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Graphene is well-knownfor its unique combination of electricaland mechanical properties. However, its vanishing band gap limitsthe use of graphene in microelectronics. Covalent functionalizationof graphene has been a common approach to address this critical issueand introduce a band gap. In this Article, we systematically analyzethe functionalization of single-layer graphene (SLG) and bilayer graphene(BLG) with methyl (CH3) using periodic density functionaltheory (DFT) at the PBE+D3 level of theory. We also include a comparisonof methylated single-layer and bilayer graphene, as well as a discussionof different methylation options (radicalic, cationic, and anionic).For SLG, methyl coverages ranging from 1/8 to 1/1, (i.e.,the fully methylated analogue of graphane) are considered. We findthat up to a coverage theta of 1/2, graphene readily accepts CH3, with neighbor CH3 groups preferring trans positions. Above theta = 1/2, the tendency to accept further CH3 weakens and the lattice constant increases. The band gapbehaves less regularly, but overall it increases with increasing methylcoverage. Thus, methylated graphene shows potential for developingband gap-tuned microelectronics devices and may offer further functionalizationoptions. To guide in the interpretation of methylation experiments,vibrational signatures of various species are characterized by normal-modeanalysis (NMA), their vibrational density of states (VDOS), and infrared(IR) spectra, the latter two are obtained from ab initio moleculardynamics (AIMD) in combination with a velocity-velocity autocorrelationfunction (VVAF) approach.
Vibrational relaxation of adsorbates is a sensitive tool to probe energy transfer at gas/solid and liquid/solid interfaces. The most direct way to study relaxation dynamics uses time-resolved spectroscopy. Here we report on a non-equilibrium ab initio molecular dynamics (NE-AIMD) methodology to model vibrational relaxation of OH vibrations on a hydroxylated, water-covered alpha-Al2O3(0001) surface. In our NE-AIMD approach, after exciting selected O-H bonds their coupling to surface phonons and to the water adlayer is analyzed in detail, by following both the energy flow in time, as well as the time-evolution of Vibrational Density of States (VDOS) curves. The latter are obtained from Time-dependent Correlation Functions (TCFs) and serve as prototypical, generic representatives of time-resolved vibrational spectra. As most important results, (i) we find a few-picosecond lifetime of the excited modes and (ii) identify both hydrogen-bonded aluminols and water molecules in the adsorbed water layer as main dissipative channels, while the direct coupling to Al2O3 surface phonons is of minor importance on the timescales of interest. Our NE-AIMD/TCF methodology is powerful for complex adsorbate systems, in principle even reacting ones, and opens a way towards time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy.
Thermally stable photoswitches that are driven with low-energy light are rare, yet crucial for extending the applicability of photoresponsive molecules and materials towards, e.g., living systems. Combined ortho-fluorination and -amination couples high visible light absorptivity of o-aminoazobenzenes with the extraordinary bistability of o-fluoroazobenzenes. Herein, we report a library of easily accessible o-aminofluoroazobenzenes and establish structure-property relationships regarding spectral qualities, visible light isomerization efficiency and thermal stability of the cis-isomer with respect to the degree of o-substitution and choice of amino substituent. We rationalize the experimental results with quantum chemical calculations, revealing the nature of low-lying excited states and providing insight into thermal isomerization. The synthesized azobenzenes absorb at up to 600 nm and their thermal cis-lifetimes range from milliseconds to months. The most unique example can be driven from trans to cis with any wavelength from UV up to 595 nm, while still exhibiting a thermal cis-lifetime of 81 days. <br /> [GRAPHICS] <br /> .
The alpha-Al2O3(0001) surface has been extensively studied because of its significance in both fundamental research and application. Prior work suggests that in ultra-high-vacuum (UHV), in the absence of water, the so-called Al-I termination is thermodynamically favored, while in ambient, in contact with liquid water, a Gibbsite-like layer is created. While the view of the alpha- Al2O3(0001)/H2O(l) interface appears relatively clear in theory, experimental characterization of this system has resulted in estimates of surface acidity, i.e., isoelectric points, that differ by 4 pH units and surface structure that in some reports has non-hydrogen-bonded surface aluminol (Al-OH) groups and in others does not. In this study, we employed vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS) and density functional theory (DFT) simulation to study the surface phonon modes of the differently terminated alpha-Al2O3(0001) surfaces in both UHV and ambient. We find that, on either water dosing of the Al-I in UHV or heat-induced dehydroxylation of the Gibbsite-like in ambient, the surfaces do not interconvert. This observation offers a new explanation for disagreements in prior work on the alpha-Al2O3(0001)/liquid water interface -different preparation methods may create surfaces that do not interconvert-and shows that the surface phonon spectral response offers a novel probe of interfacial hydrogen bonding structure.
The quest for "chemical accuracy" is becoming more and more demanded in the field of structure and kinetics of molecules at solid surfaces. In this paper, as an example, we focus on the barrier for hydrogen diffusion on a alpha-Al2O3 (0001) surface, aiming for a couple cluster singles, doubles, and perturbative triples [CCSD(T)]-level benchmark. We employ the density functional theory (DFT) optimized minimum and transition state structures reported by Heiden, Usvyat, and Saalfrank [J. Phys. Chem. C 123, 6675 (2019)]. The barrier is first evaluated at the periodic Hartree-Fock and local Moller-Plesset second-order perturbation (MP2) level of theory. The possible sources of errors are then analyzed, which includes basis set incompleteness error, frozen core, density fitting, local approximation errors, as well as the MP2 method error. Using periodic and embedded fragment models, corrections to these errors are evaluated. In particular, two corrections are found to be non-negligible (both from the chemical accuracy perspective and at the scale of the barrier value of 0.72 eV): the correction to the frozen core-approximation of 0.06 eV and the CCSD(T) correction of 0.07 eV. Our correlated wave function results are compared to barriers obtained from DFT. Among the tested DFT functionals, the best performing for this barrier is B3LYP-D3.
When new covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are designed, the main efforts are typically focused on selecting specific building blocks with certain geometries and properties to control the structure and function of the final COFs. The nature of the linkage (imine, boroxine, vinyl, etc.) between these building blocks naturally also defines their properties. However, besides the linkage type, the orientation, i.e., the constitutional isomerism of these linkages, has rarely been considered so far as an essential aspect. In this work, three pairs of constitutionally isomeric imine-linked donor-acceptor (D-A) COFs are synthesized, which are different in the orientation of the imine bonds (D-C=N-A (DCNA) and D-N=C-A (DNCA)). The constitutional isomers show substantial differences in their photophysical properties and consequently in their photocatalytic performance. Indeed, all DCNA COFs show enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution performance than the corresponding DNCA COFs. Besides the imine COFs shown here, it can be concluded that the proposed concept of constitutional isomerism of linkages in COFs is quite universal and should be considered when designing and tuning the properties of COFs.
