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The field of organic electronics has received considerable attention over the past several years due to the promise of novel electronic materials that are cheap, flexible and light weight. While some devices based on organic materials have already emerged on the market (e.g. organic light emitting diodes), a deeper understanding of the excited states within the condensed phase is necessary both to improve current commercial products and to develop new materials for applications that are currently in the commercial pipeline (e.g. organic photovoltaics, wearable displays, and field effect transistors). To this end, a model for pi-conjugated molecular aggregates and crystals is developed and analyzed. The model considers two types of electronic excitations, namely Frenkel and charge-transfer excitons, both of which play a prominent role in determining the nature of the excited states within tightly-packed organic systems. The former consist of an electron-hole pair bound to the same molecule while in the later the electron and hole are located on different molecules. The model also considers the important nuclear reorganization that occurs when the system switches between electronic states. This is achieved using a Holstein-style Hamiltonian that includes linear vibronic coupling of the electronic states to the nuclear motion associated with the high frequency vinyl-stretching and ring-breathing modes. Analysis of the model reveals spectroscopic signatures of charge-transfer mediated J- and H-aggregation in systems where the photophysical properties are determined primarily by charge-transfer interactions. Importantly, such signatures are found to be sensitive to the relative phase of the intermolecular electron and hole transfer integrals, and the relative energy of the Frenkel and charge-transfer states. When the charge-transfer integrals are in phase and the energy of the charge-transfer state is higher than the Frenkel state, the system exhibits J-aggregate characteristics including a positive band curvature, a red shifted main absorption peak, and an increase in the ratio of the first two vibronic peaks relative to the monomer. On the other hand, when the charge-transfer integrals are out of phase and the energy of the charge-transfer state is higher than the Frenkel state, the system exhibits H-aggregate characteristics including a negative band curvature, a blue shifted main absorption peak, and a decrease in the ratio of the first two vibronic peaks relative to the monomer. Notably, these signatures are consistent with those exhibited by Coulombically coupled J- and H-aggregates. Additional signatures of charge-transfer J- and H-aggregation are also discovered, the most notable of which is the appearance of a second absorption band when the charge-transfer integrals are in phase and the charge-transfer and Frenkel excitons are near resonance. In such instances, the peak-to-peak spacing is found to be proportional to the sum of the electron and hole transfer integrals. Further analysis of the charge-transfer interactions within the context of an effective Frenkel exciton coupling reveals that the charge-transfer interactions interfere directly with the intermolecular Coulombic coupling. The interference can be either constructive or destructive resulting in either enhanced or suppressed J- or H- aggregate behavior relative to what is expected based on Coulombic coupling alone. Such interferences result in four new aggregate types, namely HH-, HJ-, JH-, and JJ-aggregates, where the first letter indicates the nature of the Coulombic coupling and the second indicates the nature of the charge-transfer coupling. Vibronic signatures of such aggregates are developed and provide a means by which to rapidly screen materials for certain electronic characteristics. Notably, a large total (Coulombic plus charge-transfer) exciton coupling is associated with an absorption spectrum in which the ratio of the first two vibronic peaks deviates significantly from that of the unaggregated monomer. Hence, strongly coupled, high exciton mobility aggregates can be readily distinguished from low mobility aggregates by the ratio of their first two vibronic peaks. Analysis of the spatial dependence of the intermolecular interactions reveals that all four aggregate types (HH-, HJ-, JH-, JJ-) can be achieved by enforcing the appropriate crystalline packing arrangement. Such tunability is possible due of the different length scales over which the natures of the two coupling sources interconvert from J-like to H-like; whereas the nature of the Coulombic coupling is known to be sensitive to displacements on the order of half the molecular length, the nature of the charge-transfer mediated exciton coupling is sensitive to geometric displacements of approximately a carbon-carbon bond length. It is proposed that such sensitivity should allow for fine tuning of the total excitonic coupling via modifications in the packing structure, as determined, for example, by the side chains. Several examples of the different aggregate types are provided throughout this dissertation as the model is used to probe the excited state character of several relevant conjugated organic systems. Such examples include pentacene and 7,8,15,16-tetraazaterrylene (TAT) along with several derivatives from the perylene family. / Chemistry

