| 1. |
- Arnlund, David, et al.
(författare)
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Visualizing a protein quake with time-resolved X-ray scattering at a free-electron laser
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nature Methods. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1548-7091 .- 1548-7105. ; 11:9, s. 923-926
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We describe a method to measure ultrafast protein structural changes using time-resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering at an X-ray free-electron laser. We demonstrated this approach using multiphoton excitation of the Blastochloris viridis photosynthetic reaction center, observing an ultrafast global conformational change that arises within picoseconds and precedes the propagation of heat through the protein. This provides direct structural evidence for a 'protein quake': the hypothesis that proteins rapidly dissipate energy through quake-like structural motions.
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| 2. |
- Kunnus, Kristjan, et al.
(författare)
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Vibrational wavepacket dynamics in Fe carbene photosensitizer determined with femtosecond X-ray emission and scattering
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The non-equilibrium dynamics of electrons and nuclei govern the function of photoactive materials. Disentangling these dynamics remains a critical goal for understanding photoactive materials. Here we investigate the photoinduced dynamics of the [Fe(bmip)2]2+ photosensitizer, where bmip = 2,6-bis(3-methyl-imidazole-1-ylidine)-pyridine, with simultaneous femtosecond-resolution Fe Kα and Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and X-ray solution scattering (XSS). This measurement shows temporal oscillations in the XES and XSS difference signals with the same 278 fs period oscillation. These oscillations originate from an Fe-ligand stretching vibrational wavepacket on a triplet metal-centered (3MC) excited state surface. This 3MC state is populated with a 110 fs time constant by 40% of the excited molecules while the rest relax to a 3MLCT excited state. The sensitivity of the Kα XES to molecular structure results from a 0.7% average Fe-ligand bond length shift between the 1 s and 2p core-ionized states surfaces.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Harlang, Tobias C. B., et al.
(författare)
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Iron sensitizer converts light to electrons with 92% yield
- 2015
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Ingår i: Nature Chemistry. - 1755-4330 .- 1755-4349. ; 7:11, s. 883-889
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Solar energy conversion in photovoltaics or photocatalysis involves light harvesting, or sensitization, of a semiconductor or catalyst as a first step. Rare elements are frequently used for this purpose, but they are obviously not ideal for large-scale implementation. Great efforts have been made to replace the widely used ruthenium with more abundant analogues like iron, but without much success due to the very short-lived excited states of the resulting iron complexes. Here, we describe the development of an iron-nitrogen-heterocyclic-carbene sensitizer with an excited-state lifetime that is nearly a thousand-fold longer than that of traditional iron polypyridyl complexes. By the use of electron paramagnetic resonance, transient absorption spectroscopy, transient terahertz spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, we show that the iron complex generates photoelectrons in the conduction band of titanium dioxide with a quantum yield of 92% from the 3MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) state. These results open up possibilities to develop solar energy-converting materials based on abundant elements.
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| 5. |
- Kjær, Kasper S., et al.
(författare)
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Ligand manipulation of charge transfer excited state relaxation and spin crossover in [Fe(2,2'-bipyridine)2(CN)2]
- 2017
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Ingår i: Structural Dynamics. - : AIP Publishing. - 2329-7778. ; 4:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have used femtosecond resolution UV-visible and Kβ x-ray emission spectroscopy to characterize the electronic excited state dynamics of [Fe(bpy)2(CN)2], where bpy=2,20-bipyridine, initiated by metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excitation. The excited-state absorption in the transient UV-visible spectra, associated with the 2,20-bipyridine radical anion, provides a robust marker for the MLCT excited state, while the transient Kβ x-ray emission spectra provide a clear measure of intermediate and high spin metal-centered excited states. From these measurements, we conclude that the MLCT state of [Fe(bpy)2(CN)2] undergoes ultrafast spin crossover to a metalcentered quintet excited state through a short lived metal-centered triplet transient species. These measurements of [Fe(bpy)2(CN)2] complement prior measurement performed on [Fe(bpy)3]2+ and [Fe(bpy)(CN)4]2- in dimethylsulfoxide solution and help complete the chemical series [Fe(bpy)N(CN)6-2N]2N-4, whereN=1-3. The measurements confirm that simple ligand modifications can significantly change the relaxation pathways and excited state lifetimes and support the further investigation of light harvesting and photocatalytic applications of 3d transition metal complexes.