Recent experiments on laser-dissociation of aligned homonuclear diatomic molecules show an asymmetric forward-backward (spatial) electron-localization along the laser polarization axis. Most theoretical models attribute this asymmetry to interference effects between gerade and ungerade vibronic states. Presumably due to alignment, these models neglect molecular rotations and hence infer an asymmetric (post-dissociation) charge distribution over the two identical nuclei. In this paper, we question the equivalence that is made between spatial electron-localization, observed in experiments, and atomic electron-localization, alluded by these theoretical models. We show that (seeming) agreement between these models and experiments is due to an unfortunate omission of nuclear permutation symmetry, i.e., quantum statistics. Enforcement of the latter requires mandatory inclusion of the molecular rotational degree of freedom, even for perfectly aligned molecules. Unlike previous interpretations, we ascribe spatial electron-localization to the laser creation of a rovibronic wavepacket that involves field-free molecular eigenstates with opposite space-inversion symmetry i.e., even and odd parity. Space-inversion symmetry breaking would then lead to an asymmetric distribution of the (space-fixed) electronic density over the forward and backward hemisphere. However, owing to the simultaneous coexistence of two indistinguishable molecular orientational isomers, our analytical and computational results show that the post-dissociation electronic density along a specified space-fixed axis is equally shared between the two identical nuclei-a result that is in perfect accordance with the principle of the indistinguishability of identical particles. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.
The electronic structure of the metal-organic interface of isolated ligand coated gold nanoparticles
(2022)
Light induced electron transfer reactions of molecules on the surface of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) depend significantly on the electronic properties of the metal-organic interface. Hybridized metal-molecule states and dipoles at the interface alter the work function and facilitate or hinder electron transfer between the NPs and ligand. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements of isolated AuNPs coated with thiolated ligands in a vacuum have been performed as a function of photon energy, and the depth dependent information of the metal-organic interface has been obtained. The role of surface dipoles in the XPS measurements of isolated ligand coated NPs is discussed and the binding energy of the Au 4f states is shifted by around 0.8 eV in the outer atomic layers of 4-nitrothiophenol coated AuNPs, facilitating electron transport towards the molecules. Moreover, the influence of the interface dipole depends significantly on the adsorbed ligand molecules. The present study paves the way towards the engineering of the electronic properties of the nanoparticle surface, which is of utmost importance for the application of plasmonic nanoparticles in the fields of heterogeneous catalysis and solar energy conversion.
Vibrational dynamics of adsorbates near surfaces plays both an important role for applied surface science and as a model lab for studying fundamental problems of open quantum systems. We employ a previously developed model for the relaxation of a D-Si-Si bending mode at a D:Si(100)-(2 x 1) surface, induced by a "bath " of more than 2000 phonon modes [Lorenz and P. Saalfrank, Chem. Phys. 482, 69 (2017)], to extend previous work along various directions. First, we use a Hierarchical Effective Mode (HEM) model [Fischer et al., J. Chem. Phys. 153, 064704 (2020)] to study relaxation of higher excited vibrational states than hitherto done by solving a high-dimensional system-bath time-dependent Schrodinger equation (TDSE). In the HEM approach, (many) real bath modes are replaced by (much less) effective bath modes. Accordingly, we are able to examine scaling laws for vibrational relaxation lifetimes for a realistic surface science problem. Second, we compare the performance of the multilayer multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree (ML-MCTDH) approach with that of the recently developed coherent-state-based multi-Davydov-D2 Ansatz [Zhou et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 014113 (2015)]. Both approaches work well, with some computational advantages for the latter in the presented context. Third, we apply open-system density matrix theory in comparison with basically "exact " solutions of the multi-mode TDSEs. Specifically, we use an open-system Liouville-von Neumann (LvN) equation treating vibration-phonon coupling as Markovian dissipation in Lindblad form to quantify effects beyond the Born-Markov approximation. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.
It has been experimentally demonstrated that reaction rates for molecules embedded in microfluidic optical cavities are altered when compared to rates observed under "ordinary" reaction conditions. However, precise mechanisms of how strong coupling of an optical cavity mode to molecular vibrations affects the reactivity and how resonance behavior emerges are still under dispute. In the present work, we approach these mechanistic issues from the perspective of a thermal model reaction, the inversion of ammonia along the umbrella mode, in the presence of a single-cavity mode of varying frequency and coupling strength. A topological analysis of the related cavity Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surface in combination with quantum mechanical and transition state theory rate calculations reveals two quantum effects, leading to decelerated reaction rates in qualitative agreement with experiments: the stiffening of quantized modes perpendicular to the reaction path at the transition state, which reduces the number of thermally accessible reaction channels, and the broadening of the barrier region, which attenuates tunneling. We find these two effects to be very robust in a fluctuating environment, causing statistical variations of potential parameters, such as the barrier height. Furthermore, by solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation in the vibrational strong coupling regime, we identify a resonance behavior, in qualitative agreement with experimental and earlier theoretical work. The latter manifests as reduced reaction probability when the cavity frequency omega(c) is tuned resonant to a molecular reactant frequency. We find this effect to be based on the dynamical localization of the vibro-polaritonic wavepacket in the reactant well.
A cationic surfactant containing a spiropyrane unit is prepared exhibiting a dual-responsive adjustability of its surface-active characteristics. The switching mechanism of the system relies on the reversible conversion of the non-ionic spiropyrane (SP) to a zwitterionic merocyanine (MC) and can be controlled by adjusting the pH value and via light, resulting in a pH-dependent photoactivity: While the compound possesses a pronounced difference in surface activity between both forms under acidic conditions, this behavior is suppressed at a neutral pH level. The underlying switching processes are investigated in detail, and a thermodynamic explanation based on a combination of theoretical and experimental results is provided. This complex stimuli-responsive behavior enables remote-control of colloidal systems. To demonstrate its applicability, the surfactant is utilized for the pH-dependent manipulation of oil-in-water emulsions.
Modern laser technology and ultrafast spectroscopies have pushed the timescales for detecting and manipulating dynamical processes in molecules from the picosecond over femtosecond domains, to the attosecond regime (1 as = 10(-18) s). This way, real-time dynamics of electrons after their photoexcitation can be probed and manipulated. In particular, experiments are moving more and more from atomic and solid state systems to molecules, opening the fields of "molecular electron dynamics" and "attosecond chemistry." Also on the theory side, powerful quantum dynamical tools have been developed to rationalize experiments on ultrafast electron dynamics in molecular species. <br /> In this contribution, we concentrate on theoretical aspects of ultrafast electron dynamics in molecules, mostly driven by lasers. The dynamics will be described with the help of wavefunction-based ab initio methods such as time-dependent configuration interaction (TD-CI) or the multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree-Fock (MCTDHF) methods. Besides a survey of the methods and their extensions toward, e.g., treatment of ionization, laser pulse optimization, and open quantum systems, two specific examples of applications will be considered: The creation and/or dynamical fate of electronic wavepackets, and the nonlinear optical response to laser pulse excitation in molecules by high harmonic generation (HHG).
