Effect of solvent polarity and temperature on the spectral and thermodynamic properties of exciplexes of 1-cyanonaphthalene with hexamethylbenzene in organic solvents

Study of the effect of solvent polarity and temperature is done on the exciplex emission spectra of 1-cyanonaphthalene with hexamethylbenzene. Exciplex system is studied in the range of partially polar solvents and in solvent mixture of propyl acetate and butyronitrile. The unique feature of this solvent
mixture is that only the solvent polarity changes (6.0rεs r24.7) with the change in the mole fraction of solvents whereas the solvent viscosity and refractive index remains unaffected. Thermodynamic properties are calculated according to the models developed by Weller and Kuzmin. Fluorescence lifetimes for both the fluorophore as well as the exciplex are evaluated in all used solvents. Exciplex
energetics as a function of solvent polarity and temperature are also discussed. Kuzmin model of self-consistent polarization is used for the explanation of the exciplex emission spectra. The effects of solvent polarity and temperature on energy of zero–zero transitions ðhv=0Þ, Huang–Rhys factor (S), Gauss
broadening of vibronic level (s) and the dominant high-frequency vibration (hνν) are investigated.
The strong dependence of exciplex stability and energetics upon the solvent polarity and temperature are observed. Full charge transfer exciplexes were observed in solvents of all polarities and stronger exciplex with large emission intensities were found in solvents of low polarities but with the increase in
solvent polarity the exciplex becomes weak and they dissociate fastly into radical ion pairs. The kinetic model of Kuzmin was observed to reduce into the Weller kinetic model for this exciplex system with ΔGET ¼ 0.22 eV and the spectral shift, hΔν40.2 eV.