Amphiphilic Fluorescence Resonance Energy-Transfer Dyes: Synthesis,Fluorescence, and Aggregation Behavior in Water

Amphiphilic pyrene/perylene bis-chromophore dyes were synthesized from unsymmetrically substituted perylene bisimide dyes, which were obtained through three synthetic methods. The optical and aggregation behaviors of these functional dyes were studied by means of UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and TEM. These dyes are highly fluorescent and cover the whole visible-light region. A donor/acceptor dye displays intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), with a high efficiency of up to 96.4 % from pyrene to perylene bisimide chromophores, which leads to a high fluorescence color sensitivity to environmental polarity. Under a λ=365 nm UV lamp, the light-emitting colors of the donor/acceptor dye change from green to yellow with increasing solvent polarity, which demonstrates application potential as a new class of FERT probes. The donor/acceptor dye in water was assembled into hollow vesicles with a narrow size distribution. The bilayer structure of the vesicular wall was directly observed by means of TEM. These vesicular aggregates in water are fluorescent at λ=650–850 nm within the near-infrared region.     

Spermine‐Functionalized Perylene Bisimide Dyes—Highly Fluorescent Bola‐Amphiphiles in Water

A series of four spermine‐functionalized perylene bisimide dyes without linkers ( 1 ) and with linkers ( 2 – 4 ) between the chromophore and the polyamine was synthesized. Protonation of the spermine moieties resulted in the formation of highly water‐soluble dyes with up to six positively charged ammonium ions. The aggregation behavior of these strongly fluorescent bola‐amphiphiles was studied in pure water as solvent by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, and an astonishingly high fluorescence quantum yield of up to Φ_fl=0.90 was observed for PBI 1 . Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were applied for the visualization of the aggregates on surfaces. Molecular modeling studies were performed by force‐field calculations to explore the aggregate morphologies, which also provided valuable information on the influence of the additional alkylcarbonyl linkers. Our detailed spectroscopic and microscopic investigations revealed that the excellent optical properties of perylene bisimide chromophores can be used even in pure deionized water if their aggregation is efficiently suppressed.     

Exciton Interactions,Excimer Formation,and [2π+2π] Photodimerization in Nonconjugated Curcuminoid-BF2 Dimers

We describe the synthesis of a series of covalently linked dimers of quadrupolar curcuminoid-BF₂ dyes and the detailed investigation of their solvent-dependent spectroscopic and photophysical properties. In solvents of low polarity, intramolecular folding induces the formation of aggregated chromophores, the UV/Vis absorption spectra of which display the optical signature characteristic of weakly-coupled H-aggregates. The extent of folding and, in turn, of ground-state aggregation is strongly dependent on the nature of the flexible linker. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence emission spectroscopies show that the Frenkel exciton relaxes into a fluorescent symmetrical excimer state with a long lifetime. Furthermore, our in-depth studies show that a weakly emitting excimer lies on the pathway toward a photocyclomer. Two-dimensional ¹H NMR spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) allowed the structure of the photoproduct to be established. To our knowledge, this represents the first example of a [2π+2π] photodimerization of the curcuminoid chromophore.     

Solvatochromic azamethine dyes for probing the polarity of gold-cluster-functionalized silica particles

Azamethine dyes of the merocyanine type [4-(N,N-di-n-butylamino)-2-methylphenyl][2,4-di-keto-3-[N'-(n-hexyl)]-5-cyano-6-methyl-3-pyridinio]-1-azamethine (1) and [4-(N,N-diethylamino)-2-(N'-tert-butylcarboxy)-amidophenyl]-[2,4-diketo-3-[N"-(n-hexyl)]-5-cyano-6-methyl-3-pyridinio]-1-azamethine (2) have been used as surface-polarity indicators for gold-cluster-functionalized silica particles. Their UV/Vis absorption maxima range from about lambda=600 to 700 nm as a function of solvent polarity and are clearly separated from the surface plasmon UV/Vis absorption band of gold (lambda approximately 520-540 nm). Solvatochromism of both dyes has been investigated in 26 solvents of different polarity. The positive solvatochromic band shifts of 1 and 2 can be well expressed in terms of the empirical Kamlet-Taft solvent polarity parameters alpha and pi*. They are mainly sensitive to the dipolarity/polarizability (pi* term; 70-75 %) and HBD (hydrogen-bond donating) acidity (alpha term) of the solvent. Both dyes adsorb readily on functionalized silica samples from solutions in 1,2-dichloroethane or cyclohexane. The surface polarities of gold-cluster-functionalized silica particles, with and without co-adsorbed L-cysteine and poly(ethylenimine), have been investigated by using these solvatochromic dyes. The specific interaction of dye 2 with cysteine has been examined independently by quantum-chemical calculations by using the AM1 and PM3 methods.     

