Triplet-Triplet Annihilation via the Triplet Channel in Crystalline 9,10-Diphenylanthracene.

Delayed fluorescence resulting from triplet-triplet annihilation in crystalline 9,10-diphenylanthracene was observed by means of steady-state fluorescence measurements under magnetic fields of ≤10 T. At five specific magnetic fields, four peaks and one dip in the magnetic field dependence of fluorescence intensity were observed, proving that exchange-coupled triplet pairs were generated in the course of triplet-triplet annihilation. The dip was in the opposite direction predicted for singlet channel triplet-triplet annihilation. Further analysis using the stochastic Liouville equation confirmed that the closest exchange-coupled triplet pair in crystalline 9,10-diphenylanthracene is quenched via both triplet channel and singlet channel triplet-triplet annihilation.

Initializing 214 Pure 14-Qubit Entangled Nuclear Spin States in a Hyperpolarized Molecular Solid.

Quantum entanglement has been realized on a variety of physical platforms such as quantum dots, trapped atomic ions, and superconductors. Here we introduce specific molecular solids as promising alternative platforms. Our model system is triplet pentacene in a host single crystal at level anticrossing (LAC) conditions. First, a laser pulse generates the triplet state and initiates entanglement between an electron spin and 14 hyperfine coupled proton spins (quantum bits or qubits). This gives rise to large nuclear spin polarization. Subsequently, a resonant high-power microwave (mw) pulse disentangles the electron spin from the nuclear spins. Simultaneously, high-dimensional multiqubit entanglement is formed among the proton spins. We verified the initialization of 214 pure 14-qubit entangled nuclear spin states with an average degree of entanglement of Eav = 0.77 ± 0.03. These results pave the way for large-scale quantum information processing with more than 10 000 multiqubit entangled states corresponding to computational (Hilbert) space dimensions of dim >1053.

Diffusion of Radical Ions in Ionic Liquids Having Long Alkyl Chains.

Magnetic field effects on a radical ion pair have been studied to investigate the diffusion of the radical ions generated by a photoinduced electron transfer reaction in ionic liquids having short and long alkyl chains. The yield of an escaped radical ion was evaluated by using a nanosecond laser flash photolysis under various magnetic fields. The magnitude of the magnetic field effect on the yield of the escaped radical was linearly increased with increasing solvent viscosity. Such solvent viscosity dependence of the magnetic field effect can be explained with the solvent viscosity dependence of the escape rate of the radical ions from the pair. In the time window (>20 ns) of our measurements, the effect of long alkyl chain aggregation on the dynamics of the radical ions was not clearly observed.

Photocyclization Reactions of Diarylethenes via the Excited Triplet State.

Cyclization reactions of three diarylethene derivatives, 1,2-bis(2-methyl-3-benzothienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (BT), 1,2-bis(2-hexyl-3-benzothienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (BTHex), and 1,2-bis(2-isopropyl-3-benzothienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (BTiPr), via their excited triplet states were studied by means of steady-state and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The excited triplet states of BT, BTHex, and BTiPr were generated by energy transfer from the photoexcited triplet states of sensitizers such as xanthone, phenanthrene, and pyrene. The single-step quantum yields of the cyclization reactions from the excited triplet states of BT, BTHex, and BTiPr were determined to be 0.34, 0.53, and 0.65, respectively. The triplet energies of these three BTs were estimated to be 190-200 kJ mol(-1).

A practical approach to calculate the time evolutions of magnetic field effects on photochemical reactions in nano-structured materials.

