1
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Diaz-Andres A, Tonnelé C, Casanova D. Electronic Couplings for Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion in Crystal Rubrene. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:4288-4297. [PMID: 38743825 PMCID: PMC11137828 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Triplet-triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA-UC) is a process able to repackage two low-frequency photons into light of higher energy. This transformation is typically orchestrated by the electronic degrees of freedom within organic compounds possessing suitable singlet and triplet energies and electronic couplings. In this work, we propose a computational protocol for the assessment of electronic couplings crucial to TTA-UC in molecular materials and apply it to the study of crystal rubrene. Our methodology integrates sophisticated yet computationally affordable approaches to quantify couplings in singlet and triplet energy transfer, the binding of triplet pairs, and the fusion to the singlet exciton. Of particular significance is the role played by charge-transfer states along the b-axis of rubrene crystal, acting as both partial quenchers of singlet energy transfer and mediators of triplet fusion. Our calculations identify the π-stacking direction as holding notable triplet energy transfer couplings, consistent with the experimentally observed anisotropic exciton diffusion. Finally, we have characterized the impact of thermally induced structural distortions, revealing their key role in the viability of triplet fusion and singlet fission. We posit that our approaches are transferable to a broad spectrum of organic molecular materials, offering a feasible means to quantify electronic couplings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aitor Diaz-Andres
- Donostia
International Physics Center (DIPC), Donostia 20018, Euskadi, Spain
| | - Claire Tonnelé
- Donostia
International Physics Center (DIPC), Donostia 20018, Euskadi, Spain
- IKERBASQUE,
Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48009, Euskadi, Spain
| | - David Casanova
- Donostia
International Physics Center (DIPC), Donostia 20018, Euskadi, Spain
- IKERBASQUE,
Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48009, Euskadi, Spain
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2
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Jacobi R, González L. Resonance energy transfer in orthogonally arranged chromophores: a question of molecular representation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:12299-12305. [PMID: 38602332 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp00420e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Energy transfer between orthogonally arranged chromophores is typically considered impossible according to conventional Förster resonance energy transfer theory. Nevertheless, the disruption of orthogonality by nuclear vibrations can enable energy transfer, what has prompted the necessity for formal expansions of the standard theory. Here, we propose that there is no need to extend conventional Förster theory in such cases. Instead, a more accurate representation of the chromophores is required. Through calculations of the energy transfer rate using structures from a thermal ensemble, rather than relying on equilibrium geometries, we show that the standard Förster resonance energy transfer theory is still capable of describing energy transfer in orthogonally arranged systems. Our calculations explain how thermal vibrations influence the electronic properties of the states involved in energy transfer, affecting the alignment of transition dipole moments and the intensity of transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Jacobi
- Doctoral School in Chemistry (DoSChem), University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 42, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Leticia González
- Vienna Research Platform on Accelerating Photoreaction Discovery, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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3
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Giavazzi D, Saseendran S, Di Maiolo F, Painelli A. A Comprehensive Approach to Exciton Delocalization and Energy Transfer. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 19:436-447. [PMID: 36563008 PMCID: PMC9878730 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Electrostatic intermolecular interactions lie at the heart of both the Förster model for resonance energy transfer (RET) and the exciton model for energy delocalization. In the Förster theory of RET, the excitation energy incoherently flows from the energy donor to a weakly coupled energy acceptor. The exciton model describes instead the energy delocalization in aggregates of identical (or nearly so) molecules. Here, we introduce a model that brings together molecular aggregates and RET. We will consider a couple of molecules, each described in terms of two diabatic electronic states, coupled to an effective molecular vibration. Electrostatic intermolecular interactions drive energy fluxes between the molecules, that, depending on model parameters, can be described as RET or energy delocalization. At variance with the standard Förster model for RET and of the exciton model for aggregates, our approach applies both in the weak and in the strong coupling regimes and fully accounts for the quantum nature of molecular vibrations in a nonadiabatic approach. Coupling the system to a thermal bath, we follow RET and energy delocalization in real time and simulate time-resolved emission spectra.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Giavazzi