Solvent- and guest-responsive self-assembly of Hamilton receptor tethered bis(merocyanine) dyes

A novel supramolecular building block (8) that consists of a Hamilton receptor and two merocyanine dyes has been synthesized, and the self-assembly based on orthogonal hydrogen bonding and dipolar interactions has been studied in detail. Different self-assembled species, including oligomers, polymers, and inverted micelles could be observed upon variation of the solvent polarity and the concentration. Moreover, this system is highly responsive toward molecular stimuli such as merocyanine molecules with the barbituric acid motif that are bound by the Hamilton receptors. Detailed UV/Vis absorption studies provided insight into isodesmic or cooperative steps during the self-assembly of 8 into different species. The size of the aggregates in solution and the morphology on substrates have been explored by a combination of dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and TEM investigations.     

Effect of core twisting on self-assembly and optical properties of perylene bisimide dyes in solution and columnar liquid crystalline phases

A series of highly soluble and fluorescent core-twisted perylene bisimide dyes (PBIs) 3 a-f with different substituents at the bay area (1,6,7,12 positions of the perylene core) were synthesized and fully characterized by (1)H NMR, UV/Vis spectroscopy, MS spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The pi-pi aggregation properties of these new functional dyes were investigated in detail both in solution and in condensed phase by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, vapor pressure osmometry (VPO), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and X-ray diffraction. Concentration-dependent UV/Vis measurements and VPO analysis revealed that these core-twisted pi-conjugated systems show distinct self-dimerization equilibria in apolar solvent methylcyclohexane (MCH) with dimerization constants between 1.3x10(4) and 30 M(-1). The photoluminescence spectra of the dimers of PBIs 3 a-f exhibit bathochromic shifts of quite different magnitude which could be attributed to different longitudinal or rotational offsets between the dyes as well as differences in the respective pi-pi stacking distance. In condensed state, quite a few of these PBIs form luminescent rectangular or hexagonal columnar liquid crystalline phases with low isotropization temperatures. The effects of the distortion of the pi systems on their pi-pi stacking and the optical properties of the resultant stacks in solution and in LC phases have been explored in detail. In one case (3 a) a particularly interesting phase change from crystalline into liquid crystalline could be observed upon annealing that was accompanied by a transformation from non-fluorescent H-type into strongly fluorescent J-type packing of the dyes.     

偶氮聚电解质的聚集和纳米聚集体

研究了两种具有不同化学结构的阴离子型偶氮聚电解质在四氢呋喃 /水混合溶剂中的聚集行为 .利用紫外 可见光谱和透射电镜等研究了偶氮聚电解质的聚集过程以及相应聚集体的形貌以及介质pH对聚集的影响 .结果表明 ,在四氢呋喃 /水混合溶剂中 ,随着水含量的增加 ,偶氮生色团逐渐聚集 ,其紫外光谱上最大吸收峰位置逐渐蓝移 ,而强度逐渐下降 .在较高浓度条件下 ,形成的聚集体可以用透射电镜直接观察到 ,呈现直径为 80nm左右的球形超分子结构 .与相应的偶氮两亲性小分子相比 ,这两种偶氮聚电解质形成的聚集体具有更高的稳定性 .由于羧酸基团和偶氮生色团相互连接的方式不同 ,溶液pH对这两种聚集体具有完全相反的影响 .偶氮生色团的聚集会严重影响偶氮生色团反式至顺式的异构化效率 .     