A practical method to calculate time evolutions of magnetic field effects (MFEs) on photochemical reactions involving radical pairs is developed on the basis of the theory of the chemically induced dynamic spin polarization proposed by Pedersen and Freed. In theory, the stochastic Liouville equation (SLE), including the spin Hamiltonian, diffusion motions of the radical pair, chemical reactions, and spin relaxations, is solved by using the Laplace and the inverse Laplace transformation technique. In our practical approach, time evolutions of the MFEs are successfully calculated by applying the Miller-Guy method instead of the final value theorem to the inverse Laplace transformation process. Especially, the SLE calculations are completed in a short time when the radical pair dynamics can be described by the chemical kinetics consisting of diffusions, reactions and spin relaxations. The SLE analysis with a short calculation time enables one to examine the various parameter sets for fitting the experimental date. Our study demonstrates that simultaneous fitting of the time evolution of the MFE and of the magnetic field dependence of the MFE provides valuable information on the diffusion motions of the radical pairs in nano-structured materials such as micelles where the lifetimes of radical pairs are longer than hundreds of nano-seconds and the magnetic field dependence of the spin relaxations play a major role for the generation of the MFE.

Local structure of ionic liquids probed by self-quenching of thiobenzophenone.

Self-quenching of the triplet excited state of thiobenzophenone ((3)TBP*) in molecular solvents, a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micellar solution, and ionic liquids (ILs) was measured using nanosecond laser flash photolysis. In the molecular solvents and ILs, (3)TBP* single-exponentially decayed, and the decay was accelerated with increasing TBP concentration. Self-quenching rate constants (k(SQ)) obtained in the ILs were smaller than those in the molecular solvents with similar solvent viscosities, indicating that molecular diffusion is inhibited in the ILs. In the SDS micellar solution, the decay of (3)TBP* showed two components. The fast decay component was attributed to self-quenching of (3)TBP* which presents inside micelles containing two or more TBP molecules, while the slow decay component was from deactivation of single (3)TBP*. The decay of (3)TBP* in an IL, N,N,N-trimethyl-N-propylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide (TMPA TFSA), had only one decay component, showing that unlike the micelles, the local structure of TMPA TFSA does not have a long lifetime. The cage lifetime of TMPA TFSA was estimated to be between 17 and 20 ns.

Cage lifetimes of ionic liquids as studied by the magnetic field effect probe.

Magnetic field effects (MFEs) on the photoinduced hydrogen abstraction reaction of benzophenone with phenol were investigated in ionic liquids (ILs) with a short alkyl chain (N,N,N-trimethyl-N-propylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (TMPA TFSA)) and long alkyl chains ((N,N,N-trimethyl-N-octylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (TMOA TFSA) and N-decyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (DTMA TFSA)) by a nanosecond laser flash photolysis technique. In each ionic liquid, escaped radical yield of a benzophenone ketyl radical rapidly increased with increasing magnetic field strength (B) of 0 T < B≤ 0.01 T. At 0.01 T < B≤ 0.4 T, the escaped radical yield almost saturated in TMPA TFSA or gradually increased in TMOA TFSA and DTMA TFSA. At much higher fields of 0.4 T < B≤ 30 T, the yield gradually decreased, resulting in 10-15% decrease at 30 T. The observed MFEs can be explained by the hyperfine coupling and Δg mechanisms together with the relaxation mechanism. On the time profiles of the transient absorption observed for the benzophenone ketyl radical, MFEs were generated in the time range of 0 < t < 0.6 µs. The cage lifetimes of TMOA TFSA and DTMA TFSA were estimated to be at least 120 ns.

Magnetic field effects on hydrogen abstraction of thiobenzophenone as a probe of microviscosity.

Hydrogen abstraction reactions of thiobenzophenone with thiophenol in solutions of varying viscosities (η=0.29-42.0 cP) were studied by a nanosecond laser flash photolysis under magnetic fields of 0-15.5 T. In alcoholic solutions, the escaped radical yield (Y) of thiobenzophenone ketyl radical showed appreciable magnetic field effects (MFEs). The observed MFEs can be interpreted with the Δg mechanism through the triplet radical pair. The relative escaped radical yield (R(1.7T)=Y(1.7T)/Y(0T)) decreased with increasing η at 0<η≤3.33 cP, but then the yield increased with increasing η at 3.33 cP<η≤22.2 cP. At much higher viscosity 22.2 cP<η≤42 cP, R(1.7T) values become 1.0 within experimental errors. Such quenching of MFE was explained by the spin-orbit coupling recombination of close radical pairs associated with high viscosity. The MFEs on the present reaction is extremely sensitive to the solvent viscosity in the vicinity of the radical pairs. Using this probe reaction, microviscosities of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Brij35 micellar solutions were estimated.