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| 6. |
- Kunnus, Kristjan, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical control of competing electron transfer pathways in iron tetracyano-polypyridyl photosensitizers
- 2020
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Ingår i: Chemical Science. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2041-6520 .- 2041-6539. ; 11:17, s. 4360-4373
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer dynamics following metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excitation of [Fe(CN)(4)(2,2 '-bipyridine)](2-) (1), [Fe(CN)(4)(2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine)](2-) (2) and [Fe(CN)(4)(2,2 '-bipyrimidine)](2-) (3) were investigated in various solvents with static and time-resolved UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy and Fe 2p3d resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS). This series of polypyridyl ligands, combined with the strong solvatochromism of the complexes, enables the (MLCT)-M-1 vertical energy to be varied from 1.64 eV to 2.64 eV and the (MLCT)-M-3 lifetime to range from 180 fs to 67 ps. The (MLCT)-M-3 lifetimes in 1 and 2 decrease exponentially as the MLCT energy increases, consistent with electron transfer to the lowest energy triplet metal-centred ((MC)-M-3) excited state, as established by the Tanabe-Sugano analysis of the Fe 2p3d RIXS data. In contrast, the (MLCT)-M-3 lifetime in 3 changes non-monotonically with MLCT energy, exhibiting a maximum. This qualitatively distinct behaviour results from a competing (MLCT)-M-3 -> ground state (GS) electron transfer pathway that exhibits energy gap law behaviour. The (MLCT)-M-3 -> GS pathway involves nuclear tunnelling for the high-frequency polypyridyl breathing mode (h nu = 1530 cm(-1)), which is most displaced for complex 3, making this pathway significantly more efficient. Our study demonstrates that the excited state relaxation mechanism of Fe polypyridyl photosensitizers can be readily tuned by ligand and solvent environment. Furthermore, our study reveals that extending charge transfer lifetimes requires control of the relative energies of the (MLCT)-M-3 and the (MC)-M-3 states and suppression of the intramolecular distortion of the acceptor ligand in the (MLCT)-M-3 excited state.
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| 7. |
- Vester, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Tracking structural solvent reorganization and recombination dynamics following e-photoabstraction from aqueous I-with femtosecond x-ray spectroscopy and scattering
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 157:22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a sub-picosecond resolved investigation of the structural solvent reorganization and geminate recombination dynamics following 400 nm two-photon excitation and photodetachment of a valence p electron from the aqueous atomic solute, I-(aq). The measurements utilized time-resolved X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (TR-XANES) spectroscopy and X-ray Solution Scattering (TR-XSS) at the Linac Coherent Light Source x-ray free electron laser in a laser pump/x-ray probe experiment. The XANES measurements around the L1-edge of the generated nascent iodine atoms (I0) yield an average electron ejection distance from the iodine parent of 7.4 ± 1.5 Å with an excitation yield of about 1/3 of the 0.1M NaI aqueous solution. The kinetic traces of the XANES measurement are in agreement with a purely diffusion-driven geminate iodine-electron recombination model without the need for a long-lived (I0:e-) contact pair. Nonequilibrium classical molecular dynamics simulations indicate a delayed response of the caging H2O solvent shell and this is supported by the structural analysis of the XSS data: We identify a two-step process exhibiting a 0.1 ps delayed solvent shell reorganization time within the tight H-bond network and a 0.3 ps time constant for the mean iodine-oxygen distance changes. The results indicate that most of the reorganization can be explained classically by a transition from a hydrophilic cavity with a well-ordered first solvation shell (hydrogens pointing toward I-) to an expanded cavity around I0 with a more random orientation of the H2O molecules in a broadened first solvation shell.
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| 8. |
- Zhang, Wenkai, et al.