Internal Polarity of Class I and Class II Type Sol–Gel Hybrid Materials Using Aromatic Aminoketones as Solvatochromic Probes for Adsorbed Solvents and the Silicatic Cage

2-Hydroxyethylamino functionalized aromatic amino ketones bearing furyl and thienyl as well as 4-N, N-dimethylaminophenyl moieties have been used as solvatochromic probes when entrapped physically (Class I) and chemically bonded (Class II), respectively, to silicatic sol–gel hybrid materials. Class I hybrid materials have been obtained by encapsulation the dissolved probe during the acidically induced sol–gel procedure using various amounts of methyltrimethoxysilane and tetramethoxysilane as components. Class II xerogels have been synthesized by functionalization of the 2-hydroxyethylamino substituted aryl ketones with 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane and subsequent sol–gel process with TEOS (tetraethoxysilane). Molecular structures of the hybrid materials have been confirmed by solid-state MAS CP -²⁹Si and -¹³C NMR spectroscopy.Significant influences of the polarity of adsorbed solvents and of composition of the sol–gel material on the UV/Vis absorption spectrum of the encapsulated solvatochromic moiety are observed.Mobility of the entrapped probe and the associated influence of the adsorbed solvent upon the probe in the pores are significantly different for the two different classes of sol–gel materials studied.Solvatochromism of Class I xerogels shows that opposite effects of primary alcohols as function of alkyl chain length on the interfacial polarity are observed. They are caused by the influence of the internal surface modified with the solvent and origin solvent polarity on the UV/Vis spectrum of the encapsulated probe. Class II xerogels show related effects as observed for the probes studied in well behaved regular solvents.     

Macrocyclic Donor–Acceptor Dyads Composed of a Perylene Bisimide Dye Surrounded by Oligothiophene Bridges

Two macrocyclic architectures comprising oligothiophene strands that connect the imide positions of a perylene bisimide (PBI) dye have been synthesized via a platinum-mediated cross-coupling strategy. The crystal structure of the double bridged PBI reveals all syn-arranged thiophene units that completely enclose the planar PBI chromophore via a 12-membered macrocycle. The target structures were characterized by steady-state UV/Vis absorption, fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopy, as well as cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry. Both donor–acceptor dyads show ultrafast Förster Resonance Energy Transfer and photoinduced electron transfer, thereby leading to extremely low fluorescence quantum yields even in the lowest polarity cyclohexane solvent.     

Solvent and Media Effects on the Photophysics of Naphthoxazole Derivatives

The photophysical properties of 2‐phenyl‐naphtho[1,2‐d][1,3]oxazole, 2(4‐N,N‐dimethylaminophenyl)naphtho[1,2‐d][1,3]oxazole and 2(4‐N,N‐diphenylaminophenyl) naphtho[1,2‐d][1,3]oxazole were studied in a series of solvents. UV–Vis absorption spectra are insensitive to solvent polarity whereas the fluorescence spectra in the same solvent set show an important solvatochromic effect leading to large Stokes shifts. Linear solvation energy relationships were employed to correlate the position of fluorescence spectra maxima with microscopic empirical solvent parameters. This study indicates that important intramolecular charge transfer takes place during the excitation process. In addition, an analysis of the solvatochromic behavior of the UV–Vis absorption and fluorescence spectra in terms of the Lippert–Mataga equation shows a large increase in the excited‐state dipole moment, which is also compatible with the formation of an intramolecular charge‐transfer excited state. We propose both naphthoxazole derivatives as suitable fluorescent probes to determine physicochemical microproperties in several systems and as dyes in dye lasers; consequence of their high fluorescence quantum yields in most solvents, their large molar absorption coefficients, with fluorescence lifetimes in the range 1–3 ns as well as their high photostability.     