Quantum oscillations and polarization of nuclear spins in photoexcited triplet states.

The unique physical properties of photoexcited triplet states have been explored in numerous spectroscopic studies employing electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). So far, however, no quantum interference effects were found in these systems in the presence of a magnetic field. In this study, we report the successful EPR detection of nuclear quantum oscillations in an organic triplet state subject to an external magnetic field. The observed quantum coherences can be rationalized using an analytical theory. Analysis suggests that the nuclear spins are actively involved in the intersystem crossing process. The novel mechanism also acts as a source of oscillatory nuclear spin polarization that gives rise to large signal enhancement in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). This opens new perspectives for the analysis of chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization in mechanistic studies of photoactive proteins.

Hydrogen bonding effects on the reorganization energy for photoinduced charge separation reaction between porphyrin and quinone studied by nanosecond laser flash photolysis.

Alcohol concentration dependences of photoinduced charge separation (CS) reaction of zinc tetraphenyl-porphyrin (ZnTPP) and duroquinone (DQ) were investigated in benzonitrile by a nanosecond laser flash photolysis technique. The photoinduced CS reaction was accelerated by the addition of alcohols, whereas the addition of acetonitrile caused little effect on the CS reactions. The simple theory was developed to calculate an increase in reorganization energies induced by the hydrogen bonding interactions between DQ and alcohols using the chemical equilibrium constants for the hydrogen bonding complexes through the concerted pathway and the stepwise one. The experimental results were analyzed by using the Marcus equation where we took into account the hydrogen bonding effects on the reorganization energy and the reaction free energy for the CS reaction. The observed alcohol concentration dependence of the CS reaction rates was well explained by the formation of the hydrogen bonding complexes through the concerted pathway, demonstrating the increase in the reorganization energy by the hydrogen bonding interactions.

Nanoscale heterogeneous structure of ionic liquid as revealed by magnetic field effects.

Large magnetic field effects (MFEs) observed for photoinduced hydrogen abstraction reaction between benzophenone and thiophenol in an ionic liquid (N,N,N,-trimethyl-N-propylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide, TMPA TFSA) are analyzed by using the stochastic Liouville equation for the first time. The sphere cage model can well reproduce the observed MFEs and the nanoscale heterogeneous structure with a cage radius of 1.8 +/- 0.3 nm, and an effective viscosity in the cage of 1-2 cP is found to be formed in TMPA TFSA.

Magnetic field effect on a radical pair reaction as a probe of microviscosity.

The magnetic field effects (MFEs), caused by the Delta g mechanism, on the photoinduced hydrogen abstraction reaction of benzopheneone with thiophenol were investigated in alcoholic solutions of varying viscosities (eta = 0.55 to 59.2 cP) by a nanosecond laser flash photolysis technique. The escape yield of benzophenone ketyl radicals ( Y) gradually decreased with increasing magnetic field strength ( B) from 0 to 1.6 T. The relative yield observed at 1.6 T, R(1.6 T) = Y(1.6 T)/ Y(0 T), decreased with increasing eta in the range of 0.55 cP < or = eta < or = 5 cP, and then increased with increasing eta in the range of 5 cP < eta < or = 55.3 cP. When eta was higher than 55.3 cP, the R(1.6 T) value became 1.0, and MFEs were completely quenched. The observed eta dependence of the MFEs was analyzed by the stochastic Liouville equation (SLE), in which the effects of spin-orbit coupling by a heavy atom such as sulfur were taken into account. The observed MFEs were reproduced fairly well by the SLE analysis. The diffusion coefficients of the radicals obtained by the SLE were about three times smaller than those expected from the macroscopic solvent viscosities. One can probe the microviscosity in the vicinity of the radical pairs by observing MFEs on the present photochemical reaction system.