(författare)
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Manipulating charge transfer excited state relaxation and spin crossover in iron coordination complexes with ligand substitution
- 2016
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Ingår i: Chemical Science. - 2041-6520. ; 8:1, s. 515-523
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Developing light-harvesting and photocatalytic molecules made with iron could provide a cost effective, scalable, and environmentally benign path for solar energy conversion. To date these developments have been limited by the sub-picosecond metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) electronic excited state lifetime of iron based complexes due to spin crossover-the extremely fast intersystem crossing and internal conversion to high spin metal-centered excited states. We revitalize a 30 year old synthetic strategy for extending the MLCT excited state lifetimes of iron complexes by making mixed ligand iron complexes with four cyanide (CN-;) ligands and one 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) ligand. This enables MLCT excited state and metal-centered excited state energies to be manipulated with partial independence and provides a path to suppressing spin crossover. We have combined X-ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) Kβ hard X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy with femtosecond time-resolved UV-visible absorption spectroscopy to characterize the electronic excited state dynamics initiated by MLCT excitation of [Fe(CN)4(bpy)]2-. The two experimental techniques are highly complementary; the time-resolved UV-visible measurement probes allowed electronic transitions between valence states making it sensitive to ligand-centered electronic states such as MLCT states, whereas the Kβ fluorescence spectroscopy provides a sensitive measure of changes in the Fe spin state characteristic of metal-centered excited states. We conclude that the MLCT excited state of [Fe(CN)4(bpy)]2- decays with roughly a 20 ps lifetime without undergoing spin crossover, exceeding the MLCT excited state lifetime of [Fe(2,2′-bipyridine)3]2+ by more than two orders of magnitude.
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| 9. |
- Biasin, Elisa, et al.
(författare)
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Anisotropy enhanced X-ray scattering from solvated transition metal complexes
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. - 0909-0495. ; 25:2, s. 306-315
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Time-resolved X-ray scattering patterns from photoexcited molecules in solution are in many cases anisotropic at the ultrafast time scales accessible at X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs). This anisotropy arises from the interaction of a linearly polarized UV-Vis pump laser pulse with the sample, which induces anisotropic structural changes that can be captured by femtosecond X-ray pulses. In this work, a method for quantitative analysis of the anisotropic scattering signal arising from an ensemble of molecules is described, and it is demonstrated how its use can enhance the structural sensitivity of the time-resolved X-ray scattering experiment. This method is applied on time-resolved X-ray scattering patterns measured upon photoexcitation of a solvated di-platinum complex at an XFEL, and the key parameters involved are explored. It is shown that a combined analysis of the anisotropic and isotropic difference scattering signals in this experiment allows a more precise determination of the main photoinduced structural change in the solute, i.e. the change in Pt - Pt bond length, and yields more information on the excitation channels than the analysis of the isotropic scattering only. Finally, it is discussed how the anisotropic transient response of the solvent can enable the determination of key experimental parameters such as the instrument response function.The analysis of time-resolved X-ray scattering patterns collected at an XFEL upon photoexcitation of a di-platinum complex in solution is described. The analysis quantitatively considers the anisotropy of the signal.
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| 10. |
- Biasin, Elisa, et al.
(författare)
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Femtosecond X-Ray Scattering Study of Ultrafast Photoinduced Structural Dynamics in Solvated[Co(terpy)2]2$
- 2016
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - : American Physical Society (APS). - 1079-7114 .- 0031-9007. ; 117:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study the structural dynamics of photoexcited [Co(terpy)2]2+ in an aqueous solution with ultrafast x-ray diffuse scattering experiments conducted at the Linac Coherent Light Source. Through direct comparisons with density functional theory calculations, our analysis shows that the photoexcitation event leads to elongation of the Co-N bonds, followed by coherent Co-N bond length oscillations arising from the impulsive excitation of a vibrational mode dominated by the symmetrical stretch of all six Co-N bonds. This mode has a period of 0.33 ps and decays on a subpicosecond time scale. We find that the equilibrium bond-elongated structure of the high spin state is established on a single-picosecond time scale and that this state has a lifetime of ∼7 ps.
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| 11. |
- Canton, Sophie, et al.
(författare)
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Toward Highlighting the Ultrafast Electron Transfer Dynamics at the Optically Dark Sites of Photocatalysts
- 2013
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1948-7185. ; 4:11, s. 1972-1976
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Building a detailed understanding of the structure function relationship is a crucial step in the optimization of molecular photocatalysts employed in water splitting schemes. The optically dark nature of their active sites usually prevents a complete mapping of the photoinduced dynamics. In this work, transient X-ray absorption spectroscopy highlights the electronic and geometric changes that affect such a center in a bimetallic model complex. Upon selective excitation of the ruthenium chromophore, the cobalt moiety is reduced through intramolecular electron transfer and undergoes a spin flip accompanied by an average bond elongation of 0.20 +/- 0.03 angstrom. The analysis is supported by simulations based on density functional theory structures (B3LYP*/TZVP) and FEFF 9.0 multiple scattering calculations. More generally, these results exemplify the large potential of the technique for tracking elusive intermediates that impart unique functionalities in photochemical devices.
