The composite material of perylene bisimide dye in MCM-41 and its photophysical and photochemical properties

The mesoporous material MCM-41 was synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and perylene bisimide dye was incorporated into its channels by impregnation. The absorption, FTIR, fluorescence emission, and decay spectra of perylene bisimide dye in CHCl₃ and in MCM-41 were studied to investigate the effect of the one-dimensional channel of MCM-41 on the photophysical and photochemical properties of the dye. The results indicated that the nanochannels of MCM-41 shifted the absorption and emission maxima to red and broadened the spectra, with loss of vibrational structure. The fluorescence decay curves fitted a double-exponential function and the lifetime of perylene bisimide dye in MCM-41 was prolonged. The huge surface area of the mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 prevented aggregation of dye molecules, which can thus be used at high concentration.