新型双发色团染料荧光光谱及其寿命的研究

有效的染料激光操作需要较高的荧光量子效率,若丹明是在500~700 nm光谱区中一类最重要的激光染料.然而,染料的基态分子和三线态对辐射能量的吸收将会大大降低激光输出效率,再者,由于若丹明类染料在紫外区的吸收系数较小,为了有效吸收泵浦能量(如用XeCI准分子激光,308 nm),就必须使用高浓度染料溶液,在这种情况下,若丹明类染料较小的Stokes位移就势必造成基态分子更大的重复吸收,即造成更大的谐振腔损耗^[1].     

Spectroscopic and electrochemical sensing of lanthanides with π-extended chromophores incorporating ferrocenes and a coordinative end

In this study, we report the synthesis and characterization of three novel "push-pull" chromophores, in which multiple phenylenevinylene units are endcapped by ferrocene as donor units and malonate moieties as acceptor units. These chromophores have spectroscopic and electrochemical characteristics which consistently change according to the extension of the conjugated bridge, thus to the variation of the HOMO-LUMO band gap. The 1,3-dicarbonyl units, directly incorporated into the conjugated molecular structures, are able to coordinate Lewis acid-like cations, such as lanthanides, as confirmed by UV/Vis, (1)H NMR and cyclic voltammetry studies. The UV/Vis spectroscopic response upon complexation with Sc(3+) or Eu(3+) as the triflate salts is rather unselective and nonlinear in going from the least to the most π-extended chromophore. Binding studies in MeCN, analyzed via equilibrium-restricted factor analysis, give values between log K(a) = 1.21 and 3.07 and affirm a 1?:?1 stoichiometry of the host:guest complexes in all cases. On the other hand, cyclic voltammetry reveals a selectivity in the response to Sc(3+) coordination over Ln(3+) (Eu(3+), but also Lu(3+) and Er(3+) were tested) for the two shorter chromophores, whereas the ligand with the longest π-bridge is able to sense Er(3+) (ΔE(1/2) complexed/uncomplexed chromophore = 20 mV) selectively over the other lanthanides.     

Coordination‐Based Molecular Assemblies of Oligofurans and Oligothiophenes

Molecular assemblies (MAs) of oligofurans and oligothiophenes were formed from solutions on various substrates. These films were obtained by alternating deposition of organic chromophores (oligofurans or oligothiophenes) and a palladium salt. These coordination‐based MAs were characterized by UV/Vis spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray reflectivity (XRR), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemistry. The MAs exhibit similar electrochemical behavior and their growth and structure are apparently not affected when different organic template layers are used. The density of the MAs is a function of the structure of the molecular component. The oligothiophene density is approximately 50 % higher than that observed for the oligofuran‐based assemblies. The optical and electrochemical properties of the MAs scale linearly with their thickness. The UV/Vis data indicate that upon increasing the film thickness, there is no significant conjugation between the metal‐separated organic chromophores. DFT calculations confirmed that the HOMO–LUMO gap of the surface‐bound oligofuran and oligothiophene metal oligomers do not change significantly upon increasing their chain length. However, electrochemical measurements indicate that the susceptibility of the MAs towards oxidation is dependent on the number of chromophore units.     

Probing the electronic structure of platinum(II) chromophores: crystal structures, NMR structures, and photophysical properties of six new bis- and di- phenolate/thiolate Pt(II)diimine chromophores

A general route for synthesis of six structurally similar Pt(II) diimine thiolate/phenolates chromophores possessing bulky phenolate or thiolate ligands is reported. The Pt chromophores were characterized using an array of techniques including 1H, 13C, and 195Pt NMR, absorption, emission, (spectro)electrochemistry, and EPR spectroscopy. Systematic variation of the electronic structure of the Pt(II) chromophores studied was achieved by (i) changing solvent polarity; (ii) substituting oxygen for sulfur in the donor ligand; (iii) alternating donor ligands from bis- to di-coordination; and (iv) changing the electron donating/withdrawing properties of the ligand(s). The lowest excited state in these new chromophores was assigned to a [charge-transfer-to-diimine] transition from the HOMO of mixed Pt/S (or Pt/O) character on the basis of absorption and emission spectroscopy, UV/vis (spectro)electrochemistry, and EPR spectroscopy. One of the chromophores, Pt(dpphen)(3,5-di-tert-butyl-catecholate) represents an example of a Pt(II) diimine phenolate chromophore that possesses a reversible oxidation centered predominantly on the donor ligand. Results from EPR spectroscopy indicate participation of the Pt(II) orbitals in the HOMO. There is a dramatic difference in the photophysical properties of carborane complexes compared to other mixed-ligand Pt(II) compounds, which includes room-temperature emission and photostability. The charge-transfer character of the lowest excited state in this series of chromophores is maintained throughout. Moreover, the absorption and emission energies and the redox properties of the excited state can be significantly tuned.     

