(d,P) and CAM B3LYP/6-31++ g(d,P) methods. The results reveal that, among all four computational methods CAM-B3LYP/6-31++ g(d,P) performs well for the calculation of linear polarizability (α) and first order hyperpolarizability (β), while CAM-B3LYP/6-31 g(d,P) for the calculation of second order hyperpolarizability (ϒ). Overall TPA depends on the molecular structure variation with increase in complexity and molecular weight, which implies that both the number of branches and the size of π-framework are important factors for the molecular TPA in this chromophoric system. Generalized Mulliken-Hush (GMH) analysis is performed to study the effective charge transfer from donor to acceptor.

Organic photosensitive cells having a reciprocal-carrier exciton blocking layer

DOEpatents

Rand, Barry P [Princeton, NJ; Forrest, Stephen R [Princeton, NJ; Thompson, Mark E [Anaheim Hills, CA

2007-06-12

A photosensitive cell includes an anode and a cathode; a donor-type organic material and an acceptor-type organic material forming a donor-acceptor junction connected between the anode and the cathode; and an exciton blocking layer connected between the acceptor-type organic material of the donor-acceptor junction and the cathode, the blocking layer consisting essentially of a material that has a hole mobility of at least 10.sup.-7 cm.sup.2/V-sec or higher, where a HOMO of the blocking layer is higher than or equal to a HOMO of the acceptor-type material.

Hydrogen bonded C-H···Y (Y = O, S, Hal) molecular complexes: A natural bond orbital analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isaev, A. N.

2016-03-01

Hydrogen bonded C-H···Y complexes formed by H2O, H2S molecules, hydrogen halides, and halogen-ions with methane, halogen substituted methane as well as with the C2H2 and NCH molecules were studied at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level. The structure of NBOs corresponding to lone pair of acceptor Y, n Y, and vacant anti-σ-bond C-H of proton donor was analyzed and estimates of second order perturbation energy E(2) characterizing donor-acceptor n Y → σ C-H * charge-transfer interaction were obtained. Computational results for complexes of methane and its halogen substituted derivatives show that for each set of analogous structures, the EnY→σ*C-H (2) energy tends to grow with an increase in the s-component percentage in the lone pair NBO of acceptor Y. Calculations for different C···Y distances show that the equilibrium geometries of complexes lie in the region where the E(2) energy is highest and it changes symbatically with the length of the covalent E-H bond when the R(C···Y) distance is varied. The performed analysis allows us to divide the hydrogen bonded complexes into two groups, depending on the pattern of overlapping for NBOs of the hydrogen bridge.

Microbial community structure elucidates performance of Glyceria maxima plant microbial fuel cell.

PubMed

Timmers, Ruud A; Rothballer, Michael; Strik, David P B T B; Engel, Marion; Schulz, Stephan; Schloter, Michael; Hartmann, Anton; Hamelers, Bert; Buisman, Cees

2012-04-01

The plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is a technology in which living plant roots provide electron donor, via rhizodeposition, to a mixed microbial community to generate electricity in a microbial fuel cell. Analysis and localisation of the microbial community is necessary for gaining insight into the competition for electron donor in a PMFC. This paper characterises the anode-rhizosphere bacterial community of a Glyceria maxima (reed mannagrass) PMFC. Electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) were located on the root surfaces, but they were more abundant colonising the graphite granular electrode. Anaerobic cellulolytic bacteria dominated the area where most of the EAB were found, indicating that the current was probably generated via the hydrolysis of cellulose. Due to the presence of oxygen and nitrate, short-chain fatty acid-utilising denitrifiers were the major competitors for the electron donor. Acetate-utilising methanogens played a minor role in the competition for electron donor, probably due to the availability of graphite granules as electron acceptors.

Calculation of rates of exciton dissociation into hot charge-transfer states in model organic photovoltaic interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vázquez, Héctor; Troisi, Alessandro

2013-11-01

We investigate the process of exciton dissociation in ordered and disordered model donor/acceptor systems and describe a method to calculate exciton dissociation rates. We consider a one-dimensional system with Frenkel states in the donor material and states where charge transfer has taken place between donor and acceptor. We introduce a Green's function approach to calculate the generation rates of charge-transfer states. For disorder in the Frenkel states we find a clear exponential dependence of charge dissociation rates with exciton-interface distance, with a distance decay constant β that increases linearly with the amount of disorder. Disorder in the parameters that describe (final) charge-transfer states has little effect on the rates. Exciton dissociation invariably leads to partially separated charges. In all cases final states are “hot” charge-transfer states, with electron and hole located far from the interface.

Theoretical Study of Electron Transfer Properties of Squaraine Dyes for Dye Sensitized Solar Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juwita, Ratna; Tsai, Hui-Hsu Gavin

2018-01-01

The environmental issues and high cost of Ru create many scientists to explore cheaper and safer sensitizer as alternative for dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Dyes play an important role in solar energy conversion efficiency. The squaraine (SQ) dyes has good spectral match with the solar spectra, therefore, SQ dyes have great potential for the applications in DSCs. SQ01_CA is an unsymmetrical SQ dye, reported by Grätzel and colleagues in 2007, featuring a D-π-spacer-A framework and has a carboxylic acid anchoring group. The electron donating ability of indolium in SQ01_CA and SQ01_CAA dyes is relatively weak, better performance may be achieved by introducing an additional donor moiety into indolium [1]. In this study, we investigate six unsymmetrical SQ dyes adsorbed on a (TiO2)38 cluster [2] using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT to study electron transfer properties of squaraine dyes on their photophysical. SQ01_CA, WH-SQ01_CA, and WH-SQ02_CA use a carboxylic acid group as its electron acceptor. Furthermore, SQ01_CAA, WH-SQ01_CAA, and WH-SQ02_CAA use a cyanoacrylic acid group as its electron acceptor. WH-SQ01_CA and WH-SQ01_CAA have an alkyl, while WH-SQ02_CA and WH-SQ02_CAA have alkoxyl substituted diarylamines to the indolium donor of sensitizer SQ01_CA. Our calculations show with additional diarylamines in donor tail of WH-SQ02_CAA, the SQ dyes have red-shifted absorption and have slightly larger probability of electron density transferred to TiO2 moiety. Furthermore, an additional -CN group as electron a withdrawing group in the acceptor exhibits red-shifted absorption and enhances the electron density transferred to TiO2 and anchoring moiety after photo-excitation. The tendency of calculated probabilities of electron density being delocalized into TiO2 and driving force for excited-state electron injection of these studied SQ dyes is compatible with their experimentally observed.

Fundamental Studies on Donor-acceptor Conjugated Polymers Containing 'Heavy' Group 14 and Group 16 Elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, Gregory Laird

One advantage of conjugated polymers as organic materials is that their properties may be readily tuned through covalent modifications. This thesis presents studies on the structure-property relationships resulting from single- and double-atom substitutions on an alternating donor-acceptor conjugated polymer. Specifically, single selenium and tellurium atoms have been incorporated into the acceptor monomer in place of sulfur; silicon and germanium atoms have been substituted in place of carbon at the donor monomer bridge position. The carbon-donor/ tellurium-acceptor polymer was synthesized by a post-polymerization reaction sequence and demonstrated the utility of heavy group 16 atoms to red shift a polymer absorption spectrum. Density functional theory calculations point to a new explanation for this result invoking the lower heavy atom ionization energy and reduced aromaticity of acceptor monomers containing selenium and tellurium compared to sulfur. Absorption and emission experiments demonstrate that both silicon and germanium substitutions in the donor slightly blue shift the polymer absorption spectrum. Polymers containing sulfur in the acceptor are the strongest light absorbers of all polymers studied here. Molecular weight and phenyl end capping studies show that molecular weight appears to affect polymer absorption to the greatest degree in a medium molecular weight regime and that these effects have a significant aggregation component. Solar cell devices containing either the silicon- or germanium-donor/selenium-acceptor polymer display improved red light harvesting or hole mobility relative to their structural analogues. Overall, these results clarify the effects of single atom substitution on donor-acceptor polymers and aid in the future design of polymers containing heavy atoms.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bose, A; Gardel, EJ; Vidoudez, C