Self-trapping limited exciton diffusion in a monomeric perylene crystal as revealed by femtosecond transient absorption microscopy.

Self-trapping and singlet-singlet annihilation of the free excitons in a monomeric (beta) perylene crystal were studied by using femtosecond transient absorption microscopy. The free exciton generated by the photo-excitation of the beta-perylene crystal relaxed to the self-trapped exciton with a rate constant of 7 x 10(10) s(-1). The singlet-singlet annihilation of the free exciton observed under the high excitation density conditions was competed with the self-trapping of the free exciton; we estimated the annihilation rate constant for the free exciton to be 1 x 10(-8) cm(3) s(-1) from the excitation density dependence of the free exciton decay. After self-trapping of the free exciton, no annihilation was observed in the 100 ps time range, suggesting that the diffusion coefficient was reduced drastically by self-trapping. The results show that the major factor limiting the exciton diffusion in the beta-perylene crystal is a relaxation of the free exciton to the self-trapped exciton, and not the lifetime of the exciton. Though the singlet-singlet annihilation rate constants and fluorescence lifetime of the beta-perylene crystal are similar to those of the anthracene crystal, the estimated exciton diffusion length (2 nm) in the beta-perylene crystal is much smaller than that (100 nm) in the anthracene crystal as a result of the exciton self-trapping.

Anomalous magnetic field effects on photochemical reactions in ionic liquid under ultrahigh fields of up to 28 T.

The magnetic field effects (MFEs) on photoinduced hydrogen abstraction reactions between benzophenone and thiophenol in an ionic liquid, N,N,N-trimethyl-N-propylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (TMPA TFSI), were studied by a nanosecond laser flash photolysis technique under ultrahigh fields of up to 28 T. Extremely large and anomalous stepwise MFEs were observed for the first time. The escape yield of benzophenone ketyl radical decreased with increasing magnetic field strength (B) at 0 T

Pulsed electron nuclear double resonance studies of the photoexcited triplet state of pentacene in p-terphenyl crystals at room temperature.

Pulsed electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) using a modified Davies-type [Phys. Lett. 47A, 1 (1974)] sequence is employed to study the hyperfine (HF) structure of the photoexcited triplet state of pentacene dispersed in protonated and deuterated p-terphenyl single crystals. The strong electron spin polarization and long phase memory time of triplet pentacene enable us to perform the ENDOR measurements on the S=1 spin system at room temperature. Proton HF tensor elements and spin density values of triplet pentacene are extracted from a detailed angular-dependent study in which the orientation of the magnetic field is varied systematically in two different pentacene planes. Analysis reveals that the pentacene molecule is no longer planar in the p-terphenyl host lattice. The distortion is more pronounced in the deuterated crystal where the unit cell dimensions are slightly smaller than those of the protonated crystal.

Structural organization in photosynthetic proteins as studied by high-field EPR of spin-correlated radical pair states.

We demonstrate the potential of high-field (HF) time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to reveal unique information about electron transfer processes and the structure of photosynthetic systems. The lineshapes and electron spin polarization (ESP) of spin-correlated radical pair (SCRP) spectra recorded with HF-EPR are very sensitive to the magnetic parameters, interactions, and geometry of the radicals in the pair. This sensitivity facilitates an analysis of more sophisticated models and methods to reveal the important relationship between structural organization and light-induced electron transfer of the photosynthetic proteins. In this review, we report on a new time-resolved HF and multi-frequency EPR approach developed in the Freiburg laboratory in cooperation with the Argonne Photosynthesis group. The method is designed to probe the geometric structure of charge separated states in the photosynthetic membrane. First, we discuss the magneto-orientation of photosynthetic cyanobacteria as revealed by time-resolved HF-EPR of SCRPs. Then, we demonstrate how the three-dimensional structure of the SCRP P700(+)A1 from photosystem I of oxygenic photosynthesis and its arrangement in the membrane is obtained from application of multi-frequency including time-resolved HF-EPR techniques.