TY - JOUR
T1 - Multichromophoric dendrimers as single-photon sources
T2 - A single-molecule study
AU - Masuo, Sadahiro
AU - Vosch, Tom
AU - Cotlet, Mircea
AU - Tinnefeld, Philip
AU - Habuchi, Satoshi
AU - Bell, Toby D M
AU - Oesterling, Ingo
AU - Beljonne, David
AU - Champagne, Benoît
AU - Müllen, Klaus
AU - Sauer, Markus
AU - Hofkens, Johan
AU - De Schryver, Frans C.
PY - 2004/10/28
Y1 - 2004/10/28
N2 - Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy was performed on a number of multi-peryleneimide substituted polyphenylene dendrimers for the purpose of investigating the parameters which influence the efficiency of the dendrimers as single-photon sources at room temperature. Analysis of fluorescence intensity, lifetime, and interphoton arrival time distribution revealed that all measured first-generation dendrimers behave as single-photon emitters when more than one chromophore is excited by a single excitation pulse regardless of the number of constituent chromophores. This is a result of efficient singlet-singlet annihilation, which becomes less efficient in higher-generation dendrimers when the interchromophoric distance increases. The efficiency of the investigated dendrimers as single-photon sources depends on several other parameters, such as the nature of the surrounding polymer matrix, the number of chromophores, and the extent of interchromophoric interactions. These parameters mainly affect the frequency of singlet-triplet annihilation, which in turn dominates the quality of these multichromophoric dendrimers as single-photon sources. The results reported here are important not only for the design of single-photon sources based on single organic molecules but also for a fundamental understanding of natural and artificial multichromophoric systems.
AB - Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy was performed on a number of multi-peryleneimide substituted polyphenylene dendrimers for the purpose of investigating the parameters which influence the efficiency of the dendrimers as single-photon sources at room temperature. Analysis of fluorescence intensity, lifetime, and interphoton arrival time distribution revealed that all measured first-generation dendrimers behave as single-photon emitters when more than one chromophore is excited by a single excitation pulse regardless of the number of constituent chromophores. This is a result of efficient singlet-singlet annihilation, which becomes less efficient in higher-generation dendrimers when the interchromophoric distance increases. The efficiency of the investigated dendrimers as single-photon sources depends on several other parameters, such as the nature of the surrounding polymer matrix, the number of chromophores, and the extent of interchromophoric interactions. These parameters mainly affect the frequency of singlet-triplet annihilation, which in turn dominates the quality of these multichromophoric dendrimers as single-photon sources. The results reported here are important not only for the design of single-photon sources based on single organic molecules but also for a fundamental understanding of natural and artificial multichromophoric systems.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=8444219730&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/jp047804b
DO - 10.1021/jp047804b
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:8444219730
SN - 1520-6106
VL - 108
SP - 16686
EP - 16696
JO - Journal of physical chemistry B
JF - Journal of physical chemistry B
IS - 43
ER -