MXenes, a new class of two-dimensional (2D) materials, have recently demonstrated impressive optoelectronic properties associated with its ultrathin layered structure. Particularly, Ti3C2Tx, the most studied MXene by far, was shown to exhibit intense surface plasmons (SPs), i.e. collective oscillations of free charge carriers, when excited by electromagnetic waves. However, due to the lack of information about the spatial and energy variation of those SPs over individual MXene flakes, the potential use of MXenes in photonics and plasmonics is still marginally explored. Hence, the main objective of this dissertation is to shed the light upon the plasmonic behavior of MXenes at the nanoscale and extend their use beyond their typical electrochemical applications. To fulfill our objective, we first elucidated the underlying characteristics governing the plasmonic behavior of MXenes. Then, we revealed the existence of various tunable SP modes supported by different MXenes, i.e. Ti3C2Tx and Mo2CTx, and investigated their energy and spatial distribution over individual flakes. Further, we fabricated an array of MXene-based flexible photodetectors that only operate at the resonant frequency of the SPs supported by MXenes. We also unveiled the existence of tunable SPs supported by another 2D nanomaterial (i.e. MoO2) and juxtaposed its plasmonic behavior with that of MXenes, to underline the uniqueness of the latter. Noteworthy, as in the case of MXenes, this was the first progress made on studying specific SP modes supported by MoO2 nanostructures. In this part of the dissertation, we were able to identify and tailor multipolar SPs supported by MoO2 and illustrate their dependence on their bulk band structure. In the end, we show that, on the contrary, SPs in MXenes are mainly controlled by the surface band structure. To confirm this, we selectively altered the subsurface band structure of Ti3C2Tx and modulated its work function (from 4.37 to 4.81 eV) via charge transfer doping. Interestingly, thanks to the unchanged surface stoichiometry of Ti3C2Tx, the plasmonic behavior of Ti3C2Tx was not affected by its largely tuned electronic structure. Notably, the ability to attain MXenes with tunable work functions, yet without disrupting their plasmonic behavior, is appealing to many application fields.

Numerous pigment protein complexes exist in natural systems to harvest light energy such as photosystem II and Nanosalina xenorhodopsin. However, the mechanisms of these lipid embedded photo-active complexes have yet to be fully understood. Photosystem II is of interest due to being a compact complex which can perform the three initial key steps of photosynthesis: absorb light, transfer the excitation from the antennae to reaction center, and perform efficient charge separation. Despite considerable theoretical and experimental effort the exact mechanism of this process remains uncertain. Nanosalina xenorhodopsin is a more recently discovered inwards proton pump with minimal studies into the inwards proton pumping mechanism. Nanosalina xenorhodopsin is of interest as it contrasts with other known and well studied rhodopsins which serve as outwards proton pumps, moving H+ ions out of a cell. In this work, we use the Hamiltonian ensemble method to construct the first fully ab initio computational models of these systems which will be used to determine the mechanisms of these systems. To construct these models we first investigated the effect of the modeled surrounding membrane and simulated temperature. The effect of the extended modeled environment on calculated results is often overlooked but important for the construction of an accurate ab initio model. Our models showed that both membrane composition and temperature result in significant changes in the behavior of the extended membrane system, relative excitation energies of chromophores, and energy dynamics of a pigment protein complex. The absolute excitation energies of chromophores, absorption spectra, and linear dichroism spectra were comparatively insensitive to changes in the modeled environment. With the effect of the environment established, we present a preliminary method to extend our photosystem II model to include charge transfer states, and a preliminary model of Nanosalina xenorhodopsin which can determine the photocycle states through validation of calculated spectra against experimental results.

