Strong coupling with light enhances the photoisomerization quantum yield of azobenzene

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that strong light-molecule coupling in resonant cavities can enhance the quantum yield of azobenzene photoisomerization, offering a new method to control photochemical reactions.

Contribution

It reveals how strong coupling can increase the photoisomerization quantum yield of azobenzene, extending control from quenching to enhancement of photochemical reactions.

Findings

Quantum yield of azobenzene increased under polaritonic conditions.

Mechanism for enhancement involves modified energy pathways.

Conditions identified for favoring the unfavoured reaction product.

Abstract

The strong coupling between molecules and photons in resonant cavities offers a new toolbox to manipulate photochemical reactions. While the quenching of photochemical reactions in the strong coupling regime has been demonstrated before, their enhancement has proven to be more elusive. By means of a state-of-the-art approach, here we show how the \iso{trans}{cis} photoisomerization quantum yield of azobenzene embedded in a realistic environment can be higher in polaritonic conditions than in the cavity-free case. We characterize the mechanism leading to such enhancement and discuss the conditions to push the photostationary state towards the unfavoured reaction product. Our results provide a signature that the control of photochemical reactions through strong coupling can be extended from selective quenching to improvement of the quantum yields