One nitrogen atom as electron source is enough for efficient intermolecular charge transfer in organic cocrystals toward NIR-photothermal conversion

S Siya Huang (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,) B Bo-Wei Ye (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,) J Jie-Cheng Chen (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,) X Xiaotong He (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,) Q Qian-Ying Zhu J Jinyu Huang C Chaoti Xiao (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,) J Jiayu Li B Baomei Xu (School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Jining University 3 , Jining 273155,) W Wenbin Chen L Li Dang (School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Physics and System Integration Applications, Guangdong University of Technology 4 , Guangzhou 510006,) X Xin-Da Huang (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,) M Ming-De Li (School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Physics and System Integration Applications, Guangdong University of Technology 4 , Guangzhou 510006,) S Shun-Li Chen (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,)

Abstract

In organic donor–acceptor (D-A) materials, a nitrogen atom can serve as a skeleton electron source to tune the inter-/intra-molecular charge transfer (CT) nature and photophysical/photochemical properties. Here, we employ the model molecule stilbene modified with non-/one-/two-nitrogen atoms in the benzene ring skeleton (TSB/TSP/DPE) as a donor and F4TCNQ as an acceptor to synthesize three cocrystals by a one-step mechanochemical method toward NIR photothermal conversion (NIR-PTC). The results show that “One Nitrogen Atom Is Good, Two Are Too Many.” That is, one nitrogen atom in the donor (TSP) is enough to induce optimal performance of the CT effect with the degree of charge transfer of ∼1.16, redshift absorption of ∼2500 nm, and NIR-PTC efficiency of ∼89.4% @ 808 nm. Femtosecond transient absorption spectra exhibit that superior NIR-PTC of TSP-F4TCNQ cocrystal can be attributed to the first ultrafast internal conversion (IC) with a lifetime of 1.7 ± 0.4 ps and subsequent nonradiative decay (NR) via rotation/twisting of cyano-groups out of the plane of central ring of F4TCNQ with a lifetime of 17.1 ± 3.4 ps, followed by the third vibrational relaxation (VR) with a lifetime of 754 ± 220 ps. The individual partition contribution factor of IC/NR/VR channels is resolved to be about 0.33:1.51:1.12 based on a simple linear approximation treatment for the first time. This work provides a simple and potential approach for regulating photophysical properties of D-A cocrystals by introducing a skeleton electron source.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 164, Issue 22
Published June 14, 2026
ISSN 0021-9606
Publisher American Institute of Physics

Journal Info

The Journal of Chemical Physics

American Institute of Physics

ISSN: 0021-9606 Physical Sciences

Authors (14)

S

Siya Huang

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,

B

Bo-Wei Ye

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,

J

Jie-Cheng Chen

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,

X

Xiaotong He

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,

Q

Qian-Ying Zhu

J

Jinyu Huang

C

Chaoti Xiao

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,

J

Jiayu Li

B

Baomei Xu

School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Jining University 3 , Jining 273155,

W

Wenbin Chen

L

Li Dang

School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Physics and System Integration Applications, Guangdong University of Technology 4 , Guangzhou 510006,

X

Xin-Da Huang

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,

M

Ming-De Li

School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Physics and System Integration Applications, Guangdong University of Technology 4 , Guangzhou 510006,

S

Shun-Li Chen

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Key (Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint) Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University 1 , Shantou 515063,