No / Four new ternary crystalline molecular complexes have been synthesised from a common 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid (3,5-dnda) and 4,4'-bipyridine (bipy) pairing with a series of amino-substituted aromatic compounds (4-aminobenzoic acid (4-aba), 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)benzoic acid (4-dmaba), 4-aminosalicylic acid (4-asa) and sulfanilamide (saa)). The ternary crystals were created through the application of complementary charge transfer and hydrogen-bonding interactions. For these systems a dimer was created through a charge-transfer interaction between two of the components, while hydrogen bonding between the third molecule and this dimer completed the construction of the ternary co-crystal. All resulting structures display the same acidpyridine interaction between 3,5-dnba and bipy. However, changing the third component causes the proton of this bond to shift from neutral OHN to a salt form, O(-) HN(+) , as the nature of the group hydrogen bonding to the carboxylic acid was changed. This highlights the role of the crystal environment on the level of proton transfer and the utility of ternary systems for the study of this process.

Di-n-propyl dicyanofumarate (DnPrDCF) and di-isopropyl dicyanofumarate (DiPrDCF) have been used as one-electron acceptors in the synthesis of charge-transfer salt magnets with decamethylmetallocenes, MCp*2 (M = Mn, Cr). Salts of each acceptor with each metallocene have been characterized and the structures of the chromium analogues have been solved. The two acceptors are structurally similar to dimethyl dicyanofumarate (DMeDCF) and diethyl dicyanofumarate (DEtDCF), which have been previously studied and found to form charge-transfer salt magnets with the aforementioned decamethylmetallocenes. A typical structural motif is present in these types of charge-transfer salts which allows for the comparison of magnetic properties based on the length or size of the alkyl group of the dialkyl dicyanofumarate. Some trends were established based on the magnetic properties of the homologous series including ordering temperature/bulkiness of the alkyl group and intrastack distances/theta values. Correlation of magnetic and structural properties may give some insight into "through-space" magnetic coupling, of which little is understood. / Master of Science

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第25312号 / 工博第5271号 / 新制||工||2002(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科合成・生物化学専攻 / (主査)教授 生越 友樹, 教授 杉野目 道紀, 教授 松田 建児 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

Redox hopping is the dominant charge transport mechanism in many catalyst-modified metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Previous studies have shown that ion diffusion is the rate-determining step of redox hopping, but the realization regarding to the fundamental mechanism of redox hopping in MOF is still infantile. In this dissertation, we will discuss the redox hopping process in MOFs from multiple perspectives, including how to use the Scholz model to analyze the coefficients in redox hopping, the influence of the type of carrier, the influence of electrolyte concentration, and the influence of temperature on redox hopping, so as to try to reveal the mechanism of the redox hopping process and make some constructive suggestions for the future design and application of MOF based on this topic. / Doctor of Philosophy / Redox hopping is a keyway that electron moves in many special materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) used as catalysts. While we know that the movement of ion is always the bottleneck in MOF because of their huge volume when compared to tiny electrons, there's still a lot to learn about the basic details of how redox hopping works in MOFs. This thesis explores redox hopping in MOFs from various angles. It looks at how we can use a specific model (the Scholz model) to understand this process better and examines the effects of different factors like the type of carrier (electron or hole), the concentration and type of the electrolyte, and the temperature. The goal is to uncover the fundamental workings of redox hopping and gives helpful ideas or principles to guide the design and applications of MOFs in the future.

