Evidence for Charge-Transfer Mediation in the Primary Events of Singlet Fission in a Weakly Coupled Pentacene Dimer

Singlet fission (SF) is a process that converts one singlet excited state into two triplet states. The mechanism of SF is still not well understood. Here, we report on the use of a combination of transient absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies in conjunction with theoretical calculations to probe SF in a pentacene dimer linked by a non-conjugated, 1,4-diethynylbicyclo[2.2.2]octane spacer. Next to observing the key intermediates in solution-based SF, including the formation and decay of a quintet state that precedes formation of the pentacene triplet excitons, we demonstrate that the coupling is sufficiently weak that SF is essentially inoperative in non-polar media. Transitioning to a polar medium, however, amplifies the coupling strength such that SF becomes operative and supports long triplet lifetimes. Our results offer strong evidence for a charge-transfer mediation and, in turn, provide a solid framework for decoding the complete mechanism of SF in systems beyond pentacene.