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| 12. |
- Canton, Sophie, et al.
(författare)
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Visualizing the non-equilibrium dynamics of photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer with femtosecond X-ray pulses.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer preceding energy equilibration still poses many experimental and conceptual challenges to the optimization of photoconversion since an atomic-scale description has so far been beyond reach. Here we combine femtosecond transient optical absorption spectroscopy with ultrafast X-ray emission spectroscopy and diffuse X-ray scattering at the SACLA facility to track the non-equilibrated electronic and structural dynamics within a bimetallic donor-acceptor complex that contains an optically dark centre. Exploiting the 100-fold increase in temporal resolution as compared with storage ring facilities, these measurements constitute the first X-ray-based visualization of a non-equilibrated intramolecular electron transfer process over large interatomic distances. Experimental and theoretical results establish that mediation through electronically excited molecular states is a key mechanistic feature. The present study demonstrates the extensive potential of femtosecond X-ray techniques as diagnostics of non-adiabatic electron transfer processes in synthetic and biological systems, and some directions for future studies, are outlined.
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| 13. |
- Chábera, Pavel, et al.
(författare)
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A low-spin Fe(iii) complex with 100-ps ligand-to-metal charge transfer photoluminescence
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 543:7647, s. 695-699
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transition-metal complexes are used as photosensitizers1, in light-emitting diodes, for biosensing and in photocatalysis2. A key feature in these applications is excitation from the ground state to a charge-transfer state3,4; the long charge-transfer-state lifetimes typical for complexes of ruthenium5 and other precious metals are often essential to ensure high performance. There is much interest in replacing these scarce elements with Earth-abundant metals, with iron6 and copper7 being particularly attractive owing to their low cost and non-toxicity. But despite the exploration of innovative molecular designs6,8,9,10, it remains a formidable scientific challenge11 to access Earth-abundant transition-metal complexes with long-lived charge-transfer excited states. No known iron complexes are considered12 photoluminescent at room temperature, and their rapid excited-state deactivation precludes their use as photosensitizers13,14,15. Here we present the iron complex [Fe(btz)3]3+ (where btz is 3,3′-dimethyl-1,1′-bis(p-tolyl)-4,4′-bis(1,2,3-triazol-5-ylidene)), and show that the superior σ-donor and π-acceptor electron properties of the ligand stabilize the excited state sufficiently to realize a long charge-transfer lifetime of 100 picoseconds (ps) and room-temperature photoluminescence. This species is a low-spin Fe(iii) d5 complex, and emission occurs from a long-lived doublet ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (2LMCT) state that is rarely seen for transition-metal complexes4,16,17. The absence of intersystem crossing, which often gives rise to large excited-state energy losses in transition-metal complexes, enables the observation of spin-allowed emission directly to the ground state and could be exploited as an increased driving force in photochemical reactions on surfaces. These findings suggest that appropriate design strategies can deliver new iron-based materials for use as light emitters and photosensitizers.
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| 14. |
- Chábera, Pavel, et al.
(författare)
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Band-selective dynamics in charge-transfer excited iron carbene complexes
- 2019
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Ingår i: Faraday Discussions. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1359-6640 .- 1364-5498. ; 216:2019, s. 191-210
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ultrafast dynamics of photoinduced charge transfer processes in light-harvesting systems based on Earth-abundant transition metal complexes are of current interest for the development of molecular devices for solar energy conversion applications. A combination of ultrafast spectroscopy and first principles quantum chemical calculations of a recently synthesized iron carbene complex is used to elucidate the ultrafast excited state evolution processes in these systems with particular emphasis on investigating the underlying reasons why these complexes show promise in terms of significantly extended lifetimes of charge transfer excited states. Together, our results challenge the traditional excited state landscape for iron-based light harvesting transition metal complexes through radically different ground and excited state properties in alternative oxidation states. This includes intriguing indications of rich band-selective excited state dynamics on ultrafast timescales that are interpreted in terms of excitation energy dependence for excitations into a manifold of charge-transfer states. Some implications of the observed excited state properties and photoinduced dynamics for the utilization of iron carbene complexes for solar energy conversion applications are finally discussed.
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| 15. |
- Chábera, Pavel, et al.
