Donor-acceptor complexes of excited states on silica surface and in hexane solution at liquid nitrogen temperature

It is shown that an exciplex between pyrene (Py) and N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) forms at low temperature (77 K) on the nonporous silica surface and in a solid hexane solution. The fluorescence lifetime of pyrene in the adsorption state increases when the quencher concentration grows at 77 K. The exciplex fluorescence spectra in the adsorption state shifts to a blue wavelength range when the temperature decreases as a result of the dipole-dipole interaction of the exciplex with the hydroxy groups of the silica surface. On the basis of the model suggested the hydroxyl group concentration on the dehydrated at 770 K silica surface has been estimated.