- Department of Chemistry,
Life Science and Environmental Sustainability, Università di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - S. Saseendran
- Department of Chemistry,
Life Science and Environmental Sustainability, Università di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - F. Di Maiolo
- Department of Chemistry,
Life Science and Environmental Sustainability, Università di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - A. Painelli
- Department of Chemistry,
Life Science and Environmental Sustainability, Università di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
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4
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Jessop IA, Cutipa J, Perez Y, Saldías C, Fuentealba D, Tundidor-Camba A, Terraza CA, Camarada MB, Angel FA. New Benzotriazole and Benzodithiophene-Based Conjugated Terpolymer Bearing a Fluorescein Derivative as Side-Group: In-Ternal Förster Resonance Energy Transfer to Improve Organic Solar Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232112901. [PMID: 36361692 PMCID: PMC9657233 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232112901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A new benzodithiophene and benzotriazole-based terpolymer bearing a fluorescein derivative as a side group was synthesized and studied for organic solar cell (OSC) applications. This side group was covalently bounded to the backbone through an n-hexyl chain to induce the intramolecular Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) process and thus improve the photovoltaic performance of the polymeric material. The polymer exhibited good solubility in common organic chlorinated solvents as well as thermal stability (TDT10% > 360 °C). Photophysical measurements demonstrated the occurrence of the FRET phenomenon between the lateral group and the terpolymer. The terpolymer exhibited an absorption band centered at 501 nm, an optical bandgap of 2.02 eV, and HOMO and LUMO energy levels of −5.30 eV and −3.28 eV, respectively. A preliminary study on terpolymer-based OSC devices showed a low power-conversion efficiency (PCE) but a higher performance than devices based on an analogous polymer without the fluorescein derivative. These results mean that the design presented here is a promising strategy to improve the performance of polymers used in OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio A. Jessop
- Organic and Polymeric Materials Research Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Tarapacá, P.O. Box 7-D, Arica 1000007, Chile
- Correspondence: (I.A.J.); (F.A.A.)
| | - Josefa Cutipa
- Organic and Polymeric Materials Research Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Tarapacá, P.O. Box 7-D, Arica 1000007, Chile
| | - Yasmín Perez
- Organic and Polymeric Materials Research Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Tarapacá, P.O. Box 7-D, Arica 1000007, Chile
| | - Cesar Saldías
- Departamento de Química Física, Escuela de Química, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
| | - Denis Fuentealba
- Departamento de Química Física, Escuela de Química, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
| | - Alain Tundidor-Camba
- Research Laboratory for Organic Polymers (RLOP), Faculty of Chemistry and of Pharmacy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, P.O. Box 306, Post 22, Santiago 7820436, Chile
- UC Energy Research Center, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
| | - Claudio A. Terraza
- Research Laboratory for Organic Polymers (RLOP), Faculty of Chemistry and of Pharmacy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, P.O. Box 306, Post 22, Santiago 7820436, Chile
- UC Energy Research Center, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
| | - María B. Camarada
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Escuela de Química, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
- Centro de Nanotecnología y Materiales Avanzados, CIEN-UC, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
| | - Felipe A. Angel
- UC Energy Research Center, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Escuela de Química, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
- Centro de Nanotecnología y Materiales Avanzados, CIEN-UC, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
- Correspondence: (I.A.J.); (F.A.A.)