(författare)
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FeII Hexa N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complex with a 528 ps Metal-To-Ligand Charge-Transfer Excited-State Lifetime
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1948-7185. ; 9:3, s. 459-463
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The iron carbene complex [FeII(btz)3](PF6)2 (where btz = 3,3′-dimethyl-1,1′-bis(p-Tolyl)-4,4′-bis(1,2,3-Triazol-5-ylidene)) has been synthesized, isolated, and characterized as a low-spin ferrous complex. It exhibits strong metal-To-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) absorption bands throughout the visible spectrum, and excitation of these bands gives rise to a 3MLCT state with a 528 ps excited-state lifetime in CH3CN solution that is more than one order of magnitude longer compared with the MLCT lifetime of any previously reported FeII complex. The low potential of the [Fe(btz)3]3+/[Fe(btz)3]2+ redox couple makes the 3MLCT state of [FeII(btz)3]2+ a potent photoreductant that can be generated by light absorption throughout the visible spectrum. Taken together with our recent results on the [FeIII(btz)3]3+ form of this complex, these results show that the FeII and FeIII oxidation states of the same Fe(btz)3 complex feature long-lived MLCT and LMCT states, respectively, demonstrating the versatility of iron N-heterocyclic carbene complexes as promising light-harvesters for a broad range of oxidizing and reducing conditions.
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| 16. |
- Ericson, Fredric, et al.
(författare)
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Electronic structure and excited state properties of iron carbene photosensitizers - A combined X-ray absorption and quantum chemical investigation
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Chemical Physics Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0009-2614. ; 683, s. 559-566
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The electronic structure and excited state properties of a series of iron carbene photosensitizers are elucidated through a combination of X-ray absorption measurements and density functional theory calculations. The X-ray absorption spectra are discussed with regard to the unusual bonding environment in these carbene complexes, highlighting the difference between ferrous and ferric carbene complexes. The valence electronic structure of the core excited FeIII-3d5 complex is predicted by calculating the properties of a CoIII-3d6 carbene complex using the Z+1 approximation. Insight is gained into the potential of sigma-donating ligands as strategy to tune properties for light harvesting applications.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Kjær, Kasper S., et al.
(författare)
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Finding intersections between electronic excited state potential energy surfaces with simultaneous ultrafast X-ray scattering and spectroscopy
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Chemical Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2041-6520 .- 2041-6539. ; 10:22, s. 5749-5760
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Light-driven molecular reactions are dictated by the excited state potential energy landscape, depending critically on the location of conical intersections and intersystem crossing points between potential surfaces where non-adiabatic effects govern transition probabilities between distinct electronic states. While ultrafast studies have provided significant insight into electronic excited state reaction dynamics, experimental approaches for identifying and characterizing intersections and seams between electronic states remain highly system dependent. Here we show that for 3d transition metal systems simultaneously recorded X-ray diffuse scattering and X-ray emission spectroscopy at sub-70 femtosecond time-resolution provide a solid experimental foundation for determining the mechanistic details of excited state reactions. In modeling the mechanistic information retrieved from such experiments, it becomes possible to identify the dominant trajectory followed during the excited state cascade and to determine the relevant loci of intersections between states. We illustrate our approach by explicitly mapping parts of the potential energy landscape dictating the light driven low-to-high spin-state transition (spin crossover) of [Fe(2,2′-bipyridine)3]2+, where the strongly coupled nuclear and electronic dynamics have been a source of interest and controversy. We anticipate that simultaneous X-ray diffuse scattering and X-ray emission spectroscopy will provide a valuable approach for mapping the reactive trajectories of light-triggered molecular systems involving 3d transition metals.
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| 19. |
- Kjær, Kasper S., et al.
