ABSTRACT
Transient infrared and visible absorption studies have been used to characterize vibrational and electronic dynamics of Prussian blue (PB) and ruthenium purple (RP) nanoparticles produced and characterized in AOT reverse micelles. Studies include excitation and probing with both infrared (near 2000 cm(-1)) and visible (800 nm) pulses. From IR pump-IR probe measurements of the CN stretching bands, vibrational population lifetimes are determined to be 32 ± 4 ps for PB and 44 ± 14 ps for RP. These times are longer than those for ferrocyanide (4 ps) and ruthenocyanide (4 ps) in normal water and are closer to the times for these species in heavy water (25-30 ps) and for ferrocyanide in formamide (43 ps). The PB and RP lifetimes are also longer than those (<15 ps) previously measured for CN stretching bands following intervalence excitation and back-electron transfer (BET) for dinuclear mixed-valence compounds containing Fe, Ru, and Os in heavy water and formamide [A. V. Tivansky, C. F. Wang, and G. C. Walker, J. Phys. Chem. A 107, 9051 (2003)]. In 800 nm pump-IR probe experiments on RP and PB, transient IR spectra and decay curves are similar to those with IR excitation; a ground state bleach and a red shifted (by ~40 cm(-1)) excited state decay are observed. These results for the visible pumping are consistent with rapid (<1 ps) BET resulting in population in the ground electronic state with vibrational excitation in the CN mode. In addition, transient absorption studies were performed for PB and RP probing with visible light using both visible and IR excitation. The early time response for the 800 nm pump-800 nm probe of PB exhibits an instrument-limited, subpicosecond bleach followed by an absorption, which is consistent with the previously reported results [D. C. Arnett, P. Vohringer, and N. F. Scherer, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 117, 12262 (1995)]. The absorption exhibits a biexponential decay with decay times of 9 and 185 ps, which could have been attributed to the CN band excitation indicated from 800 pump-IR probe results. However, IR pump-800 nm probe studies reveal that excitation of the CN band directly results in a decreased visible absorption that decays in 18 ps rather than an induced absorption at 800 nm. Characteristics of the IR pump-800 nm probe, especially that it induces a bleach instead of an absorption, unambiguously indicate that the transient absorption from the 800 nm pump-800 nm probe is dominated by states other than the CN bands and is attributed to population in other, probably lower frequency, vibrational modes excited following visible excitation and rapid BET.
ABSTRACT
We develop a fitness functional for freezing molecular energy flow that relies only on experimental observables. The functional allows us to implement a modular control algorithm where simulation data and experimental data can be used interchangeably. This interchangeability could be useful as a spectroscopic tool and for reactive control because the controllability of the experimental system and its model can be compared directly. The fitness functional performs as well as functionals based on complete knowledge of the wave function. We compare our simulation results with an analytical theory of control, and find good agreement between the simulated and predicted times over which the system can be controlled.