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5
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Jacobi R, Hernández-Castillo D, Sinambela N, Bösking J, Pannwitz A, González L. Computation of Förster Resonance Energy Transfer in Lipid Bilayer Membranes. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:8070-8081. [PMID: 36260519 PMCID: PMC9639162 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c04524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Calculations of Förster
Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)
often neglect the influence of different chromophore orientations
or changes in the spectral overlap. In this work, we present two computational
approaches to estimate the energy transfer rate between chromophores
embedded in lipid bilayer membranes. In the first approach, we assess
the transition dipole moments and the spectral overlap by means of
quantum chemical calculations in implicit solvation, and we investigate
the alignment and distance between the chromophores in classical molecular
dynamics simulations. In the second, all properties are evaluated
integrally with hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics (QM/MM)
calculations. Both approaches come with advantages and drawbacks,
and despite the fact that they do not agree quantitatively, they provide
complementary insights on the different factors that influence the
FRET rate. We hope that these models can be used as a basis to optimize
energy transfers in nonisotropic media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Jacobi
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090Vienna, Austria.,Doctoral School in Chemistry (DoSChem), University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 42, 1090Vienna, Austria
| | - David Hernández-Castillo
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090Vienna, Austria.,Doctoral School in Chemistry (DoSChem), University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 42, 1090Vienna, Austria
| | - Novitasari Sinambela
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry I, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081Ulm, Germany
| | - Julian Bösking
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry I, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081Ulm, Germany
| | - Andrea Pannwitz
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry I, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081Ulm, Germany
| | - Leticia González
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090Vienna, Austria.,Vienna Research Platform on Accelerating Photoreaction Discovery, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090Vienna, Austria
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6
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Morla-Folch J, Vargas-Nadal G, Fuentes E, Illa-Tuset S, Köber M, Sissa C, Pujals S, Painelli A, Veciana J, Faraudo J, Belfield KD, Albertazzi L, Ventosa N. Ultrabright Föster Resonance Energy Transfer Nanovesicles: The Role of Dye Diffusion. CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS : A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 2022; 34:8517-8527. [PMID: 36248229 PMCID: PMC9558306 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.2c00384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The development of contrast agents based on fluorescent nanoparticles with high brightness and stability is a key factor to improve the resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of current fluorescence imaging techniques. However, the design of bright fluorescent nanoparticles remains challenging due to fluorescence self-quenching at high concentrations. Developing bright nanoparticles showing FRET emission adds several advantages to the system, including an amplified Stokes shift, the possibility of ratiometric measurements, and of verifying the nanoparticle stability. Herein, we have developed Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based nanovesicles at different dye loadings and investigated them through complementary experimental techniques, including conventional fluorescence spectroscopy and super-resolution microscopy supported by molecular dynamics calculations. We show that the optical properties can be modulated by dye loading at the nanoscopic level due to the dye's molecular diffusion in fluid-like membranes. This work shows the first proof of a FRET pair dye's dynamism in liquid-like membranes, resulting in optimized nanoprobes that are 120-fold brighter than QDot 605 and exhibit >80% FRET efficiency with vesicle-to-vesicle variations that are mostly below 10%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Morla-Folch
- Institut
de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia 08193, Spain
- CIBER
de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN)Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
| | - Guillem Vargas-Nadal
- Institut
de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia 08193, Spain
- CIBER
de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN)Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
| | - Edgar Fuentes
- Nanoscopy
for Nanomedicine Group, Institute for Bioengineering
of Catalonia (IBEC) C\ Baldiri Reixac 15-21, Helix Building, Barcelona, 08028, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sílvia Illa-Tuset
- Institut
de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia 08193, Spain
| | - Mariana Köber
- Institut
de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia 08193, Spain
- CIBER
de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN)Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
| | - Cristina Sissa
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17/A, Parma, 43124, Italy
| | - Silvia Pujals
- Nanoscopy
for Nanomedicine Group, Institute for Bioengineering
of Catalonia (IBEC) C\ Baldiri Reixac 15-21, Helix Building, Barcelona, 08028, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Anna Painelli
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17/A, Parma, 43124, Italy
| | - Jaume Veciana
- Institut
de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia 08193, Spain
- CIBER
de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN)Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
| | - Jordi Faraudo
- Institut
de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia 08193, Spain
| | - Kevin D. Belfield
- Department
of Chemistry and Environmental Science, College of Science and Liberal
Arts, New Jersey Institute of Technology
(NJIT) 323 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Lorenzo Albertazzi
- Nanoscopy
for Nanomedicine Group, Institute for Bioengineering
of Catalonia (IBEC) C\ Baldiri Reixac 15-21, Helix Building, Barcelona, 08028, Catalonia, Spain
- Molecular
Biosensing for Medical Diagnostics Group, Biomedical Engineering, Technology Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE) Eindhoven, 5612 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Nora Ventosa
- Institut
de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia 08193, Spain
- CIBER
de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN)Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
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7
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Anzola M, Painelli A. Aggregates of polar dyes: beyond the exciton model. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:8282-8291. [DOI: 10.1039/d1cp00335f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Optical spectra of aggregates of polar dyes are discussed, fully accounting for polarizability of the dyes and for the coupling of electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Anzola
- Department of Chemistry
- Life Science and Environmental Sustainability
- University of Parma
- 43124 Parma
- Italy
| | - Anna Painelli
- Department of Chemistry
- Life Science and Environmental Sustainability
- University of Parma
- 43124 Parma
- Italy
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