This work offers a concept to predict and comprehend the electronic excited states in regular aggregates formed of quasi-one-dimensional organic materials. The tight face-to-face stacking of the molecules justifies the idealization of the crystals and clusters as weakly interacting stacks with leading effects taking place within the columnar sub-structures. Thus, the concept of the small radius exciton theory in linear molecular chains was adopted to examine the excitonic states. The excited states are composed of molecular excitations and nearest neighbor charge transfer (CT) excitations. We analyzed the structure and properties of the excited states which result from the coupling of Frenkel and CT excitons of arbitrary strength in finite chains with idealized free ends. With the help of a partially analytical approach to determine the excitonic states of mixed Frenkel CT character by introducing a complex wave vector, two main types of states can be distinguished. The majority of states are bulk states with purely imaginary wavevector. The dispersion relation of these state matches exactly the dispersion relation known from the infinite chain. The internal structure of the excitons in infinite chains is directly transferred to the bulk states in finite chains. TAMM-like surface states belong to the second class of states. Owing to the damping mediated by a a non-vanishing real part of the wavevector, the wave function of the surface states is localized at the outermost molecules. The corresponding decay length is exclusively determined by the parameterization of the coupling and is independent of the system size. It can therefore be assigned as a characteristic quantum length which plays a vital role for the understanding of system-dependent behavior of the states. The number and type of surface states occurring is predicted for any arbitrary coupling situation. The different nature of bulk and surface states leads to distinct quantum confinement effects. Two regimes are distinguished. The first regime, the case of weak confinement, is realized if the chain length is larger than the intrinsic length. Both kinds of states arrange with the system size according to their nature. Derived from the excitonic states of the infinite chain, the bulk states preserve their quasi-particle character in these large systems. Considered as a quasi-particle confined in box, they change their energy with the system size according to the particle-in-a-box picture. The surface states do not react to a change of the chain length at all, since effectively only the outermost molecules contribute to the wavefunction. The second regime holds if the states are strongly confined, i.e., the system is smaller than the intrinsic length. Both types of states give up their typical behavior and adopt similar properties. / Diese Arbeit unterbreitet ein Konzept, um elektronische Anregungszustände in Aggregaten quasi-eindimensionaler organischer Materialien vorherzusagen und zu verstehen. Die dichte Packung der Moleküle rechtfertigt die Idealisierung der Kristalle bzw. Cluster als schwach wechselwirkende Stapel, wobei die führenden Effekte innerhalb der Molekülstapel zu erwarten sind. Zur Beschreibung der exzitonischen Zustände wurde das Konzept der 'small radius'-Exzitonen in linearen Molekülketten angewandt. Die elektronischen Zustände sind dabei aus molekularen (Frenkel) und nächsten Nachbarn 'charge-transfer' (CT) Anregungen zusammengesetzt. Die Struktur und Eigenschaften der Zustände wurden für beliebige Kopplungsstärken zwischen Frenkel- und CT Anregungen in Ketten mit idealisierten freien Enden für beliebiger Längen analysiert. Der entwickelte, überwiegend analytische Zugang, welcher auf der Einführung eines komplexen Wellenvektors beruht, ermöglicht die Unterscheidung zweier grundsätzlicher Zustandstypen. Die Mehrheit der Zustände sind Volumenzustände mit rein imaginärem Wellenvektor. Die zugehörige Dispersionsrelation entspricht exakt der Dispersionsrelation der unendlichen Kette mit äquivalenten Kopplungsverhältnissen. Die interne Struktur der Exzitonen der unendlichen Kette wird auf die Volumenzustände der endlichen Kette direkt übertragen. Der zweite grundlegende Zustandstyp umfaßt Tamm-artige Oberflächenzustände. Aufgrund der durch einen nichtverschwindenden reellen Anteil des Wellenvektors hervorgerufenen Dämpfung sind die Wellenfunktionen der Oberflächenzustände an den Randmolekülen lokalisiert. Die entsprechende