Singlet exciton fission, the spin-conserving process that produces two triplet excited states from one photoexcited singlet state, is a means to circumvent the Shockley-Queisser limit in single-junction solar cells. Although the process through which singlet fission occurs is not well characterized, some local order is thought to be necessary for intermolecular coupling. Here, we report a triplet yield of 200% and triplet formation rates approaching the diffusion limit in solutions of bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl (TIPS)) pentacene. We observe a transient bound excimer intermediate, formed by the collision of one photoexcited and one ground-state TIPS-pentacene molecule. The intermediate breaks up when the two triplets separate to each TIPS-pentacene molecule. This efficient system is a model for future singlet-fission materials and for disordered device components that produce cascades of excited states from sunlight.

Singlet exciton fission is the process in organic semiconductors through which a spin-singlet exciton converts into a pair of spin-triplet excitons residing on different chromophores, entangled in an overall spin-zero state. For some systems, singlet fission has been shown to occur on the 100 fs timescale and with a 200% yield, but the mechanism of this process remains uncertain. Here we study a model singlet fission system, TIPS-pentacene, using ultrafast vibronic spectroscopy. We observe that vibrational coherence in the initially photogenerated singlet state is transferred to the triplet state and show that this behaviour is effectively identical to that observed in ultrafast internal conversion for polyenes in solution. This similarity in vibronic dynamics suggest that both multi-molecular singlet fission and single-molecular internal conversion are mediated by the same underlying relaxation processes, based on strong coupling between nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom. In its most efficient form this leads to a conical intersection between the coupled electronic states.

Entanglement of states is one of the most surprising and counter-intuitive consequences of quantum mechanics, with potent applications in cryptography and computing. In organic materials, one particularly significant manifestation is the spin-entangled triplet-pair state, which mediates the spin-conserving fission of one spin-0 singlet exciton into two spin-1 triplet excitons. Despite long theoretical and experimental exploration, the nature of the triplet-pair state and inter-triplet interactions have proved elusive. Here we use a range of organic semiconductors that undergo singlet exciton fission to reveal the photophysical properties of entangled triplet-pair states. We find that the triplet pair is bound with respect to free triplets with an energy that is largely material independent (∼30 meV). During its lifetime, the component triplets behave cooperatively as a singlet and emit light through a Herzberg–Teller-type mechanism, resulting in vibronically structured photoluminescence. In photovoltaic blends, charge transfer can occur from the bound triplet pairs with >100% photon-to-charge conversion efficiency.

Singlet exciton fission (SF), the conversion of one spin-singlet exciton (S) into two spin-triplet excitons (T), could provide a means to overcome the Shockley-Queisser limit in photovoltaics. SF as measured by the decay of S has been shown to occur efficiently and independently of temperature, even when the energy of S is as much as 200 meV less than that of 2T. Here we study films of triisopropylsilyltetracene using transient optical spectroscopy and show that the triplet pair state (TT), which has been proposed to mediate singlet fission, forms on ultrafast timescales (in 300 fs) and that its formation is mediated by the strong coupling of electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom. This is followed by a slower loss of singlet character as the excitation evolves to become only TT. We observe the TT to be thermally dissociated on 10-100 ns timescales to form free triplets. This provides a model for 'temperature-independent' efficient TT formation and thermally activated TT separation.

5452 wileyonlinelibrary.com proceed on ultrafast (≈100 fs) time scales, allowing it to out-compete other decay channels and achieve high effi ciencies. [ 3 ] The essential condition for effi cient SEF is the energetic alignment of the singlet and triplet states, such that 2 E (T 1 ) ≤ E (S 1 ). A recent combined theoretical and experimental study of SEF rates in a range of acene solids has demonstrated that the rate of SEF is also greatly affected by the strength of intermolecular coupling within the fi lm. [ 4 ] In the canonical system, pentacene, triplet pair formation is exothermic and the intermolecular coupling is strong, resulting in SEF with an 80 fs time constant and nearly 200% yield. [ 5 ] Though most experimental studies of SEF have involved crystalline, polycrystalline or amorphous solids, the most basic unit capable of SEF is a pair of chromophores. Indeed, it was recently demonstrated in concentrated solutions of TIPS-pentacene that singlet fi ssion can proceed at high efficiency through bimolecular diffusional interactions. [ 6 ] However, early attempts to directly control the interaction between chromophores through the use of covalent dimers have not been as successful. The most notable systems in this regard are tetracene and 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran. These materials are found to exhibit effi cient SEF in the solid state, but their covalent dimers achieved triplet yields of only a few percent. In both of these studies, [ 7 ] the two SEF chromophores were joined by a range of linkers to modify the strength of the electronic coupling between them, with the aim of tuning the rate and effi ciency of SEF. The impact was subtle, and it thus remains unclear why covalent dimers have proved ineffi cient to date. Current models suggest that dimers should be asymmetric or contain signifi cant cofacial interaction between chromophores to attain high triplet yields. [ 2,8 ] Interestingly, a recent study of pentacene dimers separated by a phenyl spacer unit achieved triplet yields above 100% in spite of using the same symmetric bonding motifs of the earlier tetracene dimers. [ 9 ] In this work, we report highly effi cient intramolecular SEF in a new type of covalent dimer, with triplet yields of up to 192 ± 3%. The molecule used in this study, 13,13′-bis(mesityl)-6,6′-dipentacenyl (DP-Mes, Figure 1 a), consists of two pentacenes directly bonded through a single C C bond with two bulky mesityl groups at the meso -positions. The geometry of the dimer, with two nearly orthogonal pentacene cores, is unlike Tuneable Singlet Exciton Fission and Triplet-Triplet Annihilation in an Orthogonal Pentacene DimerSteven Lukman , Andrew J. Musser , Kai Chen , Stavros Athanasopoulos , Chaw K. Yong , Zebing Zeng , Qun Ye , Chunyan Chi , Justin M. Hodgkiss , Jishan Wu , * Richard H. Friend , and Neil C. Greenham * Fast and highly effi cient intramolecular singlet exciton fi ssion in a pentacene dimer, consisting of two covalently attached, nearly orthogonal pentacene units is reported. Fission to triplet excitons from...

Understanding the mechanism of singlet exciton fission, in which a singlet exciton separates into a pair of triplet excitons, is crucial to the development of new chromophores for efficient fission-sensitized solar cells. The challenge of controlling molecular packing and energy levels in the solid state precludes clear determination of the singlet fission pathway. Here, we circumvent this difficulty by utilizing covalent dimers of pentacene with two types of side groups. We report rapid and efficient intramolecular singlet fission in both molecules, in one case via a virtual charge-transfer state and in the other via a distinct charge-transfer intermediate. The singlet fission pathway is governed by the energy gap between singlet and charge-transfer states, which change dynamically with molecular geometry but are primarily set by the side group. These results clearly establish the role of charge-transfer states in singlet fission and highlight the importance of solubilizing groups to optimize excited-state photophysics.

Singlet exciton fission is the spin-conserving transformation of one spin-singlet exciton into two spin-triplet excitons. This exciton multiplication mechanism offers an attractive route to solar cells that circumvent the single-junction Shockley-Queisser limit. Most theoretical descriptions of singlet fission invoke an intermediate state of a pair of spin-triplet excitons coupled into an overall spinsinglet configuration, but such a state has never been optically observed. In solution, we show that the dynamics of fission are diffusion limited and enable the isolation of an intermediate species. In concentrated solutions of bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)[TIPS]-tetracene we find rapid (<100 ps) formation of excimers and a slower (∼10 ns) break up of the excimer to two triplet exciton-bearing free molecules. These excimers are spectroscopically distinct from singlet and triplet excitons, yet possess both singlet and triplet characteristics, enabling identification as a triplet pair state. We find that this triplet pair state is significantly stabilized relative to free triplet excitons, and that it plays a critical role in the efficient endothermic singlet fission process.T he fission of photogenerated spin-singlet excitons into pairs of spin-triplet excitons is an effective way to generate triplet excitons in organic materials (1, 2). Because the triplets produced are coupled into an overall singlet state, spin is conserved and triplet formation can proceed on sub-100-fs timescales (1, 3-5) with yields of up to 200% (1, 6, 7). Current interest in singlet fission is driven by its potential to improve the efficiency of solar cells by circumventing the Shockley-Queisser limit for single-junction devices (8-10). Incorporating singlet fission material within a lowband-gap solar cell should make it possible to capture the energy normally lost to thermalization following the absorption of highenergy photons (11,12). An external quantum efficiency of 129% (13) and an internal quantum efficiency of >180% (14) have been reported using pentacene as the singlet fission material and fullerene (C 60 ) as electron acceptor. Despite such significant advances, many questions remain about the underlying mechanism of triplet formation, such as the role of intermediate electronic states and the ability of systems to undergo endothermic fission.The basis of most kinetic descriptions of singlet fission is the triplet pair state 1 (TT), which is entangled into an overall singlet and is an essential intermediate for the formation of two free triplet excitons (1, 15). Whether this intermediate state is present only transiently, as expected in exothermic systems such as pentacene, or whether it can be sufficiently long lived to also play a central role in the fission process in slower systems is unclear. Transient absorption measurements of the canonical systems pentacene and tetracene in the solid state allow clear identification of only the singlet and triplet states (3,6,16,17), meaning the character of any intermediate has not been ob...

Singlet exciton fission is a spin-allowed process to generate two triplet excitons from a single absorbed photon. This phenomenon offers great potential in organic photovoltaics, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. Most reports to date have addressed intermolecular fission within small-molecular crystals. However, through appropriate chemical design chromophores capable of intramolecular fission can also be produced. Here we directly observe sub-100 fs activated singlet fission in a semiconducting poly(thienylenevinylene). We demonstrate that fission proceeds directly from the initial 1Bu exciton, contrary to current models that involve the lower-lying 2Ag exciton. In solution, the generated triplet pairs rapidly recombine and decay through the 2Ag state. In films, exciton diffusion breaks this symmetry and we observe long-lived triplets which form charge-transfer states in photovoltaic blends.