CO oxidation on Ru(0001) is a long-standing example of a reaction that, being thermally forbidden in ultrahigh vacuum, can be activated by femtosecond laser pulses. In spite of its relevance, the precise dynamics of the photoinduced oxidation process as well as the reasons behind the dominant role of the competing CO photodesorption remain unclear. Here we use ab initio molecular dynamics with electronic friction that account for the highly excited and nonequilibrated system created by the laser to investigate both reactions. Our simulations successfully reproduce the main experimental findings: the existence of photoinduced oxidation and desorption, the large desorption to oxidation branching ratio, and the changes in the O K-edge X-ray absorption spectra attributed to the initial stage of the oxidation process. Now, we are able to monitor in detail the ultrafast CO desorption and CO oxidation occurring in the highly excited system and to disentangle what causes the unexpected inertness to the otherwise energetically favored oxidation.
Quantum mechanical tunnelling describes transmission of matter waves through a barrier with height larger than the energy of the wave(1). Tunnelling becomes important when the de Broglie wavelength of the particle exceeds the barrier thickness; because wavelength increases with decreasing mass, lighter particles tunnel more efficiently than heavier ones. However, there exist examples in condensed-phase chemistry where increasing mass leads to increased tunnelling rates(2). In contrast to the textbook approach, which considers transitions between continuum states, condensed-phase reactions involve transitions between bound states of reactants and products. Here this conceptual distinction is highlighted by experimental measurements of isotopologue-specific tunnelling rates for CO rotational isomerization at an NaCl surface(3,4), showing nonmonotonic mass dependence. A quantum rate theory of isomerization is developed wherein transitions between sub-barrier reactant and product states occur through interaction with the environment. Tunnelling is fastest for specific pairs of states (gateways), the quantum mechanical details of which lead to enhanced cross-barrier coupling; the energies of these gateways arise nonsystematically, giving an erratic mass dependence. Gateways also accelerate ground-state isomerization, acting as leaky holes through the reaction barrier. This simple model provides a way to account for tunnelling in condensed-phase chemistry, and indicates that heavy-atom tunnelling may be more important than typically assumed.
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering is a powerful approach to detect molecules at very low concentrations, even up to the single-molecule level. One important aspect of the materials used in such a technique is how much the signal is intensified, quantified by the enhancement factor (EF). Herein we obtained the EFs for gold nanoparticle dimers of 60 and 80 nm diameter, respectively, self-assembled using DNA origami nanotriangles. Cy5 and TAMRA were used as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probes, which enable the observation of individual nanoparticles and dimers. EF distributions are determined at four distinct wavelengths based on the measurements of around 1000 individual dimer structures. The obtained results show that the EFs for the dimeric assemblies follow a log-normal distribution and are in the range of 10(6) at 633 nm and that the contribution of the molecular resonance effect to the EF is around 2, also showing that the plasmonic resonance is the main source of the observed signal. To support our studies, FDTD simulations of the nanoparticle's electromagnetic field enhancement has been carried out, as well as calculations of the resonance Raman spectra of the dyes using DFT. We observe a very close agreement between the experimental EF distribution and the simulated values.
The response of the hydrogen molecular ion, H-2(+), to few-cycle laser pulses of different intensities is simulated. To treat the coupled electron-nuclear motion, we use adiabatic potentials computed with Gaussian-type basis sets together with a heuristic ionization model for the electron and a grid representation for the nuclei. Using this mixed-basis approach, the time-dependent Schrodinger equation is solved, either within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation or with nonadiabatic couplings included. The dipole response spectra are compared to all-grid-based solutions for the three-body problem, which we take as a reference to benchmark the Gaussian-type basis set approaches. Also, calculations employing the fixed-nuclei approximation are performed, to quantify effects due to nuclear motion. For low intensities and small ionization probabilities, we get excellent agreement of the dynamics using Gaussian-type basis sets with the all-grid solutions. Our investigations suggest that high harmonic generation (HHG) and high-frequency response, in general, can be reliably modeled using Gaussian-type basis sets for the electrons for not too high harmonics. Further, nuclear motion destroys electronic coherences in the response spectra even on the time scale of about 30 fs and affects HHG intensities, which reflect the electron dynamics occurring on the attosecond time scale. For the present system, non-Born-Oppenheimer effects are small. The Gaussian-based, nonadiabatically coupled, time-dependent multisurface approach to treat quantum electron-nuclear motion beyond the non-Born-Oppenheimer approximation can be easily extended to approximate wavefunction methods, such as time-dependent configuration interaction singles (TD-CIS), for systems where no benchmarks are available.
Azobenzenes easily photoswitch in solution, while their photoisomerization at surfaces is often hindered. In recent work, it was demonstrated by nonadiabatic molecular dynamics with trajectory surface hopping [Titov et al., J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2016, 7, 3591-3596] that the experimentally observed suppression of trans -> cis isomerization yields in azobenzenes in a densely packed SAM (self-assembled monolayer) [Gahl et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 1831-1838] is dominated by steric hindrance. In the present work, we systematically study by ground-state Langevin and nonadiabatic surface hopping dynamics, the effects of decreasing packing density on (i) UV/vis absorption spectra, (ii) trans -> cis isomerization yields, and (iii) excited-state lifetimes of photoexcited azobenzene. Within the quantum mechanics/ molecular mechanics models adopted here, we find that above a packing density of similar to 3 molecules/nm(2), switching yields are strongly reduced, while at smaller packing densities, the "monomer limit" is quickly approached. The UV/vis absorption spectra, on the other hand, depend on packing density over a larger range (down to at least similar to 1 molecule/nm(2)). Trends for excited-state lifetimes are less obvious, but it is found that lifetimes of pi pi* excited states decay monotonically with decreasing coverage. Effects of fluorination of the switches are also discussed for single, free molecules. Fluorination leads to comparatively large trans -> cis yields, in combination with long pi pi* lifetimes. Furthermore, for selected systems, also the effects of n pi* excitation at longer excitation wavelengths have been studied, which is found to enhance trans -> cis yields for free molecules but can lead to an opposite behavior in densely packed SAMs.
We discuss an efficient Hierarchical Effective Mode (HEM) representation of a high-dimensional harmonic oscillator bath, which describes phonon-driven vibrational relaxation of an adsorbate-surface system, namely, deuterium adsorbed on Si(100). Starting from the original Hamiltonian of the adsorbate-surface system, the HEM representation is constructed via iterative orthogonal transformations, which are efficiently implemented with Householder matrices. The detailed description of the HEM representation and its construction are given in the second quantization representation. The hierarchical nature of this representation allows access to the exact quantum dynamics of the adsorbate-surface system over finite time intervals, controllable via the truncation order of the hierarchy. To study the convergence properties of the effective mode representation, we solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation of the truncated system-bath HEM Hamiltonian, with the help of the multilayer extension of the Multiconfigurational Time-Dependent Hartree (ML-MCTDH) method. The results of the HEM representation are compared with those obtained with a quantum-mechanical tier-model. The convergence of the HEM representation with respect to the truncation order of the hierarchy is discussed for different initial conditions of the adsorbate-surface system. The combination of the HEM representation with the ML-MCTDH method provides information on the time evolution of the system (adsorbate) and multiple effective modes of the bath (surface). This permits insight into mechanisms of vibration-phonon coupling of the adsorbate-surface system, as well as inter-mode couplings of the effective bath.
