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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Self-Aggregation and Optical Absorption of Stilbazolium Merocyanine in Chloroform

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Author(s):
Silva, Daniel L. [1, 2] ; Murugan, N. Arul [3] ; Kongsted, Jacob [4] ; Agren, Hans [3] ; Canuto, Sylvio [1]
Total Authors: 5
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Fis, BR-05314970 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Ciencias Nat Matemat & Educ, BR-13600970 Araras, SP - Brazil
[3] Royal Inst Technol, Sch Biotechnol, Dept Theoret Chem & Biol, SE-10691 Stockholm - Sweden
[4] Univ Southern Denmark, Dept Phys Chem & Pharm, DK-5230 Odense M - Denmark
Total Affiliations: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: Journal of Physical Chemistry B; v. 118, n. 7, p. 1715-1725, FEB 20 2014.
Web of Science Citations: 9
Abstract

Dipolar aggregation is in many cases detrimental for the functioning of optical materials. In this study we investigate self-aggregation and optical absorption of stilbazolium merocyanine (SM) in chloroform solution by performing classical Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations under ambient conditions. The reversal solvatochromic shift, the large bathochromic shift, and the structured absorption band presented by SM in chloroform solution are all aspects of its optical absorption behavior for which the existence of self-aggregation is yet not completely understood. Moreover, the spectroscopic properties of SM oligomers and their occurrence in solvent of low polarity remain a relevant topic that deserves to be investigated. Our analysis of the aggregation behavior of SM in chloroform verified that the majority of the chromophores are involved in the formation of oligomers in solution, where the whole dimer and part of the trimer populations present a stable pi-stacking structure. The optical properties of the monomers and oligomers in solution were evaluated by means of a discrete polarizable embedding quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (PE-QM/MM) response scheme where the quantum part is described at the level of density functional theory. The visible absorption spectrum of SM in chloroform is simulated using time average values obtained for the monomeric and oligomeric forms of SM from the PE-QM/MM calculations performed on uncorrelated configurations extracted from the classical MD simulations. This study shows that the self-aggregation of SM in chloroform may exist, but it is not essential for reproducing the reversal solvatochromic shift in chloroform and that the process does not contribute to enhance the bathochromic shift nor explain the structure observed in its absorption band. Moreover, it is verified that since the electronic transitions of the monomer and oligomers are close together, changes in the interplane separation between the monomeric units of the stacked oligomers substantially affect the spectral resolution of their contribution to the optical absorption spectrum. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 09/11810-8 - Study of solvent effect on the one- and two-photon absorption spectra of conjugated organic molecules.
Grantee:Daniel Luiz da Silva
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral