Theoretical Prediction of Triplet–Triplet Energy Transfer Rates in a Benzophenone–Fluorene–Naphthalene System

Triplet–triplet energy transfer in benzophenone–fluorene and benzophenone–fluorene–naphthalene molecules is theoretically investigated by using the rate theories and electronic structure calculations established for electron transfer. From the calculated electronic couplings for the single-step tunneling and multistep hopping pathways of the energy transfer from the donor benzophenone to the acceptor naphthalene, it is found that the tunneling comes from the direct electronic couplings between the donor and acceptor states, other than the coupling via the virtual bridge state in the conventional superexchange mechanism. The mode-specific reorganization energy calculations reveal that only the several high-frequency modes dominate the energy transfer, leading to an important nuclear tunneling effect. Succeedingly, with use of the obtained parameters, Fermi’s golden rule predicts the consistent energy transfer rates with experimental ones.