A distinctive example of the cooperative interplay of structure and environment in tuning of intramolecular charge transfer in second-order nonlinear optical chromophores

The strongly enhanced cooperative influence of medium polarity and organic structural design on the first hyperpolarizability beta of a novel family of highly polarizable azinium-(CH=CH-thienyl)-dicyanomethanido chromophores 1-3 is described. The dyes can be efficiently synthesized by regioselective protonation/alkylation of the corresponding bidentate anion precursors. Consecutive annelation of the pyridyl ring of 1 (pyridine-->quinoline-->acridine) and medium polarity effects are responsible for an extraordinarily variable range of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), leading to a large set of pi-electron distribution patterns. Accordingly, systems with remarkably different zwitterionic/quinoid character in the ground and excited states present beta values in a broad range, eventually switching from negative to positive. Our investigation is based on a combination of experimental (UV/Vis spectroscopy, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, and electrooptical absorption measurements) and computational (ab initio) approaches. It is shown that: 1) beta and mubeta are dramatically influenced, even by orders of magnitude, by a complex, non-monotonic interplay of structure and medium action, which in turn affects molecular ICT and bond length alternation (BLA), 2) the computations, validated by different experimental data, are to be recommended as an extremely useful tool in the search for a greatly improved set of molecular nonlinear optical (NLO) responses (in the case of 1-3 they show that such conditions may be attained only in a narrow and limited range of dielectric constants in which the annelation effect operates most efficiently), and 3) the search for the most favorable molecular NLO response of a highly polarizable chromophore both in solution and in solid matrices should simultaneously take into account not only the molecular design supplemented by annelation effects but also the polarity of the medium.     

噻唑类生色分子的电子光谱和非线性光学性质

在B3LYP/6-31+G*水平上对八种噻唑类生色分子的电子光谱与二阶非线性光学性质茁进行计算研究. 结果表明, 含羟乙基、烷氧乙基、氟乙基和氨乙基活性基团的噻唑类分子具有大的β值, 为1.6×10-28 esu左右, 与实验结果基本一致. 气相中的最大吸收波长λmax位于480-488 nm范围内. 含羟乙基活性基团的噻唑分子, 随溶剂极性增大, λmax有红移趋势.     

偶氮聚电解质在水性介质中的聚集行为和光响应性研究

研究了一种侧链型偶氮聚电解质(PPAPE)在水溶液和水/四氢呋喃混合溶液中的缔合及聚集行为.利用紫外光谱检测了缔合体的形成过程.通过测定不同浓度下溶液的表面张力确定PPAPE在水溶液中的临界聚集浓度,并利用透射电镜对PPAPE聚集体直接进行观察.研究表明,PPAPE的疏水性偶氮生色团在适当的条件下会发生缔合,并进一步聚集成具有纳米尺寸的微球.伴随缔合体的形成,PPAPE的紫外最大吸收峰位置明显蓝移,而且这种缔合行为使PPAPE的光色效应明显减弱.尽管溶液pH值对PPAPE的光色效应也有明显的影响,但作用机理有本质的区别.     