Following excited-state chemical shifts in molecular ultrafast x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
(2022)
The conversion of photon energy into other energetic forms in molecules is accompanied by charge moving on ultrafast timescales. We directly observe the charge motion at a specific site in an electronically excited molecule using time-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-XPS). We extend the concept of static chemical shift from conventional XPS by the excited-state chemical shift (ESCS), which is connected to the charge in the framework of a potential model. This allows us to invert TR-XPS spectra to the dynamic charge at a specific atom. We demonstrate the power of TR-XPS by using sulphur 2p-core-electron-emission probing to study the UV-excited dynamics of 2-thiouracil. The method allows us to discover that a major part of the population relaxes to the molecular ground state within 220–250 fs. In addition, a 250-fs oscillation, visible in the kinetic energy of the TR-XPS, reveals a coherent exchange of population among electronic states.
Following excited-state chemical shifts in molecular ultrafast x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
(2022)
The conversion of photon energy into other energetic forms in molecules is accompanied by charge moving on ultrafast timescales. We directly observe the charge motion at a specific site in an electronically excited molecule using time-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-XPS). We extend the concept of static chemical shift from conventional XPS by the excited-state chemical shift (ESCS), which is connected to the charge in the framework of a potential model. This allows us to invert TR-XPS spectra to the dynamic charge at a specific atom. We demonstrate the power of TR-XPS by using sulphur 2p-core-electron-emission probing to study the UV-excited dynamics of 2-thiouracil. The method allows us to discover that a major part of the population relaxes to the molecular ground state within 220–250 fs. In addition, a 250-fs oscillation, visible in the kinetic energy of the TR-XPS, reveals a coherent exchange of population among electronic states.
Porous, layered materials containing sp(2)-hybridized carbon and nitrogen atoms, offer through their tunable properties, a versatile route towards tailormade catalysts for electrochemistry and photochemistry. A key molecule interacting with these quasi two-dimensional materials (2DM) is water, and a photo(electro)chemical key reaction catalyzed by them, is water splitting into H-2 and O-2, with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) as half reactions. The complexity of some C/N-based 2DM in contact with water raises special needs for their theoretical modelling, which in turn is needed for rational design of C/N-based catalysts. In this work, three classes of C/N-containing porous 2DM with varying pore sizes and C/N ratios, namely graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), C2N, and poly(heptazine imides) (PHI), are studied with various computational methods. We elucidate the performance of different models and model chemistries (the combination of electronic structure method and basis set) for water and water fragment adsorption in the low-coverage regime. Further, properties related to the photo(electro)chemical activity like electrochemical overpotentials, band gaps, and optical excitation energies are in our focus. Specifically, periodic models will be tested vs. cluster models, and density functional theory (DFT) vs. wavefunction theory (WFT). This work serves as a basis for a systematic study of trends for the photo(electro)chemical activity of C/N-containing layered materials as a function of water content, pore size and density.
We introduce a thermofield-based formulation of the multilayer multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) method to study finite temperature effects on non-adiabatic quantum dynamics from a non-stochastic, wave function perspective. Our approach is based on the formal equivalence of bosonic many-body theory at zero temperature with a doubled number of degrees of freedom and the thermal quasi-particle representation of bosonic thermofield dynamics (TFD). This equivalence allows for a transfer of bosonic many-body MCTDH as introduced by Wang and Thoss to the finite temperature framework of thermal quasi-particle TFD. As an application, we study temperature effects on the ultrafast internal conversion dynamics in pyrazine. We show that finite temperature effects can be efficiently accounted for in the construction of multilayer expansions of thermofield states in the framework presented herein. Furthermore, we find our results to agree well with existing studies on the pyrazine model based on the pMCTDH method.
With recent experimental advances in laser-driven electron dynamics in polyatomic molecules, the need arises for their reliable theoretical modelling. Among efficient, yet fairly accurate methods for many-electron dynamics are Time-Dependent Configuration Interaction Singles (TD-CIS) (a Wave Function Theory (WFT) method), and Real-Time Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (RT-TD-DFT), respectively. Here we compare TD-CIS combined with extended Atomic Orbital (AO) bases, TD-CIS/AO, with RT-TD-DFT in a grid representation of the Kohn-Sham orbitals, RT-TD-DFT/Grid. Possible ionization losses are treated by complex absorbing potentials in energy space (for TD-CIS/AO) or real space (for RT-TD-DFT), respectively. The comparison is made for two test cases: (i) state-to-state transitions using resonant lasers (pi-pulses), i.e., bound electron motion, and (ii) large-amplitude electron motion leading to High Harmonic Generation (HHG). Test systems are a H-2 molecule and cis- and trans-1,2-dichlorethene, C2H2Cl2, (DCE). From time-dependent electronic energies, dipole moments and from HHG spectra, the following observations are made: first, for bound state-to-state transitions enforced by pi-pulses, TD-CIS nicely accounts for the expected population inversion in contrast to RT-TD-DFT, in agreement with earlier findings. Secondly, when using laser pulses under non-resonant conditions, dipole moments and lower harmonics in HHG spectra are obtained by TD-CIS/AO which are in good agreement with those obtained with RT-TD-DFT/Grid. Deviations become larger for higher harmonics and at low laser intensities, i.e., for low-intensity HHG signals. We also carefully test effects of basis sets for TD-CIS/AO and grid size for RT-TD-DFT/Grid, different exchange-correlation functionals in RT-TD-DFT, and absorbing boundaries. Finally, for the present examples, TD-CIS/AO is observed to be at least an order of magnitude more computationally efficient than RT-TD-DFT/Grid.
Photosensitive azobenzene-containing surfactants have attracted great attention in past years because they offer a means to control soft-matter transformations with light. At concentrations higher than the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the surfactant molecules aggregate and form micelles, which leads to a slowdown of the photoinduced trans -> cis azobenzene isomerization. Here, we combine nonadiabatic dynamics simulations for the surfactant molecules embedded in the micelles with absorption spectroscopy measurements of micellar solutions to uncover the reasons responsible for the reaction slowdown. Our simulations reveal a decrease of isomerization quantum yields for molecules inside the micelles. We also observe a reduction of extinction coefficients upon micellization. These findings explain the deceleration of the trans -> cis switching in micelles of the azobenzene-containing surfactants.
