Abstract
From the analysis based on the broken-symmetry density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we in this study propose a strategy to enhance the open-shell characters and third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of pi-stacked dimers composed of antiaromatic molecules with weak open-shell characters. For this purpose, we here constructed cofacial pi-stacked dimer models composed of aromatic and antiaromatic Ni-II porphyrins in order to examine the pi-pi stacking distance (R) dependence of the diradical characters (y) and static second hyperpolarizabilities (gamma). The antiaromatic porphyrin dimers are found to have intermediate y around R similar to 3.3 angstrom, the result of which originates in the unique intermolecular interactions between the antiaromatic monomers. Static gamma along the stacking direction of such antiaromatic porphyrin dimers with intermediate diradical characters are shown to be enhanced significantly as compared to those of the isolated monomers and the aromatic porphyrin dimers.