We have contributed to a study led by Zoltán Szakács and Eric Vauthey from the University of Geneva that has been accepted for publication in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP).
Excited-state symmetry breaking is investigated in a series of symmetric 9,10-dicyanoantracenes linked to electron-donating groups on the 2 and 6 positions via different spacers, allowing for a tuning of the length of the donor-acceptor branches. The excited-state properties of these compounds are compared with their dipolar single-branch analogues. The changes in electronic structure upon their optical excitation are monitored by transient electronic spectroscopy in the visible and near-infrared regions as well as by transient vibrational spectroscopy in the mid-infrared.
You can read the full article here.
Z. Szakács, F. Glöcklhofer, F. Plasser, E. Vauthey, Excited-state symmetry breaking in 9,10-dicyanoanthracene-based quadrupolar molecules: the effect of donor-acceptor branch length, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2021, accepted manuscript, DOI: 10.1039/D1CP02376D. [Link, open access]