Somewhat surprisingly, inverted ("O-down") CO adsorbates on NaCl(100) were recently observed experimentally after infrared vibrational excitation (Lau et al., Science, 2020, 367, 175-178). Here we characterize these species using periodic density functional theory and a quantum mechanical description of vibrations. We determine stationary points and minimum energy paths for CO inversion, for low (1/8 and 1/4 monolayers (ML)) and high (1 ML) coverages. Transition state theory is applied to estimate thermal rates for "C-down" to "O-down" isomerization and the reverse process. For the 1/4 ML p(1 x 1) structure, two-dimensional and three-dimensional potential energy surfaces and corresponding anharmonic vibrational eigenstates obtained from the time-independent nuclear Schrodinger equation are presented. We find (i) rather coverage-independent CO inversion energies (of about 0.08 eV or 8 kJ mol(-1) per CO) and corresponding classical activation energies for "C-down" to "O-down" isomerization (of about 0.15 eV or 14 kJ mol(-1) per CO); (ii) thermal isomerization rates at 22 K which are vanishingly small for the "C-down" to "O-down" isomerization but non-negligible for the back reaction; (iii) several "accidentally degenerate" pairs of eigenstates well below the barrier, each pair describing "C-down" to "O-down" localized states.
Recent experiments and theory suggest that ground state properties and reactivity of molecules can be modified when placed inside a nanoscale cavity, giving rise to strong coupling between vibrational modes and the quantized cavity field. This is commonly thought to be caused either by a cavity-distorted Born-Oppenheimer ground state potential or by the formation of light-matter hybrid states, vibrational polaritons. Here, we systematically study the effect of a cavity on ground state properties and infrared spectra of single molecules, considering vibration-cavity coupling strengths from zero up to the vibrational ultrastrong coupling regime. Using single-mode models for Li-H and O-H stretch modes and for the NH3 inversion mode, respectively, a single cavity mode in resonance with vibrational transitions is coupled to position-dependent molecular dipole functions. We address the influence of the cavity mode on polariton ground state energies, equilibrium bond lengths, dissociation energies, activation energies for isomerization, and on vibro-polaritonic infrared spectra. In agreement with earlier work, we observe all mentioned properties being strongly affected by the cavity, but only if the dipole self-energy contribution in the interaction Hamiltonian is neglected. When this term is included, these properties do not depend significantly on the coupling anymore. Vibro-polaritonic infrared spectra, in contrast, are always affected by the cavity mode due to the formation of excited vibrational polaritons. It is argued that the quantized nature of vibrational polaritons is key to not only interpreting molecular spectra in cavities but also understanding the experimentally observed modification of molecular reactivity in cavities.
Recently, Nocera and co-workers (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 13711) demonstrated that triaryl borate Lewis acids facilitate the direct electrochemical reduction of triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) to triphenylphosphine (TPP). In the present contribution, we report a quantum chemical study unravelling details of the reaction, which also supports the proposed ECrECi mechanism. Alternative electrochemical routes to TPPO reduction facilitated by other Lewis acids (CH3+), or by photocatalysis at semiconductor surfaces, are also briefly discussed.
We present a rigorous method to set up a system-bath Hamiltonian for the coupling of adsorbate vibrations (the system) to surface phonons (the bath). The Hamiltonian is straightforward to derive and exact up to second order in the environment coordinates, thus capable of treating one- and two-phonon contributions to vibration-phonon coupling. The construction of the Hamiltonian uses orthogonal coordinates for system and bath modes, is based on an embedded cluster approach, and generalizes previous Hamiltonians of a similar type, but avoids several (additional) approximations. While the parametrization of the full Hamiltonian is in principle feasible by a first principles quantum mechanical treatment, here we adopt in the spirit of a QM/MM model a combination of density functional theory (“QM”, for the system) and a semiempirical forcefield (“MM”, for the bath). We apply the Hamiltonian to a fully H-covered Si(100)-(2 × 1) surface, using Fermi’s Golden Rule to obtain vibrational relaxation rates of various H–Si bending modes of this system. As in earlier work it is found that the relaxation is dominated by two-phonon contributions because of an energy gap between the Si–H bending modes and the Si phonon bands. We obtain vibrational lifetimes (of the first excited state) on the order of 2 ps at K. The lifetimes depend only little on the type of bending mode (symmetric vs. antisymmetric, parallel vs. perpendicular to the Si2H2 dimers). They decrease by a factor of about two when heating the surface to 300 K. We also study isotope effects by replacing adsorbed H atoms by deuterium, D. The Si–D bending modes are shifted into the Si phonon band of the solid, opening up one-phonon decay channels and reducing the lifetimes to few hundred fs.
A variety of azobenzenes were synthesized to study the behavior of their E and Z isomers upon electrochemical reduction. Our results show that the radical anion of the Z isomer is able to rapidly isomerize to the corresponding E configured counterpart with a dramatically enhanced rate as compared to the neutral species. Due to a subsequent electron transfer from the formed E radical anion to the neutral Z starting material the overall transformation is catalytic in electrons; i.e., a substoichiometric amount of reduced species can isomerize the entire mixture. This pathway greatly increases the efficiency of (photo)switching while also allowing one to reach photostationary state compositions that are not restricted to the spectral separation of the individual azobenzene isomers and their quantum yields. In addition, activating this radical isomerization pathway with photoelectron transfer agents allows us to override the intrinsic properties of an azobenzene species by triggering the reverse isomerization direction (Z -> E) by the same wavelength of light, which normally triggers E -> Z isomerization. The behavior we report appears to be general, implying that the metastable isomer of a photoswitch can be isomerized to the more stable one catalytically upon reduction, permitting the optimization of azobenzene switching in new as well as indirect ways.
We report on photoinduced remote control of work function and surface potential of a silicon surface modified with a photosensitive self-assembled monolayer consisting of chemisorbed azobenzene molecules (4-nitroazobenzene). Itwas found that the attachment of the organic monolayer increases the work function by hundreds of meV due to the increase in the electron affinity of silicon substrates. The change in the work function on UV light illumination is more pronounced for the azobenzene jacketed silicon substrate (ca. 250 meV) in comparison to 50 meV for the unmodified surface. Moreover, the photoisomerization of azobenzene results in complex kinetics of thework function change: immediate decrease due to light-driven processes in the silicon surface followed by slower recovery to the initial state due to azobenzene isomerization. This behavior could be of interest for electronic devices where the reaction on irradiation should be more pronounced at small time scales but the overall surface potential should stay constant over time independent of the irradiation conditions. Published by AIP Publishing.
Vibrationally resolved lowest-energy bands of the photoelectron spectra (PES) of adamantane, diamantane, and urotropine were simulated by a time-dependent correlation function approach within the harmonic approximation. Geometries and normal modes for neutral and cationic molecules were obtained from B3LYP hybrid density functional theory (DFT). It is shown that the simulated spectra reproduce the experimentally observed vibrational finestructure (or its absence) quite well. Origins of the finestructure are discussed and related to recurrences of autocorrelation functions and dominant vibrations. Remaining quantitative and qualitative errors of the DFT-derived PES spectra refer to (i) an overall redshift by ∼0.5 eV and (ii) the absence of satellites in the high-energy region of the spectra. The former error is shown to be due to the neglect of many-body corrections to ordinary Kohn-Sham methods, while the latter has been argued to be due to electron-nuclear couplings beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation [Gali et al., Nat. Commun. 7, 11327 (2016)].
