On the interplay of solvent and conformational effects in simulated excited-state dynamics of a copper phenanthroline photosensitizer

Copper(i) bis-phenanthroline complexes represent Earth-abundant alternatives to ruthenium-based sensitizers for solar energy conversion and photocatalysis. Improved understanding of the solvent-mediated excited-state structural dynamics can help optimize their photoconversion efficiency. Through direct dynamics simulations in acetonitrile and excited-state minimum energy path calculations in vacuum, we uncover the mechanism of the photoinduced flattening motion of the prototypical system [Cu(dmphen)(2)](+) (dmphen = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline). We find that the ligand distortion is a two-step process in acetonitrile. The fast component (similar to 110 fs) is due to spontaneous pseudo Jahn-Teller instability and is largely solvent independent, while the slow component (similar to 1.2 ps) arises from the mutual interplay between solvent molecules closely approaching the metal center and rotation of the methyl substituents. These results shed new light on the influence of a donor solvent such as acetonitrile and methyl substituents on the flattening dynamics of [Cu(dmphen)(2)](+).