The Negative Solvatochromism of Reichardt‘s Dye B30 – A Complementary Study

The UV/Vis spectra of a hypothetical negative solvatochromic dye in a solvent are theoretically calculated assuming the classical damped harmonic oscillator model and the Lorentz-Lorenz relation. For the simulations, the oscillator strength of the solvent was varied, while for the solute all oscillator parameters were kept constant. As a result, a simple change of the oscillator strength of the solute can explain the redshift and intensity increase of the UV/Vis band of the solute. Simulated results are compared with measured UV/Vis spectroscopic data of 2,6-diphenyl-4-(2,4,6-triphenylpyridinium-1-yl) phenolate B30 (Reichardt‘s dye) Significant correlations of the absorption energy (1/λ_max) with the molar absorption coefficient ϵ as function of solvent polarity are demonstrated for several derivatives of B30 . The approach presented is only applicable to negative solvatochromism. Therefore, while the approach is vital to fully understand solvatochromism, it needs to be complemented by other approaches, e. g., to describe the changes of the chemical interactions based on the nature of the solvent, to explain all its various aspects.     

Spectroscopic investigation of novel donor–acceptor chromophores as specific application agents for opto-electronics and photonics

Donor–acceptor chromophores were synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation and characterized by using spectroscopic measurements (FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass) and elemental analyses. UV–Vis and fluorescence spectroscopic studies provided that these dyes are good absorbent and fluorescent. The results of photostability study showed that photobleaching of Dyes 2 and 4 was more significant than that of Dyes 1 and 3, providing that Dyes 1 and 3 are more photostable than Dyes 2 and 4. In addition, all dyes included in this study are found to be sensitive to the polarity of the microenvironment provided by different solvents based on the results of fluorescence polarity studies.     

Preclusion of nano scale self-assembly in block-selective non-aqueous solvents for rod–coil and coil–rod–coil macromolecular surfactants based on perylene tetracarboxylic diimide

Self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules ranging from simple surfactants to block copolymers in a solvent depends on one part of the molecule (one block in block copolymers) being soluble, and the other not. The aggregation of the insoluble segment in the block-selective solvent leads to the self assembly. In this paper, we describe a system of amphiphilic rod–coil and coil–rod–coil molecules, which do not show self assembly in block-selective non-aqueous solvents. We prepared rod–coil molecules based on hydrophilic propylene oxide/ethylene oxide copolymer (PO–EO copolymer) (Jeffamine®) as the flexible segment and photo-conducting large aromatic perylenediimide (PTCDI) as the rod. PO–EO copolymer was attached either to one side of PTCDI (MJ–PTCDI) or both sides (DJ–PTCDI). The former can be considered an inverse macromolecular surfactant, since the tail is hydrophilic and the head is hydrophobic. The DJ–PTCDI is a pseudo Gemini surfactant. Because of the presence of the chromophore, UV–Vis and fluorescent spectra could be used to study the self assembly of these amphiphilic rod coil polymers in solution. PTCDI forms π-interaction mediated aggregates in aqueous solution and these are H-stacked in MJ–PTCDI and J-stacked in DJ–PTCDI. Variable temperature UV and NMR spectra show that the assembly is stable over a large temperature range in water. The aggregates are also stable up to a pH of 12. However, when a non-aqueous solvent is used, no aggregation occurs. This is attributed to the “solvation” of the π-system of the PTCDI. With the addition of water, such solvation seems to be interrupted and aggregation occurs when water becomes a major component. We find that the mole percentage of the aggregates in acetone/water mixtures increases almost linearly with the concentration of water, providing a route to control the extent of aggregation of the chromophores. Due to the long, waxy PO–EO copolymer, MJ–PTCDI and DJ–PTCDI do not show liquid crystalline behavior or nanorod morphology, which were seen with short side chains. The optical microscopy of the bulk material shows aggregated crystals of PTCDI in the waxy matrix, showing that even in the presence of PO–EO copolymer, the molecular assembly of PTCDI takes place in the bulk. Secondary assembly was seen, in that upon ageing of the aqueous solutions, the drop cast films show that the spherical aggregates one-dimensionally coalesced into long fibers. Although UV–Vis spectra indicated no aggregation in non-aqueous solvents, drop-cast films of these solutions show needle-like aggregates and Lego-like assemblies.