title: Are azobenzenophanes rotation-restricted?
abstract: We simulated the photoisomerization dynamics of an azobenzenophane with a semiclassical surface hopping approach and a semiempirical reparametrized quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics Hamiltonian. Only one of the two azobenzene chromophores in the molecule is taken into account quantum mechanically: the other one is treated by molecular mechanics. Both n-->pi* and pi-->pi* excitations are considered. Our results show that the photoisomerization reaction mainly involves the rotation around the N=N double bond. The excited state relaxation features are in qualitative agreement with experimental time-resolved fluorescence results.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, via Risorgimento 35, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ciminelli
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Granucci
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Persico