α-Al2O3 surfaces are common in a wide variety of applications and useful models of more complicated, environmentally abundant, alumino-silicate surfaces. While decades of work have clarified that all properties of these surfaces depend sensitively on the crystal face and the presence of even small amounts of water, quantitative insight into this dependence has proven challenging. Overcoming this challenge requires systematic study of the mechanism by which water interacts with various α-Al2O3 surfaces. Such insight is most easily gained for the interaction of small amounts of water with surfaces in ultra high vacuum. In this study, we continue our combined theoretical and experimental approach to this problem, previously applied to water interaction with the α-Al2O3 (0001) and (11̅02) surfaces, now to water interaction with the third most stable surface, that is, the (112̅0). Because we characterize all three surfaces using similar tools, it is straightforward to conclude that the (112̅0) is most reactive with water. The most important factor explaining its increased reactivity is that the high density of undercoordinated surface Al atoms on the (112̅0) surface allows the bidentate adsorption of OH fragments originating from dissociatively adsorbed water, while only monodentate adsorption is possible on the (0001) and (11̅02) surfaces: the reactivity of α-Al2O3 surfaces with water depends strongly, and nonlinearly, on the density of undercoordinated surface Al atoms.
Azobenzene-based molecular photoswitches are becoming increasingly important for the development of photoresponsive, functional soft-matter material systems. Upon illumination with light, fast interconversion between a more stable trans and a metastable cis configuration can be established resulting in pronounced changes in conformation, dipole moment or hydrophobicity. A rational design of functional photosensitive molecules with embedded azo moieties requires a thorough understanding of isomerization mechanisms and rates, especially the thermally activated relaxation. For small azo derivatives considered in the gas phase or simple solvents, Eyring’s classical transition state theory (TST) approach yields useful predictions for trends in activation energies or corresponding half-life times of the cis isomer. However, TST or improved theories cannot easily be applied when the azo moiety is part of a larger molecular complex or embedded into a heterogeneous environment, where a multitude of possible reaction pathways may exist. In these cases, only the sampling of an ensemble of dynamic reactive trajectories (transition path sampling, TPS) with explicit models of the environment may reveal the nature of the processes involved. In the present work we show how a TPS approach can conveniently be implemented for the phenomenon of relaxation–isomerization of azobenzenes starting with the simple examples of pure azobenzene and a push–pull derivative immersed in a polar (DMSO) and apolar (toluene) solvent. The latter are represented explicitly at a molecular mechanical (MM) and the azo moiety at a quantum mechanical (QM) level. We demonstrate for the push–pull azobenzene that path sampling in combination with the chosen QM/MM scheme produces the expected change in isomerization pathway from inversion to rotation in going from a low to a high permittivity (explicit) solvent model. We discuss the potential of the simulation procedure presented for comparative calculation of reaction rates and an improved understanding of activated states.
Using gradient- and dispersion-corrected density functional theory in connection with ab initio molecular dynamics and efficient, parametrized Velocity-Velocity Autocorrelation Function (VVAF) methodology, we study the vibrational spectra (Vibrational Sum Frequency, VSF, and infrared, IR) of hydroxylated alpha-Al2O3(0001) surfaces with and without additional water. Specifically, by considering a naked hydroxylated surface and the same surface with a particularly stable, "ice-like" hexagonal water later allows us to identify and disentangle main spectroscopic bands of OH bonds, their orientation and dynamics, and the role of water adsorption. In particular, we assign spectroscopic signals around 3700 cm(-1) as being dominated by perpendicularly oriented non-hydrogen bonded aluminol groups, with and without additional water. Furthermore, the thin water layer gives spectroscopic signals which are already comparable to previous theoretical and experimental findings for the solid/(bulk) liquid interface, showing that water molecules closest to the surface play a decisive role in the vibrational response of these systems. From a methodological point of view, the effects of temperature, anharmonicity, hydrogen-bonding, and structural dynamics are taken into account and analyzed, allowing us to compare the calculated IR and VSF spectra with the ones based on normal mode analysis and vibrational density of states. The VVAF approach employed in this work appears to be a computationally accurate yet feasible method to address the vibrational fingerprints and dynamical properties of water/metal oxide interfaces. Published by AIP Publishing.
Whereas the reversible reduction of azobenzenes has been known for decades, their oxidation is destructive and as a result has been notoriously overlooked. Here, we show that a chain reaction leading to quantitative Z -> E isomerization can be initiated before reaching the destructive anodic peak potential. This hole-catalyzed pathway is accessible to all azobenzenes, without exception, and offers tremendous advantages over the recently reported reductive, radical-anionic pathway because it allows for convenient chemical initiation without the need for electrochemical setups and in the presence of air. In addition, catalytic amounts of metal-free sensitizers, such as methylene blue, can be used as excited-state electron acceptors, enabling a shift of the excitation wavelength to the far red of the azobenzene absorption (up to 660 nm) and providing quantum yields exceeding unity (up to 200%). Our approach will boost the efficiency and sensitivity of optically dense liquid-crystalline and solid photo-switchable materials.
Recent molecular beam experiments have shown that water may adsorb molecularly or dissociatively on an α-Al2O3(0001) surface, with enhanced dissociation probability compared to “pinhole dosing”, i.e., adsorption under thermal equilibrium conditions. However, precise information on the ongoing reactions and their relative probabilities is missing. In order to shed light on molecular beam scattering for this system, we perform ab initio molecular dynamics calculations to simulate water colliding with α-Al2O3(0001). We find that single water molecules hitting a cold, clean surface from the gas phase are either reflected, molecularly adsorbed, or dissociated (so-called 1–2 dissociation only). A certain minimum translational energy (above 0.1 eV) seems to be required to enforce dissociation, which may explain the higher dissociation probability in molecular beam experiments. When the surface is heated and/or when refined surface and beam models are applied (preadsorption with water or water fragments, clustering and internal preexcitation in the beam), additional channels open, among them physisorption, water clustering on the surface, and so-called 1–4 and 1–4′ dissociation.
Pump-probe near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (PP-NEXAFS) spectra of molecules offer insight into valence-excited states, even if optically dark. In PP-NEXAFS spectroscopy, the molecule is "pumped" by UV or visible light enforcing a valence excitation, followed by an X-ray "probe" exciting core electrons into (now) partially empty valence orbitals. Calculations of PP-NEXAFS have so far been done by costly, correlated wavefunction methods which are not easily applicable to medium-sized or large molecules. Here we propose an efficient, first principles method based on density functional theory in combination with the transition potential and Delta SCF methodology (TP-DFT/Delta SCF) to compute molecular ground state and PP-NEXAFS spectra. We apply the method to n ->pi* pump/O-K-edge NEXAFS probe spectroscopy of thymine (for which both experimental and other theoretical data exist) and to n -> pi* or pi -> pi* pump/N-K-edge NEXAFS probe spectroscopies of trans-and cis-azobenzene. Published by AIP Publishing.