(författare)
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Solvent control of charge transfer excited state relaxation pathways in [Fe(2,2′-bipyridine)(CN)4]2-
- 2018
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 20:6, s. 4238-4249
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The excited state dynamics of solvated [Fe(bpy)(CN)4]2-, where bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, show significant sensitivity to the solvent Lewis acidity. Using a combination of optical absorption and X-ray emission transient spectroscopies, we have previously shown that the metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited state of [Fe(bpy)(CN)4]2- has a 19 picosecond lifetime and no discernable contribution from metal centered (MC) states in weak Lewis acid solvents, such as dimethyl sulfoxide and acetonitrile.1,2 In the present work, we use the same combination of spectroscopic techniques to measure the MLCT excited state relaxation dynamics of [Fe(bpy)(CN)4]2- in water, a strong Lewis acid solvent. The charge-transfer excited state is now found to decay in less than 100 femtoseconds, forming a quasi-stable metal centered excited state with a 13 picosecond lifetime. We find that this MC excited state has triplet (3MC) character, unlike other reported six-coordinate Fe(ii)-centered coordination compounds, which form MC quintet (5MC) states. The solvent dependent changes in excited state non-radiative relaxation for [Fe(bpy)(CN)4]2- allows us to infer the influence of the solvent on the electronic structure of the complex. Furthermore, the robust characterization of the dynamics and optical spectral signatures of the isolated 3MC intermediate provides a strong foundation for identifying 3MC intermediates in the electronic excited state relaxation mechanisms of similar Fe-centered systems being developed for solar applications.
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| 20. |
- Koroidov, Sergey, et al.
(författare)
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Probing the Electron Accepting Orbitals of Ni-Centered Hydrogen Evolution Catalysts with Noninnocent Ligands by Ni L-Edge and S K-Edge X-ray Absorption
- 2018
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Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 57:21, s. 13167-13175
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The valence electronic structure of several square planar Ni-centered complexes, previously shown to catalyze the hydrogen evolution reaction, are characterized using S K-edge and Ni L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and electronic structure calculations. Measurement of the atomic Ni 3d and S 3p contributions enables assessment of the metal-ligand covalency of the electron accepting valence orbitals and yields insight into the ligand-dependent reaction mechanisms proposed for the catalysts. The electron accepting orbital of the Ni(abt)(2) (abt = 2-aminobenzenethiolate) catalyst is found to have large ligand character (80%), with only 9% S 3p (per S) character, indicating delocalization over the entire abt ligand. Upon two proton-coupled reductions to form the Ni(abt-H)(2) intermediate, the catalyst stores 1.8 electrons on the abt ligand, and the ligand N atoms are protonated, thus supporting its role as an electron and proton reservoir. The electron accepting orbitals of the Ni(abt-H)(2) intermediate and Ni(mpo)(2) (mpo = 2-mercaptopyridyl-N-oxide) catalyst are found to have considerably larger Ni 3d (46-47%) and S 3p (17-18% per S) character, consistent with an orbital localized on the metal-ligand bonds. This finding supports the possibility of metal-based chemistry, resulting in Ni-H bond formation for the reduced Ni(abt-H)(2) intermediate and Ni(mpo)(2) catalyst, a critical reaction intermediate in H-2 generation.
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| 21. |
- Lemke, Henrik T., et al.
(författare)
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Coherent structural trapping through wave packet dispersion during photoinduced spin state switching
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The description of ultrafast nonadiabatic chemical dynamics during molecular photo-transformations remains challenging because electronic and nuclear configurations impact each other and cannot be treated independently. Here we gain experimental insights, beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, into the light-induced spin-state trapping dynamics of the prototypical [Fe(bpy) 3 ] 2+ compound by time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy at sub-30-femtosecond resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio. The electronic decay from the initial optically excited electronic state towards the high spin state is distinguished from the structural trapping dynamics, which launches a coherent oscillating wave packet (265 fs period), clearly identified as molecular breathing. Throughout the structural trapping, the dispersion of the wave packet along the reaction coordinate reveals details of intramolecular vibronic coupling before a slower vibrational energy dissipation to the solution environment. These findings illustrate how modern time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy can provide key information to unravel dynamic details of photo-functional molecules.
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| 22. |
- Leshchev, Denis, et al.
