@article{WohlgemuthMitric2016, author = {Wohlgemuth, Matthias and Mitric, Roland}, title = {Photochemical Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Alanine}, series = {Journal of Physical Chemistry A}, volume = {45}, journal = {Journal of Physical Chemistry A}, number = {120}, doi = {10.1021/acs.jpca.6b07611}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158557}, pages = {8976-8982}, year = {2016}, abstract = {We introduce a general theoretical approach for the simulation of photochemical dynamics under the influence of circularly polarized light to explore the possibility of generating enantiomeric enrichment through polarized-light-selective photochemistry. The method is applied to the simulation of the photolysis of alanine, a prototype chiral amino acid. We show that a systematic enantiomeric enrichment can be obtained depending on the helicity of the circularly polarized light that induces the excited-state photochemistry of alanine. By analyzing the patterns of the photoinduced fragmentation of alanine we find an inducible enantiomeric enrichment up to 1.7\%, which is also in good correspondence to the experimental findings. Our method is generally applicable to complex systems and might serve to systematically explore the photochemical origin of homochirality.}, language = {en} } @article{RoehrLisinetskayaMitric2016, author = {R{\"o}hr, Merle I. S. and Lisinetskaya, Polina G. and Mitric, Roland}, title = {Excitonic Properties of Ordered Metal Nanocluster Arrays: 2D Silver Clusters at Multiporphyrin Templates}, series = {Journal of Physical Chemistry A}, volume = {120}, journal = {Journal of Physical Chemistry A}, number = {26}, doi = {10.1021/acs.jpca.6b04243}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-159464}, pages = {4465-4472}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The design of ordered arrays of metal nanoclusters such as for example 2D cluster organic frameworks might open a new route towards the development of materials with tailored optical properties. Such systems could serve as plasmonically enhanced light-harvesting materials, sensors or catalysts. We present here a theoretical approach for the simulation of the optical properties of ordered arrays of metal clusters that is based on the ab initio parametrized Frenkel exciton model. We demonstrate that small atomically precise silver clusters can be assembled in one- and two-dimensional arrays on suitably designed porphyrin templates exhibiting remarkable optical properties. By employing explicit TDDFT calculations on smaller homologs, we show that the intrinsic optical properties of metal clusters are largely preserved but undergo J- and H-type excitonic coupling that results in controllable splitting of their excited states. Furthermore, ab initio parameterized Frenkel exciton model calculations allow us to predict an energetic splitting of up to 0.77 eV in extended two-dimensional square arrays and 0.79 eV in tilted square aggregates containing up to 25 cluster-porphyrin subunits.}, language = {en} }