Combining photochromism and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of molecular switches-functionalized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) represents a promising concept toward novel photonic and optoelectronic devices. Using second harmonic generation, density functional theory, and correlated wave function methods, we studied the switching abilities as well as the NLO contrasts between different molecular states of various fulgimide-containing SAMs on Si(111). Controlled variations of the linker systems as well as of the fulgimides enabled us to demonstrate very efficient reversible photoinduced ring-opening/closure reactions between the open and closed forms of the fulgimides. Thus, effective cross sections on the order of 10(-18) cm(-2) are observed. Moreover, the reversible switching is accompanied by pronounced NLO contrasts up to 32%. Further molecular engineering of the photochromic switches and the linker systems may even increase the NLO contrast upon switching.
Vibrationally resolved absorption and emission (fluorescence) spectra of perylene and its N-derivatives in gas phase and in solution (acetonitrile) were simulated using a time-dependent approach based on correlation functions determined by density functional theory. By systematically varying the number and position of N atoms, it is shown that the presence of nitrogen heteroatoms has a negligible effect on the molecular structure and geometric distortions upon electronic transitions, while spectral properties change: in particular the number of N atoms is important while their position is less decisive. Thus, the N-substitution can be used to fine-tune the optical properties of perylene-based molecules.
The quantum chemical description of the adsorption, vibrations, and reactions of molecules at periodic solid surfaces is frequently based on a methodological "standard model": density functional theory (DFT) in the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), using plane wave bases and three-dimensional supercells. Although the computationally efficient GGA functionals can be very successful, cases are known where they do not perform so well. Most importantly, activation energies for chemical reactions are typically underestimated, with the consequence of computed reaction rates being too large. In this work, we consider a well-studied model system: water or water fragments adsorbed on an Al-terminated alpha-Al2O3(0001) surface as a test bed for studying the performance of electronic structure methods, both from DFT and wave function theory. On the DFT side, we employ two GGA exchange correlation functionals: PW91 and PBE with and without dispersion corrections, whose results are then compared to those of hybrid functionals B3LYP and HSE06. Further, we follow a periodic wave function approach in the form of local second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory, LMP2, on a Hartree-Fock reference. En route, we address issues arising from the choice of the basis set. The key findings of our study are as follows: (i) DFT-GGA adsorption energies are in reasonable agreement with both hybrid-DFT and LMP2 values. In particular, the deviations between the relative energies, corresponding to different adsorption structures, are in the range of the error due to missing dispersion corrections or the basis set error. (ii) Harmonic DFT-GGA vibrational frequencies for oxygen hydrogen stretch modes are by several tens of wavenumbers red-shifted compared to corresponding hybrid-DFT values. The latter are in much better agreement with recent experimental data. (iii) The activation energy for a hydrogen diffusion reaction is grossly underestimated by GGA compared to hybrid-DFT or LMP2, which in turn are quite comparable.
High Harmonic Generation (HHG) is a nonlinear optical process that provides a tunable source for high-energy photons and ultrashort laser pulses. Recent experiments demonstrated that HHG spectroscopy may also be used as an analytical tool to discriminate between randomly oriented configurational isomers of polyatomic organic molecules, namely, between the cis- and trans-forms of 1,2-dichloroethene (DCE) [M. C. H. Wong et al., Phys. Rev. A 84, 051403 (2011)]. Here, we suggest as an economic and at the same time a reasonably accurate method to compute HHG spectra for polyatomic species, Time-Dependent Configuration Interaction Singles (TD-CIS) theory in combination with extended atomic orbital bases and different models to account for ionization losses. The HHG spectra are computed for aligned and unaligned cis- and trans-DCE. For the unaligned case, a coherent averaging over possible rotational orientations is introduced. Furthermore, using TD-CIS, possible differences between the HHG spectra of cis- and trans-DCE are studied. For aligned molecules, spectral differences between cis and trans emerge, which can be related to their different point group symmetries. For unaligned, randomly oriented molecules, we also find distinct HHG spectra in partial agreement with experiment. In addition to HHG response in the frequency space, we compute time-frequency HHG spectra to gain insight into which harmonics are emitted at which time. Further differences between the two isomers emerge, suggesting time-frequency HHG as another tool to discriminate configurational isomers.
Water can adsorb molecularly or dissociatively onto different sites of metal oxide surfaces. These adsorption sites can be disentangled using surface-sensitive vibrational spectroscopy. Here, we model Vibrational Sum Frequency (VSF) spectra for various forms of dissociated, deuterated water on a reconstructed, Al-terminated α-Al2O3(0001) surface at submonolayer coverages (the so-called 1-2, 1-4, and 1-4′ modes). Using an efficient scheme based on velocity-velocity autocorrelation functions, we go beyond previous normal mode analyses by including anharmonicity, mode coupling, and thermal surface motion in the framework of ab initio molecular dynamics. In this way, we calculate vibrational density of states curves, infrared, and VSF spectra. Comparing computed VSF spectra with measured ones, we find that relative frequencies of resonances are in quite good agreement and linewidths are reasonably well represented, while VSF intensities coincide not well. We argue that intensities are sensitively affected by local interactions and thermal fluctuations, even at such low coverage, while absolute peak positions strongly depend on the choice of the electronic structure method and on the appropriate inclusion of anharmonicity.
We present a quantum-mechanical tier model for vibrational relaxation of low-lying excited states of an adsorbate vibrational mode (system), coupled to surface phonons (bath), at zero temperature. The tier model, widely used in studies of intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution in polyatomics, is adapted here to adsorbate-surface systems with the help of an embedded cluster approach, using orthogonal coordinates for the system and bath modes, and a phononic expansion of their interaction. The key idea of the model is to organize the system-bath zeroth-order vibrational space into a hierarchical structure of vibrational tiers and keep therein only vibrational states that are sequentially generated from the system-bath initial vibrational state. Each tier is generated from the previous one by means of a successor operator, derived from the system-bath interaction Hamiltonian. This sequential procedure leads to a drastic reduction of the dimension of the system-bath vibrational space. We notably show that for harmonic vibrational motion of the system and linear system-bath couplings in the system coordinate, the dimension of the tier-model vibrational basis scales as similar to N-lxv. Here, N is the number of bath modes, l is the highest-order of the phononic expansion, and l is the size of the system vibrational basis. This polynomial scaling is computationally far superior to the exponential scaling of the original zeroth-order vibrational basis, similar to M-N, with M being the number of basis functions per bath mode. In addition, since each tier is coupled only to its adjacent neighbors, the matrix representation of the system-bath Hamiltonian in this new vibrational basis has a symmetric block-tridiagonal form, with each block being very sparse. This favors the combination of the tier-model with iterative Krylov techniques, such as the Lanczos algorithm, to solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for the full Hamiltonian. To illustrate the method, we study vibrational relaxation of a D-Si bending mode, coupled via two-and (mainly) one-phonon interactions to a fully D-covered Si(100)-(2 x 1) surface, using a recent first-principles system-bath Hamiltonian. The results of the tier model are compared with those obtained by the Lindblad formalism of the reduced density matrix. We find that the tier model provides much more information and insight into mechanisms of vibration-phonon couplings at surfaces, and gives more reliable estimates of the adsorbate vibrational lifetimes. Moreover, the tier model might also serve as a benchmark for other approximate quantum-dynamics methods, such as multiconfiguration wavefunction approaches. Published under license by AIP Publishing.