Oxidation-reduction reactions underlie energy generation in nearly all life forms. Although most organisms use soluble oxidants and reductants, some microbes can access solid-phase materials as electron-acceptors or -donors via extracellular electron transfer. Many studies have focused on the reduction of solid-phase oxidants. Far less is known about electron uptake via microbial extracellular electron transfer, and almost nothing is known about the associated mechanisms. Here we show that the iron-oxidizing photoautotroph Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 accepts electrons from a poised electrode, with carbon dioxide as the sole carbon source/electron acceptor. Both electron uptake and ruBisCo form I expression are stimulated by light.more » Electron uptake also occurs in the dark, uncoupled from photosynthesis. Notably, the pioABC operon, which encodes a protein system essential for photoautotrophic growth by ferrous iron oxidation, influences electron uptake. These data reveal a previously unknown metabolic versatility of photoferrotrophs to use extracellular electron transfer for electron uptake.« less

Towards Sustainable H2 Production: Rational Design of Hydrophobic Triphenylamine-based Dyes for Sensitized Ethanol Photoreforming.

PubMed

Dessì, Alessio; Monai, Matteo; Bessi, Matteo; Montini, Tiziano; Calamante, Massimo; Mordini, Alessandro; Reginato, Gianna; Trono, Cosimo; Fornasiero, Paolo; Zani, Lorenzo

2018-02-22

Donor-acceptor dyes are a well-established class of photosensitizers, used to enhance visible-light harvesting in solar cells and in direct photocatalytic reactions, such as H 2 production by photoreforming of sacrificial electron donors (SEDs). Amines-typically triethanolamine (TEOA)-are commonly employed as SEDs in such reactions. Dye-sensitized photoreforming of more sustainable, biomass-derived alcohols, on the other hand, was only recently reported by using methanol as the electron donor. In this work, several rationally designed donor-acceptor dyes were used as sensitizers in H 2 photocatalytic production, comparing the efficiency of TEOA and EtOH as SEDs. In particular, the effect of hydrophobic chains in the spacer and/or the donor unit of the dyes was systematically studied. The H 2 production rates were higher when TEOA was used as SED, whereas the activity trends depended on the SED used. The best performance was obtained with TEOA by using a sensitizer with just one bulky hydrophobic moiety, propylenedioxythiophene, placed on the spacer unit. In the case of EtOH, the best-performing sensitizers were the ones featuring a thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole internal unit, needed for enhancing light harvesting, and carrying alkyl chains on both the donor part and the spacer unit. The results are discussed in terms of reaction mechanism, interaction with the SED, and structural/electrochemical properties of the sensitizers. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Experimental verification of the kinetic theory of FRET using optical microspectroscopy and obligate oligomers.

PubMed

Patowary, Suparna; Pisterzi, Luca F; Biener, Gabriel; Holz, Jessica D; Oliver, Julie A; Wells, James W; Raicu, Valerică

2015-04-07

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a nonradiative process for the transfer of energy from an optically excited donor molecule (D) to an acceptor molecule (A) in the ground state. The underlying theory predicting the dependence of the FRET efficiency on the sixth power of the distance between D and A has stood the test of time. In contrast, a comprehensive kinetic-based theory developed recently for FRET efficiencies among multiple donors and acceptors in multimeric arrays has waited for further testing. That theory has been tested in the work described in this article using linked fluorescent proteins located in the cytoplasm and at the plasma membrane of living cells. The cytoplasmic constructs were fused combinations of Cerulean as donor (D), Venus as acceptor (A), and a photo-insensitive molecule (Amber) as a nonfluorescent (N) place holder: namely, NDAN, NDNA, and ADNN duplexes, and the fully fluorescent quadruplex ADAA. The membrane-bound constructs were fused combinations of GFP2 as donor (D) and eYFP as acceptor (A): namely, two fluorescent duplexes (i.e., DA and AD) and a fluorescent triplex (ADA). According to the theory, the FRET efficiency of a multiplex such as ADAA or ADA can be predicted from that of analogs containing a single acceptor (e.g., NDAN, NDNA, and ADNN, or DA and AD, respectively). Relatively small but statistically significant differences were observed between the measured and predicted FRET efficiencies of the two multiplexes. While elucidation of the cause of this mismatch could be a worthy endeavor, the discrepancy does not appear to question the theoretical underpinnings of a large family of FRET-based methods for determining the stoichiometry and quaternary structure of complexes of macromolecules in living cells. Copyright © 2015 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Photoinduced electron transfer in covalent ruthenium-anthraquinone dyads: relative importance of driving-force, solvent polarity, and donor-bridge energy gap.

PubMed

Hankache, Jihane; Wenger, Oliver S

2012-02-28

Four rigid rod-like molecules comprised of a Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) photosensitizer, a 9,10-anthraquinone electron acceptor, and a molecular bridge connecting the two redox partners were synthesized and investigated by optical spectroscopic and electrochemical means. An attempt was made to assess the relative importance of driving-force, solvent polarity, and bridge variation on the rates of photoinduced electron transfer in these molecules. Expectedly, introduction of tert-butyl substituents in the bipyridine ligands of the ruthenium complex and a change in solvent from dichloromethane to acetonitrile lead to a significant acceleration of charge transfer rates. In dichloromethane, photoinduced electron transfer is not competitive with the inherent excited-state deactivation processes of the photosensitizer. In acetonitrile, an increase in driving-force by 0.2 eV through attachment of tert-butyl substituents to the bpy ancillary ligands causes an increase in electron transfer rates by an order of magnitude. Replacement of a p-xylene bridge by a p-dimethoxybenzene spacer entails an acceleration of charge transfer rates by a factor of 3.5. In the dyads from this study, the relative order of importance of individual influences on electron transfer rates is therefore as follows: solvent polarity ≥ driving-force > donor-bridge energy gap.

MnO2 nanosheet mediated "DD-A" FRET binary probes for sensitive detection of intracellular mRNA.

PubMed

Ou, Min; Huang, Jin; Yang, Xiaohai; Quan, Ke; Yang, Yanjing; Xie, Nuli; Wang, Kemin

2017-01-01

The donor donor-acceptor (DD-A) FRET model has proven to have a higher FRET efficiency than donor-acceptor acceptor (D-AA), donor-acceptor (D-A), and donor donor-acceptor acceptor (DD-AA) FRET models. The in-tube and in-cell experiments clearly demonstrate that the "DD-A" FRET binary probes can indeed increase the FRET efficiency and provide higher imaging contrast, which is about one order of magnitude higher than the ordinary "D-A" model. Furthermore, MnO 2 nanosheets were employed to deliver these probes into living cells for intracellular TK1 mRNA detection because they can adsorb ssDNA probes, penetrate across the cell membrane and be reduced to Mn 2+ ions by intracellular GSH. The results indicated that the MnO 2 nanosheet mediated "DD-A" FRET binary probes are capable of sensitive and selective sensing gene expression and chemical-stimuli changes in gene expression levels in cancer cells. We believe that the MnO 2 nanosheet mediated "DD-A" FRET binary probes have the potential as a simple but powerful tool for basic research and clinical diagnosis.

