Anti-Kasha emissions of single molecules in a plasmonic nanocavity

Kasha's rule generally holds true for solid-state molecular systems, where the rates of internal conversion and vibrational relaxation are sufficiently higher than the luminescence rate. In contrast, in systems where plasmons and matter interact strongly, the luminescence rate is significantly enhanced, leading to the emergence of luminescence that does not obey Kasha's rule. In this work, we investigate the anti-Kasha emissions of single molecules, free-base and magnesium naphthalocyanine (H(2)Nc and MgNc), in a plasmonic nanocavity formed between the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and metal substrate. A narrow-line tunable laser was employed to precisely reveal the excited-state levels of a single molecule located under the tip and to selectively excite it into a specific excited state, followed by obtaining a STM-photoluminescence (STM-PL) spectrum to reveal the energy relaxation from the state. The excitation to higher-lying states of H(2)Nc caused various changes in the emission spectrum, such as broadening and the appearance of new peaks, implying the breakdown of Kasha's rule. These observations indicate emissions from the vibrationally excited states in the first singlet excited state (S-1) and second singlet excited state (S-2), as well as internal conversion from S-2 to S-1. Moreover, we obtained direct evidence of electronic and vibronic transitions from the vibrationally excited states, from the STM-PL measurements of MgNc. The results obtained herein shed light on the energy dynamics of molecular systems under a plasmonic field and highlight the possibility of obtaining various energy-converting functions using anti-Kasha processes. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.

Automated summary

Researchers discovered that in systems where plasmons and matter interact strongly, the luminescence rate is significantly enhanced, violating Kasha's rule. They observed emissions from vibrationally excited states and obtained direct evidence of electronic and vibronic transitions from these states. These findings are important for understanding the energy dynamics of molecular systems under a plasmonic field and demonstrate the potential of obtaining various energy-converting functions using anti-Kasha processes.