Performance of DFT Methods in the Calculation of Optical Spectra of TCF-Chromophores
We present electronic structure calculations of the ultraviolet/visible (UV-Vis) spectra of highly active push-pull chromophores containing tricyanofuran (TCF) acceptor group. In particular, we have applied the recently developed long-range corrected Baer-Neuhauser-Livshits (BNL) exchange-correlation functional. The performance of this functional compares favorably with other density functional theory (DFT) approaches, including the CAM-B3LYP functional. The accuracy of UV-Vis results for these molecules is best at low values of attenuation parameters (γ) for both BNL and CAM-B3LYP functionals. The optimal value of γ is different for the charge-transfer (CT) and π-π* excitations. The BNL and PBE0 exchange correlation functionals capture the CT states particularly well while the π-π* excitations are less accurate and system dependent. Chromophore conformations, which considerably affect the molecular hyperpolarizability, do not significantly influence the UV-Vis spectra on average. As expected, the color of chromophores is a sensitive function of modifications to its conjugated framework, and is not significantly affected by increasing aliphatic chain length linking a chromophore to a polymer. For selected push-pull aryl-chromophores, we find a significant dependence of absorption spectra on the strength of diphenylaminophenyl donors.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 970350
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-66435; 29790; KP1704020; TRN: US201003%%513
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, 5(10):2835-2846, Vol. 5, Issue 10
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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