Programmed self-assembly of large π-conjugated molecules into electroactive one-dimensional nanostructures

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Yohei

2012-01-01

Electroactive one-dimensional (1D) nano-objects possess inherent unidirectional charge and energy transport capabilities along with anisotropic absorption and emission of light, which are of great advantage for the development of nanometer-scale electronics and optoelectronics. In particular, molecular nanowires formed by self-assembly of π-conjugated molecules attract increasing attention for application in supramolecular electronics. This review introduces recent topics related to electroactive molecular nanowires. The nanowires are classified into four categories with respect to the electronic states of the constituent molecules: electron donors, acceptors, donor–acceptor pairs and miscellaneous molecules that display interesting electronic properties. Although many challenges still remain for practical use, state-of-the-art 1D supramolecular nanomaterials have already brought significant advances to both fundamental chemical sciences and technological applications. PMID:27877488

[Anaerobic reduction of humus/Fe (III) and electron transport mechanism of Fontibacter sp. SgZ-2].

PubMed

Ma, Chen; Yang, Gui-qin; Lu, Qin; Zhou, Shun-gui

2014-09-01

Humus and Fe(III) respiration are important extracellular respiration metabolism. Electron transport pathway is the key issue of extracellular respiration. To understand the electron transport properties and the environmental behavior of a novel Fe(III)- reducing bacterium, Fontibacter sp. SgZ-2, capacities of anaerobic humus/Fe(III) reduction and electron transport mechanisms with four electron acceptors were investigated in this study. The results of anaerobic batch experiments indicated that strain SgZ-2 had the ability to reduce humus analog [ 9,10-anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonic acid (AQDS) and 9,10-anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid (AQS)], humic acids (HA), soluble Fe(III) (Fe-EDTA and Fe-citrate) and Fe(III) oxides [hydrous ferric oxide (HFO)]. Fermentative sugars (glucose and sucrose) were the most effective electron donors in the humus/Fe(III) reduction by strain SgZ-2. Additionally, differences of electron carrier participating in the process of electron transport with different electron acceptors (i. e. , oxygen, AQS, Fe-EDTA and HFO) were investigated using respiratory inhibitors. The results suggested that similar respiratory chain components were involved in the reducing process of oxygen and Fe-EDTA, including dehydrogenase, quinones and cytochromes b-c. In comparison, only dehydrogenase was found to participate in the reduction of AQS and HFO. In conclusion, different electron transport pathways may be employed by strain SgZ-2 between insoluble and soluble electron acceptors or among soluble electron acceptors. Preliminary models of electron transport pathway with four electron acceptors were proposed for strain SgZ-2, and the study of electron transport mechanism was explored to the genus Fontibacter. All the results from this study are expected to help understand the electron transport properties and the environmental behavior of the genus Fontibacter.

Supramolecular control of the spin-dependent dynamics of long-lived charge-separated states at the micellar interface as studied by magnetic field effect.

PubMed

Miura, Tomoaki

2013-05-30

Spin selectivity in long-lived charge separation at the micellar interface is studied using the magnetic field effect (MFE). An amphiphilic viologen is complexed with a nonionic surfactant to form a supramolecular acceptor cage, of which the size is controlled by the acceptor concentration, as confirmed by dynamic light scattering measurement. Photoinduced electron transfer (ET) from a guest polyaromatic molecule to the viologen moiety is observed spin-dependently with time-resolved fluorescence (trFL) and transient absorption (TA). A negative MFE on the radical yield is successfully observed, which indicates generation of singlet-born long-lived radical pair that is realized by supramolecular control of the donor-acceptor (D-A) distances. The dominance of the singlet-precursor MFE is sensitive to the acceptor concentration, which presumably affects the D-A distance as well as the cage size. However, theoretical analysis of the MFE gives large recombination rates of ca. 10(8) s(-1), which indicate the contribution of spin-allowed recombination of the pseudocontact radical pair generated by still active in-cage diffusion. Dependence of the viologen concentration and alkyl chain length on the recombination and escape dynamics is discussed in terms of precursor spin states and the microenvironments in the cage.

The Effect of Acceptor and Donor Doping on Oxygen Vacancy Concentrations in Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT).

PubMed

Slouka, Christoph; Kainz, Theresa; Navickas, Edvinas; Walch, Gregor; Hutter, Herbert; Reichmann, Klaus; Fleig, Jürgen

2016-11-22

The different properties of acceptor-doped (hard) and donor-doped (soft) lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics are often attributed to different amounts of oxygen vacancies introduced by the dopant. Acceptor doping is believed to cause high oxygen vacancy concentrations, while donors are expected to strongly suppress their amount. In this study, La 3+ donor-doped, Fe 3+ acceptor-doped and La 3+ /Fe 3+ -co-doped PZT samples were investigated by oxygen tracer exchange and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in order to analyse the effect of doping on oxygen vacancy concentrations. Relative changes in the tracer diffusion coefficients for different doping and quantitative relations between defect concentrations allowed estimates of oxygen vacancy concentrations. Donor doping does not completely suppress the formation of oxygen vacancies; rather, it concentrates them in the grain boundary region. Acceptor doping enhances the amount of oxygen vacancies but estimates suggest that bulk concentrations are still in the ppm range, even for 1% acceptor doping. Trapped holes might thus considerably contribute to the charge balancing of the acceptor dopants. This could also be of relevance in understanding the properties of hard and soft PZT.

The Effect of Acceptor and Donor Doping on Oxygen Vacancy Concentrations in Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT)

PubMed Central

Slouka, Christoph; Kainz, Theresa; Navickas, Edvinas; Walch, Gregor; Hutter, Herbert; Reichmann, Klaus; Fleig, Jürgen

2016-01-01

The different properties of acceptor-doped (hard) and donor-doped (soft) lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics are often attributed to different amounts of oxygen vacancies introduced by the dopant. Acceptor doping is believed to cause high oxygen vacancy concentrations, while donors are expected to strongly suppress their amount. In this study, La3+ donor-doped, Fe3+ acceptor-doped and La3+/Fe3+-co-doped PZT samples were investigated by oxygen tracer exchange and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in order to analyse the effect of doping on oxygen vacancy concentrations. Relative changes in the tracer diffusion coefficients for different doping and quantitative relations between defect concentrations allowed estimates of oxygen vacancy concentrations. Donor doping does not completely suppress the formation of oxygen vacancies; rather, it concentrates them in the grain boundary region. Acceptor doping enhances the amount of oxygen vacancies but estimates suggest that bulk concentrations are still in the ppm range, even for 1% acceptor doping. Trapped holes might thus considerably contribute to the charge balancing of the acceptor dopants. This could also be of relevance in understanding the properties of hard and soft PZT. PMID:28774067

Long-Range (Forster) Electronic Energy Transfer: A Laboratory Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkovic, G.

1984-01-01

An experiment which measures the steady-state fluorescence of pyrene (the donor) in the presence of varying concentrations of acridine orange (the acceptor) in ethyline glycol solutions is described. Background information, equipment needed, and procedures used are included. (JN)

Mixed stack charge transfer crystals: Crossing the neutral-ionic borderline by chemical substitution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castagnetti, Nicola; Masino, Matteo; Rizzoli, Corrado; Girlando, Alberto; Rovira, Concepció

2018-02-01

We report extensive structural and spectroscopic characterization of four mixed stack charge-transfer (ms-CT) crystals formed by the electron donor 3,3',5 ,5' -tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with Chloranil (CA), Bromanil (BA), 2,5-difluoro-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQF2), and tetrafluoro-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQF4). Together with the separately studied TMB-TCNQ [Phys. Rev. B 95, 024101 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevB.95.024101] the TMB-acceptor series spans a wide range of degree of CT, from about 0.14 to 0.91, crossing the neutral-ionic interface, yet retaining similar packing and donor-acceptor CT integrals. First principle calculations of key phenomenological parameters allow us to get insight into the factors determining the degree of CT and other relevant physical properties.

Electron Bifurcation: Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Two-Electron Brokering in Biological Redox Chemistry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Peng; Yuly, Jonathon L.; Lubner, Carolyn E.

