The conjugated polyelectrolyte PPESO3 features a poly(phenylene ethynylene) backbone substituted with anionic 3-sulfonatopropyloxy groups. PPESO3 is quenched very efficiently (KSV > 10(6) M(-1)) by cationic energy transfer quenchers in an amplified quenching process. In the present investigation, steady-state and picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy are used to examine amplified quenching of PPESO3 by a series of cyanine dyes via singlet-singlet energy transfer. The goal of this work is to understand the mechanism of amplified quenching and to characterize important parameters that govern the amplification process. Steady-state fluorescence quenching of PPESO3 by three cationic oxacarbocyanine dyes in methanol solution shows that the quenching efficiency does not correlate with the Forster radius computed from spectral overlap of the PPESO3 fluorescence with the cyanines' absorption. The quenching efficiency is controlled by the stability of the polymer-dye association complex. When quenching studies are carried out in water where PPESO3 is aggregated, changes observed in the absorption and fluorescence spectra of 1,1',3,3,3',3'-hexamethylindotricarbocyanine iodide (HMIDC) indicate that the polymer templates the formation of a J-aggregate of the dye. The fluorescence dynamics in the PPESO3/HMIDC system were probed by time-resolved upconversion and the results show that PPESO3 to HMIDC energy transfer occurs on two distinctive time scales. At low HMIDC concentration, the dynamics are dominated by an energy transfer pathway with a time scale faster than 4 ps. With increasing HMIDC concentration, an energy pathway with a time scale of 0.1-1 ns is active. The prompt pathway (tau< 4 ps) is attributed to quenching of delocalized PPESO3 excitons created near the HMIDC association site, whereas the slow phase is attributed to intra- and interchain exciton diffusion to the HMIDC.

A series of poly(arylene ethynylene) (PAE) conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) have been prepared using palladium-mediated (Sonogashira) coupling chemistry. The series consists of five pairs of polymers that share the same poly(arylene ethynylene) backbone. One member of each pair contains anionic sulfonate (R−SO3 -) side groups, whereas the other member contains cationic bis-alkylammonium (R-N+−R-N+−R) side groups. The repeat unit structure of the poly(arylene ethynylene) backbone consists of a bis(alkoxy)phenylene-1,4-ethynylene unit alternating with a second arylene ethynylene moiety, and five different arylenes were used, Ar = 1,4-phenyl, 2,5-pyridyl (Py), 2,5-thienyl (Th), 2,5-(3,4-ethylenedioxy)thienyl (EDOT), and 1,4-benzo[2,1,3]thiodiazole (BDT). The different arylene units induce variation in the HOMO−LUMO band gap across the series of polymers, resulting in a series of materials that display absorption maxima at wavelengths ranging from 400 to 550 nm and fluorescence maxima ranging from 440 to 600 nm. The absorption and fluorescence properties of the CPEs were investigated in methanol, water, and in methanol/water mixtures. The photophysical data suggest that the CPE chains aggregate in water, but in methanol, the polymers are well solvated such that the optical properties are characteristic of the “molecularly dissolved” chains. Stern−Volmer (SV) fluorescence quenching studies were carried out using ionic naphthalene diimides as electron acceptors. The results show that the fluorescence from the CPEs was quenched with very high efficiency (amplified quenching) when the ionic diimide was charged opposite to the charge on the CPE chain. The sensitivity of the Stern−Volmer quenching response varies strongly across the series of CPEs, with the most efficient quenching seen for polymers that display efficient fluorescence when they are aggregated. The relationship between CPE side chain structure, band gap, fluorescence quantum yield, extent of chain aggregation, and fluorescence quenching efficiency is discussed.

vations of a discontinuity near 1150 km in subduction arcas [(3, 6), for example] indicates that this may be a global feature o t yet unknou.n nature.T h e observation of reflectors at mid-1ua11tle iiepths comparable to those in subduction zones, hut in a different environment, indicates that a search for yet unidentitied nlineral asscnlblagcs o t global significance may he ~\.orthn.hilc. Recent cxperiments have shown the possihle existence of phase tra~lsitions at lolvcr mantle conditions: orthorhomhic-to-c~113ic silicate pcrovskite (3d) a i d rutile SiOz to CaClz structure ( 3 1 ). T h e role ancl proportions of volatiles such as water or carbon dioxide in the nlantle remain largely unknown and co~lld he o t importance (32). Additional seismic observations with the great resolving power of BB arrays s110~11ci help answer the yucstio~n o t the global character of our observations.

