TY - JOUR A1 - Floss, Gereon A1 - Saalfrank, Peter T1 - The Photoinduced E -> Z Isomerization of Bisazobenzenes: A Surface Hopping Molecular Dynamics Study JF - The journal of physical chemistry : A, Molecules, spectroscopy, kinetics, environment & general theory N2 - The photoinduced E -> Z isomerization of azobenzene is a prototypical example of molecular switching. On the way toward rigid molecular rods such as those for opto-mechanical applications, multiazobenzene structures have been suggested in which several switching units are linked together within the same molecule (Bleger et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 2011, 115, 9930-9940). Large differences in the switching efficiency of multiazobenzenes have been observed, depending on whether the switching units are electronically decoupled or not. In this paper we study, on a time-resolved molecular level, the E -> Z isomerization of the simplest multiazobenzene, bisazobenzene (BAB). Two isomers (ortho- and para-BAB), differing only in the connectivity of two azo groups on a shared phenyl ring will be considered.To do so, nonadiabatic semiclassical dynamics after photo-excitation of the isomers are studied by employing an "on-the-fly", fewest switches surface hopping approach. States and couplings are calculated by Configuration Interaction (CI) based on a semiempirical (AM1) Hamiltonian (Persico and co-workers, Chem. Eur. J. 2004, 10, 2327-2341). In the case of para-BAB, computed quantum yields for photoswitching are drastically reduced compared to pristine azobenzene, due to electronic coupling of both switching units. A reason for this (apart from altered absorption spectra and reduced photochromicity) is the drastically reduced lifetimes of electronically excited states which are transiently populated. In contrast for meta-connected species, electronic subsystems are largely decoupled, and computed quantum yields are slightly higher than that for pristine azobenzene because of new isomerization channels. In this case we can also distinguish between single- and double-switch events and we find a cooperative effect: The isomerization of a single azo group is facilitated if the other azo group is already in the Z-configuration. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.5b02933 SN - 1089-5639 VL - 119 IS - 20 SP - 5026 EP - 5037 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Floss, Gereon A1 - Granucci, Giovanni A1 - Saalfrank, Peter T1 - Surface hopping dynamics of direct trans -> cis photoswitching of an azobenzene derivative in constrained adsorbate geometries JF - The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr N2 - With ongoing miniaturization of electronic devices, the need for individually addressable, switchable molecules arises. An example are azobenzenes on surfaces which have been shown to be switchable between trans and cis forms. Here, we examine the "direct" (rather than substrate-mediated) channel of the trans -> cis photoisomerization after pi pi* excitation of tetra-tert-butyl-azobenzene physisorbed on surfaces mimicking Au(111) and Bi(111), respectively. In spirit of the direct channel, the electronic structure of the surface is neglected, the latter merely acting as a rigid platform which weakly interacts with the molecule via Van-der-Waals forces. Starting from thermal ensembles which represent the trans-form, sudden excitations promote the molecules to pi pi*-excited states which are non-adiabatically coupled among themselves and to a n pi*-excited and the ground state, respectively. After excitation, relaxation to the ground state by internal conversion takes place, possibly accompanied by isomerization. The process is described here by "on the fly" semiclassical surface hopping dynamics in conjunction with a semiempirical Hamiltonian (AM1) and configuration-interaction type methods. It is found that steric constraints imposed by the substrate lead to reduced but non-vanishing, trans -> cis reaction yields and longer internal conversion times than for the isolated molecule. Implications for recent experiments for azobenzenes on surfaces are discussed. KW - AM1 calculations KW - bismuth KW - configuration interactions KW - excited states KW - gold KW - isomerisation KW - organic compounds KW - photochemistry KW - van der Waals forces Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4769087 SN - 0021-9606 VL - 137 IS - 23 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Floss, Gereon A1 - Klamroth, Tillmann A1 - Saalfrank, Peter T1 - Laser-controlled switching of molecular arrays in an dissipative environment JF - Physical review : B, Condensed matter and materials physics N2 - The optical switching of molecular ensembles in a dissipative environment is a subject of various fields of chemical physics and physical chemistry. Here we try to switch arrays of molecules from a stable collective ground state to a state in which all molecules have been transferred to another stable higher-energy configuration. In our model switching proceeds through electronically excited intermediates which are coherently coupled to each other through dipolar interactions, and which decay incoherently within a finite lifetime by coupling to a dissipative environment. The model is quite general, but parameters are chosen to roughly resemble the all-trans -> all-cis isomerization of an array of azobenzene molecules on a surface. Using analytical and optimal control pulses and the concept of "laser distillation," we demonstrate that for various aggregates (dimers up to hexamers), controlled and complete switching should be possible. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.104301 SN - 1098-0121 VL - 83 IS - 10 PB - American Physical Society CY - College Park ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scholz, Robert A1 - Floss, Gereon A1 - Saalfrank, Peter A1 - Füchsel, Gernot A1 - Loncaric, Ivor A1 - Juaristi, J. I. T1 - Femtosecond-laser induced dynamics of CO on Ru(0001): Deep insights from a hot-electron friction model including surface motion JF - Physical review : B, Condensed matter and materials physics N2 - A Langevin model accounting for all six molecular degrees of freedom is applied to femtosecond-laser induced, hot-electron driven dynamics of Ru(0001)(2 x 2): CO. In our molecular dynamics with electronic friction approach, a recently developed potential energy surface based on gradient-corrected density functional theory accounting for van der Waals interactions is adopted. Electronic friction due to the coupling of molecular degrees of freedom to electron-hole pairs in the metal are included via a local density friction approximation, and surface phonons by a generalized Langevin oscillator model. The action of ultrashort laser pulses enters through a substrate-mediated, hot-electron mechanism via a time-dependent electronic temperature (derived from a two-temperature model), causing random forces acting on the molecule. The model is applied to laser induced lateral diffusion of CO on the surface, "hot adsorbate" formation, and laser induced desorption. Reaction probabilities are strongly enhanced compared to purely thermal processes, both for diffusion and desorption. Reaction yields depend in a characteristic (nonlinear) fashion on the applied laser fluence, as well as branching ratios for various reaction channels. Computed two-pulse correlation traces for desorption and other indicators suggest that aside from electron-hole pairs, phonons play a non-negligible role for laser induced dynamics in this system, acting on a surprisingly short time scale. Our simulations on precomputed potentials allow for good statistics and the treatment of long-time dynamics (300 ps), giving insight into this system which hitherto has not been reached. We find generally good agreement with experimental data where available and make predictions in addition. A recently proposed laser induced population of physisorbed precursor states could not be observed with the present low-coverage model. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.94.165447 SN - 2469-9950 SN - 2469-9969 VL - 94 PB - American Physical Society CY - College Park ER -