2025/06/26 by Hanggai Nuomin, Feng-Feng Song, Nuomin, Hanggai +5
Chemistry · Engineering · #Atomic and Molecular Clusters (physics.atm-clus) #Chemical Physics (physics.chem-ph) #Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph) #Electrochemical Analysis and Applications #FOS: Physical sciences #Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures #Photochemistry and Electron Transfer Studies #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2506.21504
openalex publication_date 2025/06/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/15 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Molecular structures with multiple donor, bridge, or acceptor units can display quantum interference effects that influence electron and energy transfer (ET and EnT) rates. Recent experiments found a 4- to 5-fold increase in ET rates for donor-acceptor structures with two acceptors compared to one. This result is surprising: simple classical or quantum analysis suggests a factor of two rate enhancement. We analyze the coupling interactions in multiple acceptor systems and find that rate enhancements beyond additive effects arise from acceptor-acceptor interactions that: 1) shift the reaction free energy, 2) change the donor-acceptor couplings, and 3) alter the reaction-coordinate motion. Consideration of these effects explains the observed rates in multi-acceptor systems and suggests strategies to tailor energy and electron transfer kinetics.