The ultrafast dynamics of electronic and vibrational energy transfer between two-and three-ring linear poly(phenylene ethynylene) units linked by meta-substitution is studied by nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations. The molecular dynamics with quantum transitions 1,2 method is used including an "on the fly" calculation of the potential energy surfaces and electronic couplings. The results show that during the first 40 fs after a vertical photoexcitation to the S 2 state, the nonadiabatic coupling between S 2 and S 1 states causes a fast transfer of the electronic populations. A rapid decrease of the S 1 -S 2 energy gap is observed, reaching a first conical intersection at ≈5 fs. Therefore, the first hopping events take place, and the S 2 state starts to depopulate. The analysis of the structural and energetic properties of the molecule during the jumps reveals the main role that the ethynylene triple bond plays in the unidirectional energy transfer process.

The optical and photophysical properties of phenylacetylene dendritic macromolecules based on unsymmetrical branching are investigated using steady-state and time-dependent spectroscopy. Monodendrons, up to the fourth generation, are characterized with and without a fluorescent perylene trap at the core. The higher generation monodendrons without the perylene trap exhibit high molar extinction coefficients (>10(5) M(-1) cm(-1)) and high fluorescence quantum yields (65-81%). When a perylene trap is placed at the core, then the monodendrons typically exhibit high energy transfer quantum yields (approximately 90%), as well as subpicosecond time scale excited-state dynamics, as evidenced by ultrafast pump-probe measurements. The photophysical properties of the unsymmetrical monodendrons are compared to those of phenylacetylene monodendrons with symmetrical branching, which have been described recently. The high fluorescence quantum yields and large energy transfer quantum efficiencies exhibited by the unsymmetrical monodendrons suggest they have potential for applications in molecular-based photonics devices.

Excited-state nonadiabatic molecular dynamics is used to study energy transfer in dendrimer building blocks, between two-, three-, and four-ring linear polyphenylene ethynylene units linked by meta-substitutions. Upon excitation, dendrimers with these building blocks have been shown to undergo highly efficient and unidirectional energy transfer. The simulations start by initial vertical excitation to the S4, localized on the two-ring unit. We observe ultrafast directional S4 → S3 → S2 → S1 electronic energy transfer, corresponding to sequential two-ring → three-ring → four-ring transfer. The electronic energy transfer is concomitant with vibrational energy transfer through a dominant CC stretching motion. Upon S n+1 → S n population transfer, a rapid increase of the S n+1−S n energy gaps and decrease of the corresponding values for S n −S n−1 gaps are observed. As a consequence, the S n+1 and S n states become less coupled, while the S n and S n−1 become more coupled. This behavior guarantees the successful S n+1 → S n → S n−1 unidirectional energy transfer associated with the efficient energy funneling in light-harvesting dendrimers.

The apparently-multicomponent subpicosecond intermolecular dynamics of carbon disulfide liquid are addressed in a unified manner in terms of an inhomogeneously broadened quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator model for a single vibrational coordinate. For an inhomogeneously broadened (Gaussian) distribution of oscillators, the model predicts naturally the bimodal character of the subpicosecond intermolecular dynamics of carbon disulfide liquid, and also the spectral evolution effects (spectral narrowing and saturation) that are observed for solutions of carbon disulfide in weakly interacting alkane solvents. The unique dynamical signature of these low-frequency vibrational coordinates is determined largely by the physical constraints on the coordinates (near equality of oscillator frequency, dephasing frequency, and inhomogeneous bandwidth), such that constructive and destructive interference effects play a dominant role in shaping the experimental observable.

Coherence, signifying concurrent electron-vibrational dynamics in complex natural and man-made systems, is currently a subject of intense study. Understanding this phenomenon is important when designing carrier transport in optoelectronic materials. Here, excited state dynamics simulations reveal a ubiquitous pattern in the evolution of photoexcitations for a broad range of molecular systems. Symmetries of the wavefunctions define a specific form of the non-adiabatic coupling that drives quantum transitions between excited states, leading to a collective asymmetric vibrational excitation coupled to the electronic system. This promotes periodic oscillatory evolution of the wavefunctions, preserving specific phase and amplitude relations across the ensemble of trajectories. The simple model proposed here explains the appearance of coherent exciton-vibrational dynamics due to non-adiabatic transitions, which is universal across multiple molecular systems. The observed relationships between electronic wavefunctions and the resulting functionalities allows us to understand, and potentially manipulate, excited state dynamics and energy transfer in molecular materials.