How can proteins drive two electrons from a redox active donor onto two acceptors at very different potentials and distances? And how can this transaction be conducted without dissipating very much energy or violating the laws of thermodynamics? Nature appears to have addressed these challenges by coupling thermodynamically uphill and downhill electron transfer reactions, using two-electron donor cofactors that have very different potentials for the removal of the first and second electron. Although electron bifurcation is carried out with near perfection from the standpoint of energy conservation and electron delivery yields, it is a biological energy transduction paradigm that hasmore » only come into focus recently. This Account provides an exegesis of the biophysical principles that underpin electron bifurcation.« less

Visible light water splitting using dye-sensitized oxide semiconductors.

PubMed

Youngblood, W Justin; Lee, Seung-Hyun Anna; Maeda, Kazuhiko; Mallouk, Thomas E

2009-12-21

Researchers are intensively investigating photochemical water splitting as a means of converting solar to chemical energy in the form of fuels. Hydrogen is a key solar fuel because it can be used directly in combustion engines or fuel cells, or combined catalytically with CO(2) to make carbon containing fuels. Different approaches to solar water splitting include semiconductor particles as photocatalysts and photoelectrodes, molecular donor-acceptor systems linked to catalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution, and photovoltaic cells coupled directly or indirectly to electrocatalysts. Despite several decades of research, solar hydrogen generation is efficient only in systems that use expensive photovoltaic cells to power water electrolysis. Direct photocatalytic water splitting is a challenging problem because the reaction is thermodynamically uphill. Light absorption results in the formation of energetic charge-separated states in both molecular donor-acceptor systems and semiconductor particles. Unfortunately, energetically favorable charge recombination reactions tend to be much faster than the slow multielectron processes of water oxidation and reduction. Consequently, visible light water splitting has only recently been achieved in semiconductor-based photocatalytic systems and remains an inefficient process. This Account describes our approach to two problems in solar water splitting: the organization of molecules into assemblies that promote long-lived charge separation, and catalysis of the electrolysis reactions, in particular the four-electron oxidation of water. The building blocks of our artificial photosynthetic systems are wide band gap semiconductor particles, photosensitizer and electron relay molecules, and nanoparticle catalysts. We intercalate layered metal oxide semiconductors with metal nanoparticles. These intercalation compounds, when sensitized with [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) derivatives, catalyze the photoproduction of hydrogen from sacrificial electron donors (EDTA(2-)) or non-sacrificial donors (I(-)). Through exfoliation of layered metal oxide semiconductors, we construct multilayer electron donor-acceptor thin films or sensitized colloids in which individual nanosheets mediate light-driven electron transfer reactions. When sensitizer molecules are "wired" to IrO(2).nH(2)O nanoparticles, a dye-sensitized TiO(2) electrode becomes the photoanode of a water-splitting photoelectrochemical cell. Although this system is an interesting proof-of-concept, the performance of these cells is still poor (approximately 1% quantum yield) and the dye photodegrades rapidly. We can understand the quantum efficiency and degradation in terms of competing kinetic pathways for water oxidation, back electron transfer, and decomposition of the oxidized dye molecules. Laser flash photolysis experiments allow us to measure these competing rates and, in principle, to improve the performance of the cell by changing the architecture of the electron transfer chain.

Organic photovoltaic devices comprising solution-processed substituted metal-phthalocyanines and exhibiting near-IR photo-sensitivity

DOEpatents

McGrath, Dominic V.; Mayukh, Mayank; Placencia, Diogenes; Armstrong, Neal R.

2016-11-29

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices are disclosed. An exemplary device has first and second electrodes and an organic, photovoltaically active zone located between the first and second electrodes. The photovoltaically active zone includes an organic electron-donor material and an organic electron-acceptor material. The electron-donor material includes one or more trivalent- or tetravalent-metal phthalocyanines with alkylchalcogenide ring substituents, and is soluble in at least one organic solvent. This solubility facilitates liquid-processability of the donor material, including formation of thin-films, on an unlimited scale to form planar and bulk heterojunctions in organic OPVs. These donor materials are photovoltaically active in both visible and near-IR wavelengths of light, enabling more of the solar spectrum, for example, to be applied to producing electricity. Also disclosed are methods for producing the metalated phthalocyanines and actual devices.

Electron transfer triggered by optical excitation of phenothiazine-tris(meta-phenylene-ethynylene)-(tricarbonyl)(bpy)(py)rhenium(I).

PubMed

Bingöl, Bahar; Durrell, Alec C; Keller, Gretchen E; Palmer, Joshua H; Grubbs, Robert H; Gray, Harry B

2013-04-25

We have investigated excited-state electron transfer in a donor-bridge-acceptor complex containing phenothiazine (PTZ) linked via tris(meta-phenylene-ethynylene) to a tricarbonyl(bipyridine)(pyridine)Re(I) unit. Time-resolved luminescence experiments reveal two excited-state (*Re) decay regimes, a multiexponential component with a mean lifetime of 2.7 ns and a longer monoexponential component of 530 ns in dichloromethane solution. The faster decay is attributed to PTZ → *Re electron transfer in a C-shaped PTZ-bridge-Re conformer (PTZ-Re ≈ 7.5 Å). We assign the longer lifetime, which is virtually identical to that of free *Re, to an extended conformer (PTZ-Re > 20 Å). The observed biexponential *Re decay requires that interconversion of PTZ-bridge-Re conformers be slower than 10(6) s(-1).

The impact of long-range electron-hole interaction on the charge separation yield of molecular photocells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemati Aram, Tahereh; Ernzerhof, Matthias; Asgari, Asghar; Mayou, Didier

2017-01-01

We discuss the effects of charge carrier interaction and recombination on the operation of molecular photocells. Molecular photocells are devices where the energy conversion process takes place in a single molecular donor-acceptor complex attached to electrodes. Our investigation is based on the quantum scattering theory, in particular on the Lippmann-Schwinger equation; this minimizes the complexity of the problem while providing useful and non-trivial insight into the mechanism governing photocell operation. In this study, both exciton pair creation and dissociation are treated in the energy domain, and therefore there is access to detailed spectral information, which can be used as a framework to interpret the charge separation yield. We demonstrate that the charge carrier separation is a complex process that is affected by different parameters, such as the strength of the electron-hole interaction and the non-radiative recombination rate. Our analysis helps to optimize the charge separation process and the energy transfer in organic solar cells and in molecular photocells.

Acentric 2-D ensembles of D-br-A electron-transfer chromophores via vectorial orientation within amphiphilic n-helix bundle peptides for photovoltaic device applications.

PubMed

Koo, Jaseung; Park, Jaehong; Tronin, Andrey; Zhang, Ruili; Krishnan, Venkata; Strzalka, Joseph; Kuzmenko, Ivan; Fry, H Christopher; Therien, Michael J; Blasie, J Kent

2012-02-14

We show that simply designed amphiphilic 4-helix bundle peptides can be utilized to vectorially orient a linearly extended donor-bridge-acceptor (D-br-A) electron transfer (ET) chromophore within its core. The bundle's interior is shown to provide a unique solvation environment for the D-br-A assembly not accessible in conventional solvents and thereby control the magnitudes of both light-induced ET and thermal charge recombination rate constants. The amphiphilicity of the bundle's exterior was employed to vectorially orient the peptide-chromophore complex at a liquid-gas interface, and its ends were tailored for subsequent covalent attachment to an inorganic surface, via a "directed assembly" approach. Structural data, combined with evaluation of the excited state dynamics exhibited by these peptide-chromophore complexes, demonstrate that densely packed, acentrically ordered 2-D monolayer ensembles of such complexes at high in-plane chromophore densities approaching 1/200 Å(2) offer unique potential as active layers in binary heterojunction photovoltaic devices.

