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Article

Ultrafast Nonequilibrium Charge Recombination Dynamics of Excited Donor−Acceptor Complexes

Olivier Nicolet and Eric Vauthey*

Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Geneva, 30 quai Ernest Ansermet, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland

J. Phys. Chem. A, 2002, 106 (23), pp 5553–5562

DOI: 10.1021/jp025542c

Publication Date (Web): May 17, 2002

To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:eric.vauthey@chiphy.unige.ch.

Abstract

The dynamics of charge recombination (CR) of excited donor−acceptor complexes composed of methoxy-substituted benzenes and pyromellitic dianhydride were investigated in four different solvents using both the multiplex transient grating and the transient absorption techniques. At constant driving force, the CR dynamics are substantially faster than those with methyl-substituted benzenes as donors. In acetonitrile (ACN), the CR time constant decreases from 3.5 ps with anisole down to 240 fs with tetramethoxybenzene. In valeronitrile, the CR is always slower than in ACN but is, in most cases, faster than diffusional solvation. The free energy, the solvent, and the temperature dependence of the CR dynamics can be qualitatively well reproduced using the hybrid model of Barbara and co-workers after incorporation of the contribution of inertial motion to solvation. The ability of this model to account for the absence of normal region at small driving force is also examined.

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