(författare)
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Tracking the picosecond deactivation dynamics of a photoexcited iron carbene complex by time-resolved X-ray scattering
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Chemical Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2041-6520 .- 2041-6539. ; 9:2, s. 405-414
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent years have seen the development of new iron-centered N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes for solar energy applications. Compared to typical ligand systems, the NHC ligands provide Fe complexes with longer-lived metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) states. This increased lifetime is ascribed to strong ligand field splitting provided by the NHC ligands that raises the energy levels of the metal centered (MC) states and therefore reduces the deactivation efficiency of MLCT states. Among currently known NHC systems, [Fe(btbip)2]2+ (btbip = 2,6-bis(3-tert-butyl-imidazol-1-ylidene)pyridine) is a unique complex as it exhibits a short-lived MC state with a lifetime on the scale of a few hundreds of picoseconds. Hence, this complex allows for a detailed investigation, using 100 ps X-ray pulses from a synchrotron, of strong ligand field effects on the intermediate MC state in an NHC complex. Here, we use time-resolved wide angle X-ray scattering (TRWAXS) aided by density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the molecular structure, energetics and lifetime of the high-energy MC state in the Fe-NHC complex [Fe(btbip)2]2+ after excitation to the MLCT manifold. We identify it as a 260 ps metal-centered quintet (5MC) state, and we refine the molecular structure of the excited-state complex verifying the DFT results. Using information about the hydrodynamic state of the solvent, we also determine, for the first time, the energy of the 5MC state as 0.75 ± 0.15 eV. Our results demonstrate that due to the increased ligand field strength caused by NHC ligands, upon transition from the ground state to the 5MC state, the metal to ligand bonds extend by unusually large values: by 0.29 Å in the axial and 0.21 Å in the equatorial direction. These results imply that the transition in the photochemical properties from typical Fe complexes to novel NHC compounds is manifested not only in the destabilization of the MC states, but also in structural distortion of these states.
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| 23. |
- Lindh, Linnea, et al.
(författare)
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Dye-sensitized solar cells based on Fe N-heterocyclic carbene photosensitizers with improved rod-like push-pull functionality
- 2021
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Ingår i: Chemical Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2041-6520 .- 2041-6539. ; 12:48, s. 16035-16053
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new generation of octahedral iron(ii)-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes, employing different tridentate C^N^C ligands, has been designed and synthesized as earth-abundant photosensitizers for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and related solar energy conversion applications. This work introduces a linearly aligned push-pull design principle that reaches from the ligand having nitrogen-based electron donors, over the Fe(ii) centre, to the ligand having an electron withdrawing carboxylic acid anchor group. A combination of spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and quantum chemical calculations demonstrate the improved molecular excited state properties in terms of a broader absorption spectrum compared to the reference complex, as well as directional charge-transfer displacement of the lowest excited state towards the semiconductor substrate in accordance with the push-pull design. Prototype DSSCs based on one of the new Fe NHC photosensitizers demonstrate a power conversion efficiency exceeding 1% already for a basic DSSC set-up using only the I−/I3−redox mediator and standard operating conditions, outcompeting the corresponding DSSC based on the homoleptic reference complex. Transient photovoltage measurements confirmed that adding the co-sensitizer chenodeoxycholic acid helped in improving the efficiency by increasing the electron lifetime in TiO2. Time-resolved spectroscopy revealed spectral signatures for successful ultrafast (<100 fs) interfacial electron injection from the heteroleptic dyes to TiO2. However, an ultrafast recombination process results in undesirable fast charge recombination from TiO2back to the oxidized dye, leaving only 5-10% of the initially excited dyes available to contribute to a current in the DSSC. On slower timescales, time-resolved spectroscopy also found that the recombination dynamics (longer than 40 μs) were significantly slower than the regeneration of the oxidized dye by the redox mediator (6-8 μs). Therefore it is the ultrafast recombination down to fs-timescales, between the oxidized dye and the injected electron, that remains as one of the main bottlenecks to be targeted for achieving further improved solar energy conversion efficiencies in future work.
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| 24. |
- Panman, Matthijs R, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Observing the Structural Evolution in the Photodissociation of Diiodomethane with Femtosecond Solution X-Ray Scattering
- 2020
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 125:22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Resolving the structural dynamics of the initial steps of chemical reactions is challenging. We report the femtosecond time-resolved wide-angle x-ray scattering of the photodissociation of diiodomethane in cyclohexane. The data reveal with structural detail how the molecule dissociates into radicals, how the radicals collide with the solvent, and how they form the photoisomer. We extract how translational and rotational kinetic energy is dispersed into the solvent. We also find that 85% of the primary radical pairs are confined to their original solvent cage and discuss how this influences the downstream recombination reactions.
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| 25. |
- Tatsuno, Hideyuki, et al.
(författare)
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Hot Branching Dynamics in a Light-Harvesting Iron Carbene Complex Revealed by Ultrafast X-ray Emission Spectroscopy
- 2020
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Ingår i: Angewandte Chemie - International Edition. - : Wiley. - 1433-7851 .- 1521-3773. ; 59:1, s. 364-372
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Iron N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have received a great deal of attention recently because of their growing potential as light sensitizers or photocatalysts. We present a sub-ps X-ray spectroscopy study of an FeIINHC complex that identifies and quantifies the states involved in the deactivation cascade after light absorption. Excited molecules relax back to the ground state along two pathways: After population of a hot 3MLCT state, from the initially excited 1MLCT state, 30 % of the molecules undergo ultrafast (150 fs) relaxation to the 3MC state, in competition with vibrational relaxation and cooling to the relaxed 3MLCT state. The relaxed 3MLCT state then decays much more slowly (7.6 ps) to the 3MC state. The 3MC state is rapidly (2.2 ps) deactivated to the ground state. The 5MC state is not involved in the deactivation pathway. The ultrafast partial deactivation of the 3MLCT state constitutes a loss channel from the point of view of photochemical efficiency and highlights the necessity to screen transition-metal complexes for similar ultrafast decays to optimize photochemical performance.
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| 26. |
- Thyrhaug, Erling, et al.
(författare)
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Excited state kinetics of anthracene-bridge-aniline intramolecular exciplexes.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1474-9092 .- 1474-905X. ; 13:7, s. 1093-1105
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the synthesis and characterization of fluorescent halogen substituted anthracene-bridge-aniline (ABA) supermolecules that undergo structural reorganization on photoexcitation to form transient complexes. The syntheses were achieved in high yields on a large scale and the molecular structures were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The photophysics of the ABA supermolecules were investigated using steady state and time resolved optical spectroscopy. Despite the presence of heavy atoms the series of ABA molecules have high quantum yields of fluorescence from both a locally excited anthracene state (LE) and an excited state complex (exciplex, EP) in non-polar solvents. The kinetics of the excited state processes were established in decalin from the time-resolved emission, and was shown to be strongly influenced by an electron-transfer state (ET). For quantitative studies of the excited state dynamics, the presence of this state required the development of a numerical three-excited-state kinetic model to replace the commonly used two-excited-state model. The experimental results shows that the reaction rates are strongly influenced both by substituents and solvent, illustrating the importance of including all relevant states in the kinetic modeling. Ultimately it is established that the excited state dynamics can conveniently be followed by optical methods, and the applicability of the system as a model system in time-resolved X-ray scattering experiments is discussed.
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| 27. |
- Van Driel, Tim B., et al.
(författare)
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Atomistic characterization of the active-site solvation dynamics of a model photocatalyst
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The interactions between the reactive excited state of molecular photocatalysts and surrounding solvent dictate reaction mechanisms and pathways, but are not readily accessible to conventional optical spectroscopic techniques. Here we report an investigation of the structural and solvation dynamics following excitation of a model photocatalytic molecular system [Ir 2 (dimen) 4 ] 2+, where dimen is para-diisocyanomenthane. The time-dependent structural changes in this model photocatalyst, as well as the changes in the solvation shell structure, have been measured with ultrafast diffuse X-ray scattering and simulated with Born-Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics. Both methods provide direct access to the solute-solvent pair distribution function, enabling the solvation dynamics around the catalytically active iridium sites to be robustly characterized. Our results provide evidence for the coordination of the iridium atoms by the acetonitrile solvent and demonstrate the viability of using diffuse X-ray scattering at free-electron laser sources for studying the dynamics of photocatalysis.
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| 28. |
- Vanko, Gyoergy, et al.
(författare)
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Spin-state studies with XES and RIXS: From static to ultrafast
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena. - : Elsevier BV. - 0368-2048. ; 188, s. 166-171
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on extending hard X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) along with resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) to study ultrafast phenomena in a pump-probe scheme at MHz repetition rates. The investigated systems include low-spin (LS) Fe-II complex compounds, where optical pulses induce a spin-state transition to their (sub)nanosecond-lived high-spin (HS) state. Time-resolved XES clearly reflects the spin-state variations with very high signal-to-noise ratio, in agreement with HS-LS difference spectra measured at thermal spin crossover, and reference HS-LS systems in static experiments, next to multiplet calculations. The 1s2p RIXS, measured at the Fe Is pre-edge region, shows variations after laser excitation, which are consistent with the formation of the HS state. Our results demonstrate that X-ray spectroscopy experiments with overall rather weak signals, such as RIXS, can now be reliably exploited to study chemical and physical transformations on ultrafast time scales. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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