Tuning the driving force for exciton dissociation in single-walled carbon nanotube heterojunctions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ihly, Rachelle; Mistry, Kevin S.; Ferguson, Andrew J.

2016-04-25

Understanding the kinetics and energetics of interfacial electron transfer in molecular systems is crucial for the development of a broad array of technologies, including photovoltaics, solar fuel systems and energy storage. The Marcus formulation for electron transfer relates the thermodynamic driving force and reorganization energy for charge transfer between a given donor/acceptor pair to the kinetics and yield of electron transfer. Here we investigated the influence of the thermodynamic driving force for photoinduced electron transfer (PET) between single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and fullerene derivatives by employing time-resolved microwave conductivity as a sensitive probe of interfacial exciton dissociation. For the firstmore » time, we observed the Marcus inverted region (in which driving force exceeds reorganization energy) and quantified the reorganization energy for PET for a model SWCNT/acceptor system. The small reorganization energies (about 130 meV, most of which probably arises from the fullerene acceptors) are beneficial in minimizing energy loss in photoconversion schemes.« less

Comparison of lactate, formate, and propionate as hydrogen donors for the reductive dehalogenation of trichloroethene in a continuous-flow column.

PubMed

Azizian, Mohammad F; Marshall, Ian P G; Behrens, Sebastian; Spormann, Alfred M; Semprini, Lewis

2010-04-01

A continuous-flow column study was conducted to analyze the reductive dehalogenation of trichloroethene (TCE) with aquifer material with high content of iron oxides. The column was bioaugmented with the Point Mugu (PM) culture, which is a mixed microbial enrichment culture capable of completely transforming TCE to ethene (ETH). We determined whether lactate, formate, or propionate fermentation resulted in more effective dehalogenation. Reductive dehalogenation, fermentation, and sulfate, Fe(III), and Mn(IV) reduction were all exhibited within the column. Different steady-states of dehalogenation were achieved based on the concentration of substrates added, with effective transformation to ETH obtained when ample electron donor equivalents were provided. Most of the metabolic reducing equivalents were channeled to sulfate, Fe(III), and Mn(IV) reduction. When similar electron reducing equivalents were added, the most effective dehalogenation was achieved with formate, with 14% of the electron equivalents going towards dehalogenation reactions, compared to 6.5% for lactate and 9.6% for propionate. Effective dehalogenation was maintained over 1000 days of column operation. Over 90% of electron equivalents added could be accounted for by the different electron accepting processes in the column, with 50% associated with soluble and precipitated Fe(II) and Mn(II). Bulk Fe(III) and Mn(IV) reduction was rather associated with lactate and propionate addition than formate addition. Sulfate reduction was a competing electron acceptor reaction with all three electron donors. DNA was extracted from solid coupon samples obtained during the course of the experiment and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and quantitative PCR. Lactate and propionate addition resulted in a significant increase in Geobacter, Spirochaetes, and Desulfitobacterium phylotypes relative to "Dehalococcoides" when compared to formate addition. Results from the molecular biological analyses support chemical observations that a greater percentage of the electron donor addition was channeled to Fe(III) reduction when lactate and propionate were added compared to formate, and formate was more effective than lactate in supporting dehalogenation. The results demonstrate the importance of electron donor selection and competing electron acceptor reactions when implementing reductive dehalogenation remediation technologies. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Comparison of lactate, formate, and propionate as hydrogen donors for the reductive dehalogenation of trichloroethene in a continuous-flow column

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizian, Mohammad F.; Marshall, Ian P. G.; Behrens, Sebastian; Spormann, Alfred M.; Semprini, Lewis

2010-04-01

A continuous-flow column study was conducted to analyze the reductive dehalogenation of trichloroethene (TCE) with aquifer material with high content of iron oxides. The column was bioaugmented with the Point Mugu (PM) culture, which is a mixed microbial enrichment culture capable of completely transforming TCE to ethene (ETH). We determined whether lactate, formate, or propionate fermentation resulted in more effective dehalogenation. Reductive dehalogenation, fermentation, and sulfate, Fe(III), and Mn(IV) reduction were all exhibited within the column. Different steady-states of dehalogenation were achieved based on the concentration of substrates added, with effective transformation to ETH obtained when ample electron donor equivalents were provided. Most of the metabolic reducing equivalents were channeled to sulfate, Fe(III), and Mn(IV) reduction. When similar electron reducing equivalents were added, the most effective dehalogenation was achieved with formate, with 14% of the electron equivalents going towards dehalogenation reactions, compared to 6.5% for lactate and 9.6% for propionate. Effective dehalogenation was maintained over 1000 days of column operation. Over 90% of electron equivalents added could be accounted for by the different electron accepting processes in the column, with 50% associated with soluble and precipitated Fe(II) and Mn(II). Bulk Fe(III) and Mn(IV) reduction was rather associated with lactate and propionate addition than formate addition. Sulfate reduction was a competing electron acceptor reaction with all three electron donors. DNA was extracted from solid coupon samples obtained during the course of the experiment and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and quantitative PCR. Lactate and propionate addition resulted in a significant increase in Geobacter, Spirochaetes, and Desulfitobacterium phylotypes relative to " Dehalococcoides" when compared to formate addition. Results from the molecular biological analyses support chemical observations that a greater percentage of the electron donor addition was channeled to Fe(III) reduction when lactate and propionate were added compared to formate, and formate was more effective than lactate in supporting dehalogenation. The results demonstrate the importance of electron donor selection and competing electron acceptor reactions when implementing reductive dehalogenation remediation technologies.

Long-range electron transfer in zinc-phthalocyanine-oligo(phenylene-ethynylene)-based donor-bridge-acceptor dyads.

PubMed

Göransson, Erik; Boixel, Julien; Fortage, Jérôme; Jacquemin, Denis; Becker, Hans-Christian; Blart, Errol; Hammarström, Leif; Odobel, Fabrice

2012-11-05

In the context of long-range electron transfer for solar energy conversion, we present the synthesis, photophysical, and computational characterization of two new zinc(II) phthalocyanine oligophenylene-ethynylene based donor-bride-acceptor dyads: ZnPc-OPE-AuP(+) and ZnPc-OPE-C(60). A gold(III) porphyrin and a fullerene has been used as electron accepting moieties, and the results have been compared to a previously reported dyad with a tin(IV) dichloride porphyrin as the electron acceptor (Fortage et al. Chem. Commun. 2007, 4629). The results for ZnPc-OPE-AuP(+) indicate a remarkably strong electronic coupling over a distance of more than 3 nm. The electronic coupling is manifested in both the absorption spectrum and an ultrafast rate for photoinduced electron transfer (k(PET) = 1.0 × 10(12) s(-1)). The charge-shifted state in ZnPc-OPE-AuP(+) recombines with a relatively low rate (k(BET) = 1.0 × 10(9) s(-1)). In contrast, the rate for charge transfer in the other dyad, ZnPc-OPE-C(60), is relatively slow (k(PET) = 1.1 × 10(9) s(-1)), while the recombination is very fast (k(BET) ≈ 5 × 10(10) s(-1)). TD-DFT calculations support the hypothesis that the long-lived charge-shifted state of ZnPc-OPE-AuP(+) is due to relaxation of the reduced gold porphyrin from a porphyrin ring based reduction to a gold centered reduction. This is in contrast to the faster recombination in the tin(IV) porphyrin based system (k(BET) = 1.2 × 10(10) s(-1)), where the excess electron is instead delocalized over the porphyrin ring.

An AAA-DDD triply hydrogen-bonded complex easily accessible for supramolecular polymers.

PubMed

Han, Yi-Fei; Chen, Wen-Qiang; Wang, Hong-Bo; Yuan, Ying-Xue; Wu, Na-Na; Song, Xiang-Zhi; Yang, Lan

2014-12-15

For a complementary hydrogen-bonded complex, when every hydrogen-bond acceptor is on one side and every hydrogen-bond donor is on the other, all secondary interactions are attractive and the complex is highly stable. AAA-DDD (A=acceptor, D=donor) is considered to be the most stable among triply hydrogen-bonded sequences. The easily synthesized and further derivatized AAA-DDD system is very desirable for hydrogen-bonded functional materials. In this case, AAA and DDD, starting from 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, were synthesized with the Hantzsch pyridine synthesis and Friedländer annulation reaction. The association constant determined by fluorescence titration in chloroform at room temperature is 2.09×10(7)  M(-1) . The AAA and DDD components are not coplanar, but form a V shape in the solid state. Supramolecular polymers based on AAA-DDD triply hydrogen bonded have also been developed. This work may make AAA-DDD triply hydrogen-bonded sequences easily accessible for stimuli-responsive materials. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Charge-transfer excitons at organic semiconductor surfaces and interfaces.

PubMed

Zhu, X-Y; Yang, Q; Muntwiler, M

2009-11-17

When a material of low dielectric constant is excited electronically from the absorption of a photon, the Coulomb attraction between the excited electron and the hole gives rise to an atomic H-like quasi-particle called an exciton. The bound electron-hole pair also forms across a material interface, such as the donor/acceptor interface in an organic heterojunction solar cell; the result is a charge-transfer (CT) exciton. On the basis of typical dielectric constants of organic semiconductors and the sizes of conjugated molecules, one can estimate that the binding energy of a CT exciton across a donor/acceptor interface is 1 order of magnitude greater than k(B)T at room temperature (k(B) is the Boltzmann constant and T is the temperature). How can the electron-hole pair escape this Coulomb trap in a successful photovoltaic device? To answer this question, we use a crystalline pentacene thin film as a model system and the ubiquitous image band on the surface as the electron acceptor. We observe, in time-resolved two-photon photoemission, a series of CT excitons with binding energies < or = 0.5 eV below the image band minimum. These CT excitons are essential solutions to the atomic H-like Schrodinger equation with cylindrical symmetry. They are characterized by principal and angular momentum quantum numbers. The binding energy of the lowest lying CT exciton with 1s character is more than 1 order of magnitude higher than k(B)T at room temperature. The CT(1s) exciton is essentially the so-called exciplex and has a very low probability of dissociation. We conclude that hot CT exciton states must be involved in charge separation in organic heterojunction solar cells because (1) in comparison to CT(1s), hot CT excitons are more weakly bound by the Coulomb potential and more easily dissociated, (2) density-of-states of these hot excitons increase with energy in the Coulomb potential, and (3) electronic coupling from a donor exciton to a hot CT exciton across the D/A interface can be higher than that to CT(1s) as expected from energy resonance arguments. We suggest a design principle in organic heterojunction solar cells: there must be strong electronic coupling between molecular excitons in the donor and hot CT excitons across the D/A interface.

Resonance energy transfer: when a dipole fails.

PubMed

Andrews, David L; Leeder, Jamie M

2009-05-14

The Coulombic coupling of electric dipole (E1) transition moments is the most commonly studied and widely operative mechanism for energy migration in multichromophore systems. However a significant number of exceptions exist, in which donor decay and/or acceptor excitation processes are E1-forbidden. The alternative transfer mechanisms that can apply in such cases include roles for higher multipole transitions, exciton- or phonon-assisted interactions, and non-Coulombic interactions based on electron exchange. A quantum electrodynamical formulation provides a rigorous basis to assess the first of these, specifically addressing the relative significance of higher multipole contributions to the process of energy transfer in donor-acceptor systems where electric dipole transitions are precluded by symmetry. Working within the near-zone limit, where donor-acceptor separations are small in comparison to the chromophore scale, the analysis highlights the contributions of both electric quadrupole-electric quadrupole (E2-E2) coupling and the seldom considered second-order electric dipole-electric dipole (E1(2)-E1(2)) coupling. For both forms of interaction, experimentally meaningful rate equations are secured by the use of orientational averaging, and the mechanisms are analyzed with reference to systems in which E1-forbidden transitions are commonly reported.

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy reveals energy-band dispersion for π-stacked 7,8,15,16-tetraazaterrylene thin films in a donor-acceptor bulk heterojunction.

PubMed

Aghdassi, Nabi; Wang, Qi; Ji, Ru-Ru; Wang, Bin; Fan, Jian; Duhm, Steffen

2018-05-11

7,8,15,16-tetraazaterrylene (TAT) thin films grown on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrates were studied extensively with regard to their intrinsic and interfacial electronic properties by means of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). Merely weak substrate-adsorbate interaction occurs at the TAT/HOPG interface, with interface energetics being only little affected by the nominal film thickness. Photon energy-dependent UPS performed perpendicular to the molecular planes of TAT multilayer films at room temperature clearly reveals band-like intermolecular dispersion of the TAT highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy. Based on a comparison with a tight-binding model, a relatively narrow bandwidth of 54 meV is derived, which points to the presence of an intermediate regime between hopping and band-like hole transport. Upon additional deposition of 2,2':5',2″:5″,2″'-quaterthiophene (4T), a 4T:TAT donor-acceptor bulk heterojunction with a considerable HOMO-level offset at the donor-acceptor interface is formed. The 4T:TAT bulk heterojunction likewise exhibits intermolecular dispersion of the TAT HOMO energy, yet with a significant decreased bandwidth.

Pyrimidine-based twisted donor-acceptor delayed fluorescence molecules: a new universal platform for highly efficient blue electroluminescence.

PubMed

Park, In Seob; Komiyama, Hideaki; Yasuda, Takuma

2017-02-01

Deep-blue emitters that can harvest both singlet and triplet excited states to give high electron-to-photon conversion efficiencies are highly desired for applications in full-color displays and white lighting devices based on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules based on highly twisted donor-acceptor (D-A) configurations are promising emitting dopants for the construction of efficient deep-blue OLEDs. In this study, a simple and versatile D-A system combining acridan-based donors and pyrimidine-based acceptors has been developed as a new platform for high-efficiency deep-blue TADF emitters. The designed pre-twisted acridan-pyrimidine D-A molecules exhibit small singlet-triplet energy splitting and high photoluminescence quantum yields, functioning as efficient deep-blue TADF emitters. The OLEDs utilizing these TADF emitters display bright blue electroluminescence with external quantum efficiencies of up to 20.4%, maximum current efficiencies of 41.7 cd A -1 , maximum power efficiencies of 37.2 lm W -1 , and color coordinates of (0.16, 0.23). The design strategy featuring such acridan-pyrimidine D-A motifs can offer great prospects for further developing high-performance deep-blue TADF emitters and TADF-OLEDs.

Spectroscopic investigation on the mechanism of formation of molecular complexes of albendazole and trimethoprim with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesh, K.; Balraj, C.; Satheshkumar, A.; Elango, K. P.

2012-06-01

UV-vis, 1H NMR, FT-IR, mass and fluorescence spectral techniques were employed to investigate the mechanism of interaction of albendazole and trimethoprim with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) and to characterize the reaction products. The interaction of DDQ with trimethoprim (TMP) and albenadazole (ALB) were found to proceed through the formation of donor-acceptor complex, containing DDQ radical anion and its conversion to the product. Fluorescence quenching studies indicated that the interaction between the donors and the acceptor are spontaneous and the interaction of TMP-DDQ (binding constant = 2.9 × 105) is found to be stronger than that the ALB-DDQ (binding constant = 3 × 103) system. Also, the binding constant increased with an increase in polarity of the medium indicating the involvement of radical anion as intermediate.