Diamondoids are hydrogen-saturated molecular motifs cut out of diamond, forming a class of materials with tunable optoelectronic properties. In this work, we extend previous work on neutral, closed-shell diamondoids by computing with hybrid density functional theory and time-dependent correlation functions vibrationally broadened absorption spectra of cations and radicals derived from the simplest diamondoid, adamantane, namely, the neutral 1- and 2-adamantyl radicals (C10H15), the 1- and 2-adamantyl cations (C10H15+), and the adamantane radical cation (C10H16+). For selected cases, we also report vibrationally broadened emission, photoelectron, and resonance Raman spectra. Furthermore, the effect of the damping factor on the vibrational fine-structure is studied. The following trends are found: (1) Low-energy absorptions of the adamantyl radicals and cations, and of the adamantane cation, are all strongly red-shifted with respect to adamantane; (2) also, emission spectra are strongly red-shifted, whereas photoelectron spectra are less affected for the cases studied; (3) vibrational fine-structures are reduced compared to those of adamantane; (4) the spectroscopic signals of 1- and 2-adamantyl species are significantly different from each other; and (5) reducing the damping factor has only a limited effect on the vibrational fine-structure in most cases. This suggests that removing hydrogen atoms and/or electrons from adamantane leads to new optoelectronic properties, which should be detectable by vibronic spectroscopy.
We report quantum chemical calculations, mostly based on density functional theory, on azobenzene and substituted azobenzenes as neutral molecules or ions, in ground and excited states. Both the cis and trans configurations are computed as well as the activation energies to transform one isomer into the other and the possible reaction paths and reaction surfaces along the torsion and inversion modes. All calculations are done for the isolated species, but results are discussed in light of recent experiments aiming at the switching of surface mounted azobenzenes by scanning tunneling microscopes.
Carbon monoxide on copper surfaces continues to be a fascinating, rich microlab for many questions evolving in surface science. Recently, hot-electron mediated, femtosecond-laser pulse induced dynamics of CO molecules on Cu(100) were the focus of experiments [Inoue et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 186101 (2016)] and theory [Novko et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 016806 (2019)], unraveling details of the vibrational nonequilibrium dynamics on ultrashort (subpicoseconds) timescales. In the present work, full-dimensional time-resolved hot-electron driven dynamics are studied by molecular dynamics with electronic friction (MDEF). Dissipation is included by a friction term in a Langevin equation which describes the coupling of molecular degrees of freedom to electron-hole pairs in the copper surface, calculated from gradient-corrected density functional theory (DFT) via a local density friction approximation (LDFA). Relaxation due to surface phonons is included by a generalized Langevin oscillator model. The hot-electron induced excitation is described via a time-dependent electronic temperature, the latter derived from an improved two-temperature model. Our parameter-free simulations on a precomputed potential energy surface allow for excellent statistics, and the observed trends are confirmed by on-the-fly ab initio molecular dynamics with electronic friction (AIMDEF) calculations. By computing time-resolved frequency maps for selected molecular vibrations, instantaneous frequencies, probability distributions, and correlation functions, we gain microscopic insight into hot-electron driven dynamics and we can relate the time evolution of vibrational internal CO stretch-mode frequencies to measured data, notably an observed redshift. Quantitatively, the latter is found to be larger in MDEF than in experiment and possible reasons are discussed for this observation. In our model, in addition we observe the excitation and time evolution of large-amplitude low-frequency modes, lateral CO surface diffusion, and molecular desorption. Effects of surface atom motion and of the laser fluence are also discussed.
A novel quantum method to deal with typical system-bath dynamical problems is introduced. Subsystem discrete variable representation and bath coherent-state sets are used to write down a multiconfigurational expansion of the wave function of the whole system. With the help of the Dirac-Frenkel variational principle, simple equations of motion-a kind of Schrodinger-Langevin equation for the subsystem coupled to (pseudo) classical equations for the bath-are derived. True dissipative dynamics at all times is obtained by coupling the bath to a secondary, classical Ohmic bath, which is modeled by adding a friction coefficient in the derived pseudoclassical bath equations. The resulting equations are then solved for a number of model problems, ranging from tunneling to vibrational relaxation dynamics. Comparison of the results with those of exact, multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree calculations in systems with up to 80 bath oscillators shows that the proposed method can be very accurate and might be of help in studying realistic problems with very large baths. To this end, its linear scaling behavior with respect to the number of bath degrees of freedom is shown in practice with model calculations using tens of thousands of bath oscillators.
The thermal Z -> E (back-) isomerization of azobenzenes is a prototypical reaction occurring in molecular switches. It has been studied for decades, yet its kinetics is not fully understood. In this paper, quantum chemical calculations are performed to model the kinetics of an experimental benchmark system, where a modified azobenzene (AzoBiPyB) is embedded in a metal-organic framework (MOF). The molecule can be switched thermally from cis to trans, under solvent-free conditions. We critically test the validity of Eyring transition state theory for this reaction. As previously found for other azobenzenes (albeit in solution), good agreement between theory and experiment emerges for activation energies and activation free energies, already at a comparatively simple level of theory, B3LYP/6-31G* including dispersion corrections. However, theoretical Arrhenius prefactors and activation entropies are in qualitiative disagreement with experiment. Several factors are discussed that may have an influence on activation entropies, among them dynamical and geometric constraints (imposed by the MOF). For a simpler model-Z -> E isomerization in azobenzene-a systematic test of quantum chemical methods from both density functional theory and wavefunction theory is carried out in the context of Eyring theory. Also, the effect of anharmonicities on activation entropies is discussed for this model system. Our work highlights capabilities and shortcomings of Eyring transition state theory and quantum chemical methods, when applied for the Z -> E (back-) isomerization of azobenzenes under solvent-free conditions.
Complete sticking at low incidence energies and broad angular scattering distributions at higher energies are often observed in molecular beam experiments on gas-surface systems which feature a deep chemisorption well and lack early reaction barriers. Although CO binds strongly on Ru(0001), scattering is characterized by rather narrow angular distributions and sticking is incomplete even at low incidence energies. We perform molecular dynamics simulations, accounting for phononic (and electronic) energy loss channels, on a potential energy surface based on first-principles electronic structure calculations that reproduce the molecular beam experiments. We demonstrate that the mentioned unusual behavior is a consequence of a very strong rotational anisotropy in the molecule-surface interaction potential. Beyond the interpretation of scattering phenomena, we also discuss implications of our results for the recently proposed role of a precursor state for the desorption and scattering of CO from ruthenium.