Here, we present a fundamental study on how the ground-state chemical reactivity of a single molecule can be modified in a QED scenario, i.e., when it is placed inside a nanoscale cavity and there is strong coupling between the cavity field and vibrational modes within the molecule. We work with a model system for the molecule (Shin-Metiu model) in which nuclear, electronic, and photonic degrees of freedom are treated on the same footing. This simplified model allows the comparison of exact quantum reaction rate calculations with predictions emerging from transition state theory based on the cavity Born-Oppenheimer approach. We demonstrate that QED effects are indeed able to significantly modify activation barriers in chemical reactions and, as a consequence, reaction rates. The critical physical parameter controlling this effect is the permanent dipole of the molecule and how this magnitude changes along the reaction coordinate. We show that the effective coupling can lead to significant single-molecule energy shifts in an experimentally available nanoparticle-on-mirror cavity. We then apply the validated theory to a realistic case (internal rotation in the 1,2-dichloroethane molecule), showing how reactions can be inhibited or catalyzed depending on the profile of the molecular dipole. Furthermore, we discuss the absence of resonance effects in the present scenario, which can be understood through its connection to Casimir-Polder forces. Finally, we treat the case of many-molecule strong coupling and find collective modifications of reaction rates if the molecular permanent dipole moments are oriented with respect to the cavity field.

When photoactive molecules interact strongly with confined light modes in optical cavities, new hybrid light-matter states form. They are known as polaritons and correspond to coherent superpositions of excitations of the molecules and of the cavity photon. The polariton energies and thus potential energy surfaces are changed with respect to the bare molecules, such that polariton formation is considered a promising paradigm for controlling photochemical reactions. To effectively manipulate photochemistry with confined light, the molecules need to remain in the polaritonic state long enough for the reaction on the modified potential energy surface to take place. To understand what determines this lifetime, we have performed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of room-temperature ensembles of rhodamine chromophores strongly coupled to a single confined light mode with a 15 fs lifetime. We investigated three popular experimental scenarios and followed the relaxation after optically pumping (i) the lower polariton, (ii) the upper polariton or (iii) uncoupled molecular states. The results of the simulations suggest that the lifetime of the optically accessibe lower and upper polaritons are limited by (i) ultra-fast photo-emission due to the low cavity lifetime and (ii) reversible population transfer into the 'dark' state manifold. Dark states are superpositions of molecular excitations but with much smaller contributions from the cavity photon, decreasing their emission rates and hence increasing their lifetimes. We find that population transfer between polaritonic modes and dark states is determined by the overlap between the polaritonic and molecular absorption spectra. Importantly, excitation can also be transferred "upwards" from the lower polariton into the dark-state reservoir due to the broad absorption spectra of the chromophores, contrary to the common conception of these processes as a "one-way" relaxation from the dark states down to the lower polariton. Our results thus suggest that polaritonic chemistry relying on modified dynamics taking place within the lower polariton manifold requires cavities with sufficiently long lifetimes and, at the same time, strong light-matter coupling strengths to prevent the back-transfer of excitation into the dark states.

The potential of strong interactions between light and matter remains to be further explored within a chemical context. Towards this end herein we study the electromagnetic interaction between molecules and plasmonic nanocavities. By means of electronic structure calculations, we show that self‐induced catalysis emerges without any external stimuli through the interaction of the molecular permanent and fluctuating dipole moments with the plasmonic cavity modes. We also exploit this scheme to modify the transition temperatureT_1/2of spin‐crossover complexes as an example of how strong light–matter interactions can ultimately be used to control a materials responses.

Design and syntheses of ‘aggregation induced emission (AIE)’ active blue-emitting bis-cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes with appended diphosphine ligands [Ir(F₂ppy)₂(L₁/L₂)₂(Cl)] (F₂ppy = 2-(2′,4′-difluoro) phenylpyridine; L₁ = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane; L₂ = bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) have been realized on a suitable route. The free phosphorous donor atom present on the appended diphosphine is shown to provide selective binding to the mercuric ion (Hg²⁺). The selective binding ability of the probe molecule towards mercuric ions results in a detectable signal due to complete quenching of their AIE properties. The quenching effect of the probe molecule has been explored and found to be the result of the degradation of the probe iridium(III) complex triggered by the presence of mercuric ions due to an interplay of a soft–soft interaction between the free phosphorous atom of the probe molecule and mercuric ions. These complexes were modelled to obtain deeper understanding of excited state properties and the results were tentatively correlated with the experimental data.

We study the mechanism of S _N 2 reactions modified in vibrational strong coupling experiments and propose a new assignment of the vibrational modes.