The mechanism of linkage-specific ubiquitin chain elongation by a single-subunit E2

PubMed Central

Wickliffe, Katherine E.; Lorenz, Sonja; Wemmer, David E.; Kuriyan, John; Rape, Michael

2011-01-01

Ubiquitin chains of different topologies trigger distinct functional consequences, including protein degradation and reorganization of complexes. The assembly of most ubiquitin chains is promoted by E2s, yet how these enzymes achieve linkage specificity is poorly understood. We have discovered that the K11-specific Ube2S orients the donor ubiquitin through an essential non-covalent interaction that occurs in addition to the thioester bond at the E2 active site. The E2-donor ubiquitin complex transiently recognizes the acceptor ubiquitin, primarily through electrostatic interactions. The recognition of the acceptor ubiquitin surface around Lys11, but not around other lysines, generates a catalytically competent active site, which is composed of residues of both Ube2S and ubiquitin. Our studies suggest that monomeric E2s promote linkage-specific ubiquitin chain formation through substrate-assisted catalysis. PMID:21376237

Coumarin-indole conjugate donor-acceptor system: Synthesis, photophysical properties, anion sensing ability, theoretical and biological activity studies of two coumarin-indole based push-pull dyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksungur, Tuğçe; Aydıner, Burcu; Seferoğlu, Nurgül; Özkütük, Müjgan; Arslan, Leyla; Reis, Yasemin; Açık, Leyla; Seferoğlu, Zeynel

2017-11-01

Two coumarin-indole conjugate fluorescent dyes having donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) (CI-1 and CI-2) were synthesized, and characterized using IR, 1H/13C NMR and HRMS. The absorption and emission properties of the dyes were determined in different solvents. The anion sensitivity and selectivity of the dyes were studied with some anions (CN-, F-, AcO-, Cl-, Br-, I-, HSO4- and H2PO4-) in DMSO, and their interaction mechanisms were evaluated by spectrophotometric and 1H NMR titration techniques. In addition, the molecular and electronic structures of CI-1, as well as the molecular complexes of CI-1, formed with the anions (F- and AcO-), were obtained theoretically and confirmed by DFT and TD-DFT calculations. CI-1 behaves as a colorimetric chemosensor for selective and sensitive detection of CN- in DMSO/H2O (9:1) over other competing anions such as F- and AcO-. However, only CN- interacts with chromophore CI-2 via Michael addition and the main absorption maxima shifts hypsochromically with an observed distinctive color change from orange to yellow. For using as a optic dye, the thermal stability properties of the dyes was determined by TGA (Thermal Gravimetric Analysis). Antimicrobial, antifungal and DNA-ligand interaction studies of the dyes were also examined. The dyes cause conformational changes on DNA and selectively bind to nucleotides of A/A and G/G.

On the physical origin of blue-shifted hydrogen bonds.

PubMed

Li, Xiaosong; Liu, Lei; Schlegel, H Bernhard

2002-08-14

For blue-shifted hydrogen-bonded systems, the hydrogen stretching frequency increases rather than decreases on complexation. In computations at various levels of theory, the blue-shift in the archetypical system, F(3)C-H.FH, is reproduced at the Hartree-Fock level, indicating that electron correlation is not the primary cause. Calculations also demonstrate that a blue-shift does not require either a carbon center or the absence of a lone pair on the proton donor, because F(3)Si-H.OH(2), F(2)NH.FH, F(2)PH.NH(3), and F(2)PH.OH(2) have substantial blue-shifts. Orbital interactions are shown to lengthen the X-H bond and lower its vibrational frequency, and thus cannot be the source of the blue-shift. In the F(3)CH.FH system, the charge redistribution in F(3)CH can be reproduced very well by replacing the FH with a simple dipole, which suggests that the interactions are predominantly electrostatic. When modeled with a point charge for the proton acceptor, attractive electrostatic interactions elongate the F(3)C-H, while repulsive interactions shorten it. At the equilibrium geometry of a hydrogen-bonded complex, the electrostatic attraction between the dipole moments of the proton donor and proton acceptor must be balanced by the Pauli repulsion between the two fragments. In the absence of orbital interactions that cause bond elongation, this repulsive interaction leads to compression of the X-H bond and a blue-shift in its vibrational frequency.

A semiempirical study for the ground and excited states of free-base and zinc porphyrin-fullerene dyads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parusel, A. B.

2000-01-01

The ground and excited states of a covalently linked porphyrin-fullerene dyad in both its free-base and zinc forms (D. Kuciauskas et al., J. Phys. Chem. 100 (1996) 15926) have been investigated by semiempirical methods. The excited-state properties are discussed by investigation of the character of the molecular orbitals. All frontier MOs are mainly localized on either the donor or the acceptor subunit. Thus, the absorption spectra of both systems are best described as the sum of the spectra of the single components. The experimentally observed spectra are well reproduced by the theoretical computations. Both molecules undergo efficient electron transfer in polar but not in apolar solvents. This experimental finding is explained theoretically by explicitly considering solvent effects. The tenth excited state in the gas phase is of charge-separated character where an electron is transferred from the porphyrin donor to the fullerene acceptor subunit. This state is stabilized in energy in polar solvents due to its large formal dipole moment. The stabilization energy for an apolar environment such as benzene is not sufficient to lower this state to become the first excited singlet state. Thus, no electron transfer is observed, in agreement with experiment. In a polar environment such as acetonitrile, the charge-separated state becomes the S, state and electron transfer takes place, as observed experimentally. The flexible single bond connecting both the donor and acceptor subunits allows free rotation by ca. +/- 30 degrees about the optimized ground-state conformation. For the charge-separated state this optimized geometry has a maximum dipole moment. The geometry of the charge-separated state thus does not change relatively to the ground-state conformation. The electron-donating properties of porphyrin are enhanced in the zinc derivative due to a reduced porphyrin HOMO-LUMO energy gap. This yields a lower energy for the charge-separated state compared to the free-base dyad.

Electron Acceptors Based on α-Substituted Perylene Diimide (PDI) for Organic Solar Cells

DOE PAGES

Zhao, Donglin; Wu, Qinghe; Cai, Zhengxu; ...

2016-02-20

The ortho-position functionalized perylene diimide derivatives (αPPID, αPBDT) were synthesized and used as the electron acceptors in nonfullerene organic photovoltaics. Due to the good planarity of ortho-position functionalized PDI, the αPPID and αPBDT show strong tendency to form aggregate because of their enhanced intermolecular pie-pie interaction. Moreover, they maintain the pure domains and the same packing order as in the pure film if they are blended with PBT7-TH and the SCLC measurement also shows the high electron mobility. The inverted OPVs employing αPDI-based compounds as acceptor and PBT7-TH as the donor give the highest PCE of 4.92 % for αPBDTmore » based device and 3.61 % for αPPID based device, which is 39 % and 4 % higher than that for their counterpart βPBDT and βPPID. The charge separation study shows the more efficient exciton dissociation at interfaces between PDI based compounds and PBT7-TH. In conclusion, the results suggest that compared to beta-substituted ones, alpha-substituted PDI derivatives are more promising electron acceptors for OPV.« less

Determination of the energy structure of recombination centers in heavily doped AlxGa1-xN:Si epitaxial layers with x > 0.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osinnykh, I. V.; Malin, T. V.; Zhuravlev, K. S.

2018-03-01

The photoluminescence properties of the intensive defect-related emission in heavily doped Al x Ga l-x N:Si layers with x > 0.5 have been investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The PL band in AlN was attributed to donor-acceptor (DA) transitions. At the lowest Al content, the impurity band merges with the conduction band and DA transitions are replaced by electron-acceptor transitions involving the same acceptor. The energy structure of recombination centers was obtained using the model of configuration coordinates for Al0.67Ga0.33N.

New electron trap in p-type Czochralski silicon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mao, B.-Y.; Lagowski, J.; Gatos, H. C.

1984-01-01

A new electron trap (acceptor level) was discovered in p-type Czochralski (CZ) silicon by current transient spectroscopy. The behavior of this trap was found to be similar to that of the oxygen thermal donors; thus, 450 C annealing increases the trap concentration while high-temperature annealing (1100-1200 C) leads to the virtual elimination of the trap. The new trap is not observed in either float-zone or n-type CZ silicon. Its energy level depends on the group III doping element in the sample. These findings suggest that the trap is related to oxygen, and probably to the acceptor impurity as well.

A novel aerobic sulfate reduction process in landfill mineralized refuse.

PubMed

Liu, Weijia; Long, Yuyang; Fang, Yuan; Ying, Luyao; Shen, Dongsheng

2018-05-08

It is thought that mineralized refuse could be excavated from almost-full landfill sites to provide space for the increasing burden of municipal solid waste. When excavating, however, the H 2 S emissions from the mineralized waste need to be considered carefully. In an attempt to understand how H 2 S emissions might change during this excavation process, we carried out a series of tests, including exposing anaerobic mineralized refuse to oxygen, isolating and determining possible functional bacteria, and characterizing the electron donors and/or acceptors. The results showed that H 2 S would be released when landfill mineralized refuse was exposed to oxygen (O 2 ), and could reach concentrations of 6 mg m -3 , which was 3 times the concentrations of H 2 S released from anaerobic mineralized refuse. Sulfur-metabolized microorganisms accounted for only 0.5% of the microbial functional bacteria (MFB) derived from the mineralized refuse when exposed to O 2 for 60 days, and SRB were not present. The MFB maintained H 2 S production by aerobic sulfate reduction using SO 4 2- and S 2 O 3 2- as electron acceptors, and sulfate-reducing rates of 16% and 55%, respectively, were achieved. Lactate and S 2 O 3 2- were the preferred electron donor and acceptor, respectively. By enhancing the carbon source and electron transfer, MFB may undergo strong aerobic sulfate reduction even at low abundances of sulfur-metabolized microorganisms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer in a Strongly Coupled Photosystem II-Inspired Chromophore–Imidazole–Phenol Complex: Stepwise Oxidation and Concerted Reduction

DOE PAGES

Manbeck, Gerald F.; Fujita, Etsuko; Concepcion, Javier J.

2016-08-18

Proton-coupled electron-transfer (PCET) reactions were studied in acetonitrile for a Photosystem II (PSII) inspired [Ru(bpy) 2(phen-imidazole-Ph(OH)( tBu) 2)] 2+, in which Ru(III) generated by a flash-quench sequence oxidizes the appended phenol and the proton is transferred to the hydrogen bonded imidazole base. In contrast to related systems, the donor and acceptor are strongly coupled, as indicated by the shift in the Ru III/IIcouple upon phenol oxidation, and intramolecular oxidation of the phenol by Ru(III) is energetically favorable by both stepwise or concerted pathways. The phenol oxidation occurs via a stepwise ET-PT mechanism with k ET = 2.7 × 10 7more » s ₋1 and a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of 0.99 ± 0.03. The electron transfer reaction was characterized as adiabatic with λ DA = 1.16 eV and 280 < H DA < 540 cm ₋1 consistent with strong electronic coupling and slow solvent dynamics. Reduction of the phenoxyl radical by the quencher radical was examined as the analogue of the redox reaction between the PSII tyrosyl radical and the oxygen evolving complex (OEC). In our PSII-inspired complex, the recombination reaction activation energy is < 2 kcal mol ₋1. In conclusion, the reaction is nonadiabatic (V PCET ~ 22 cm ₋1 (H) and 49 cm ₋1 (D)), concerted, and exhibits an unexpected inverse KIE of 0.55 that is attributed to greater overlap of the reactant vibronic ground state with the OD vibronic states of the proton acceptor due to the smaller quantum spacing of the deuterium vibrational levels.« less

Precise identification and manipulation of adsorption geometry of donor-π-acceptor dye on nanocrystalline TiO₂ films for improved photovoltaics.

PubMed

Zhang, Fan; Ma, Wei; Jiao, Yang; Wang, Jingchuan; Shan, Xinyan; Li, Hui; Lu, Xinghua; Meng, Sheng

2014-12-24

Adsorption geometry of dye molecules on nanocrystalline TiO2 plays a central role in dye-sensitized solar cells, enabling effective sunlight absorption, fast electron injection, optimized interface band offsets, and stable photovoltaic performance. However, precise determination of dye binding geometry and proportion has been challenging due to complexity and sensitivity at interfaces. Here employing combined vibrational spectrometry and density functional calculations, we identify typical adsorption configurations of widely adopted cyanoacrylic donor-π bridge-acceptor dyes on nanocrystalline TiO2. Binding mode switching from bidentate bridging to hydrogen-bonded monodentate configuration with Ti-N bonding has been observed when dye-sensitizing solution becomes more basic. Raman and infrared spectroscopy measurements confirm this configuration switch and determine quantitatively the proportion of competing binding geometries, with vibration peaks assigned using density functional theory calculations. We further found that the proportion of dye-binding configurations can be manipulated by adjusting pH value of dye-sensitizing solutions. Controlling molecular adsorption density and configurations led to enhanced energy conversion efficiency from 2.4% to 6.1% for the fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells, providing a simple method to improve photovoltaic performance by suppressing unfavorable binding configurations in solar cell applications.

Effects of donor doping and acceptor doping on rutile TiO2 particles for photocatalytic O2 evolution by water oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amano, Fumiaki; Tosaki, Ryosuke; Sato, Kyosuke; Higuchi, Yamato

2018-02-01

Crystalline defects of photocatalyst particles may be considered to be the recombination center of photoexcited electrons and holes. In this study, we investigated the photocatalytic activity of cation-doped rutile TiO2 photocatalysts for O2 evolution from an aqueous silver nitrate solution under ultraviolet light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of rutile TiO2 was enhanced by donor doping of Ta5+ and Nb5+ with a valence higher than that of Ti4+, regardless of increased density of electrons and Ti3+ species (an electron trapped in Ti4+ sites). Conversely, acceptor doping of lower valence cations such as In3+ and Ga3+ decreased photocatalytic activity for O2 evolution by water oxidation. The doping of equal valence cations such as Sn4+ and Ge4+ hardly changed the activity of non-doped TiO2. This study demonstrates that Ti3+ species, which is a crystalline defect, enhanced the photocatalytic activity of semiconductor oxides, for example rutile TiO2 with large crystalline size.

Non-conjugated, phenyl assisted coupling in through bond electron transfer in a perylenemonoimide-triphenylamine system.

PubMed

Bell, Toby D M; Stefan, Alina; Lemaur, Vincent; Bernhardt, Stefan; Müllen, Klaus; Cornil, Jérôme; Beljonne, David; Hofkens, Johan; Van der Auweraer, Mark; De Schryver, Frans C

2007-04-01

Two donor-bridge-acceptor compounds containing triphenylamine (TPA) donors and perylenemonoimide (PMI) acceptors have been studied by spectroscopic techniques and quantum chemical computation. Both systems have been observed to emit prompt and delayed fluorescence under certain conditions indicating that forward and reverse electron transfer (ET) processes can occur between the locally excited and the charge separated states. The experimental and computational results show that the TPA and PMI chromophores are better coupled by almost 50% in the meta isomers which undergo ET more readily than the para isomers. Quantum chemical calculations indicate that this unexpected situation is the result of a phenyl group on the side of the bridge being advantageously positioned in the meta isomers. This leads to more extensive delocalisation of the TPA HOMO into the bridge enhancing the total through bond electronic coupling between the TPA and PMI chromophores. The calculations also indicate a strong angle dependence of the total coupling in both isomers. The experimental results are discussed in the context of the high temperature limit of Marcus's theory of non-adiabatic ET.