Dämpfungslänge ist ausschließlich durch die Parametrisierung der Kopplungen bestimmt und ist somit unabhängig von der Kettenlänge. Sie kann daher als intrinische Quantenlänge interpretiert werden, welche von essentieller Bedeutung für das Verständnis systemgrößenabhängigen Verhaltens ist. Sowohl die Anzahl als auch die Art der Oberflächenzustände kann für jede Kopplungssituation vorhergesagt werden. Die unterschiedliche Natur der Volumen- und Oberflächenzustände führt auf ausgeprägte 'Quantum confinement' Effekte. Zwei Regime sind zu unterscheiden. Im Falle des ersten Regimes, dem schwachen 'Confinement', ist die Kettenlänge größer als die intrinsische Länge. Beide Zustandarten reagieren auf eine Veränderung der Kettenlänge gemäß ihrer Natur. Aufgrund ihrer Verwandschaft mit den Bandzuständen der unendlichen Kette bewahren die Volumenzustände ihren Quasiteilchen-Charakter. Aufgefaßt als Quasiteilchen, erfahren sie in endlichen Systemen eine energetische Verschiebung gemäß dem Potentialtopf-Modell. Oberflächenzustände zeigen keine Reaktion auf veränderte Kettenlängen, da effektiv nur die Randmoleküle zur Wellenfunktion beitragen. Es findet ein Übergang zum zweiten Regime (starkes 'Confinement') statt, sobald die Kettenlänge kleiner als intrinsische Quantenlänge wird. Beide Zustandsarten geben ihr typisches Verhalten auf und werden mit abnehmender Kettenlänge zunehmend ähnlicher.

The reversible and topotactic insertion of guest species within layered host lattices, known as intercalation is a widely studied phenomena. The Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) or Anionic Alloys are important class of layered solids with its own distinct ion-exchange host-Guest Chemistry. The LDH structure may be derived from that of Brucite, Mg(OH)2, by random isomorphous substitution of Mg2+ ions by trivalent cations like Al3+, Ga3+ etc. This substitution leaves an excess positive charge on the layers, which is compensated by interlamellar anions. These ions are exchangeable and thus new functionalities can be introduced to ion exchange reactions. Insertion of neutral, non-polar or poorly water-soluble guest molecules remains a challenge. In the present study, two methodologies were adopted to extend the host-guest chemistry of LDHs to neutral and non-polar species, first by using Hydrophobic interaction and second, charge transfer (CT) interaction as driving force. Hlydrophobic interaction as driving force involves functionalization of the Mg-Al-LDH galleries as bilayers, thus covering the essentially hydrophilic interlamellar space of the LDH to one that is hydrophobic and able to solubilize neutral molecules like Anthracene. CT interaction as driving force, involves pre-functionalization of the galleries of the LDH with a donor species e.g. 4-aminobenzoic acid by conventional ion exchange methods to form a LDH-donor intercalated compound. This compound can selectively adsorb acceptor species like Chloranil, Tetracyanoquinodimethane etc. into the interlamellar space of the solid by forming donor-acceptor complexes. The confined donor-acceptor complexes have been characterized by X-Ray Diffraction, UV-Visible, Fourier Transformed Infra-Red and Raman Spectroscopy, Molecular Dynamics Simulations were able to reproduce the experimental results. One dimensional gold nanostructure like nanorods (AuNRs) have received great attention due to their size dependent optical properties, Extending these applications requires assembling the AuNRs into one-, two- and if possible three-dimensional architectures. Several approaches have been developed to assemble AuNRs in two-orientation modes namely end-to-end and side-to-side. The present study self-assembly of the AuNRs has been achieved by anchoring β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) cavities to the nanorods surface. The host-guest chemistry of β-CD has been exploited to assemble the AuNRs. Our strategy was to use a guest molecule that is capable to link β-CD into 1:2 host-guest fashions to link up two β-CD capped nanorods. The guest molecule chosen for the present study was 1,10-phenanthroline. Linkage between the ends of rods leading to V-shaped rods dimmer assembly and side-to-side assembly was achieved by varying the extent of cyclodextrin capping of the AuNRs followed by the addition of linker, 1,10-phenanthroline. The formation of the assembly was characterized using UV-Visible-Near-IR Spectoscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy.