Integrating DNA Photonic Wires into Light‐Harvesting Supramolecular Polymers

An approach combining DNA nanoscaffolds with supramolecular polymers for the efficient and directional propagation of light‐harvesting cascades has been developed. A series of photonic wires with different arrangements of fluorophores in DNA‐organized nanostructures were linked to light‐harvesting supramolecular phenanthrene polymers (SPs) in a self‐assembled fashion. Among them, a light‐harvesting complex (LHC) composed of SPs and a photonic wire of phenanthrene, Cy3, Cy5, and Cy5.5 chromophores reveals a remarkable energy transfer efficiency of 59 %. Stepwise transfer of the excitation energy collected by the light‐harvesting SPs via the intermediate Cy3 and Cy5 chromophores to the final Cy5.5 acceptor proceeds through a Förster resonance energy transfer mechanism. In addition, the light‐harvesting properties are documented by antenna effects ranging from 1.4 up to 23 for different LHCs.     

Engineering Donor–Acceptor Heterostructure Metal–Organic Framework Crystals for Photonic Logic Computation

Photonic materials use photons as information carriers and offer the potential for unprecedented applications in optical and optoelectronic devices. In this study, we introduce a new strategy for photonic materials using metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as the host for the rational construction of donor–acceptor (D–A) heterostructure crystals. We have engineered a rich library of heterostructure crystals using the MOF NKU‐111 as a host. NKU‐111 is based upon an electron‐deficient tridentate ligand (acceptor) that can bind to various electron‐rich guests (donors). The resulting heterocrystals exhibit spatially segregated multi‐color emission resulting from the guest‐dependent charge‐transfer (CT) emission. Spatially effective mono‐directional energy transfer results from tuning the energy gradient between adjacent domains through the selection of donor guest molecules, which suggests potential applications in integrated optical circuit devices, for example, photonic diodes, on‐chip signal processing, optical logic gates.     

Hydrophobic Poly(tert‐butyl acrylate) Photonic Crystals towards Robust Energy‐Saving Performance

Photonic crystals (PCs) have been widely applied in optical, energy, and biological fields owing to their periodic crystal structure. However, the major challenges are easy cracking and poor structural color, seriously hindering their practical applications. Now, hydrophobic poly(tert‐butyl acrylate) (P(t‐BA)) PCs have been developed with relatively lower glass transition temperature (T_g), large crack‐free area, excellent hydrophobic properties, and brilliant structure color. This method based on hydrophobic groups (tertiary butyl groups) provides a reference for designing new kinds of PCs via the monomers with relatively lower T_g. Moreover, the P(t‐BA) PCs film were applied as the photoluminescence (PL) enhanced film to enhance the PL intensity of CdSe@ZnS QDs by 10‐fold in a liquid‐crystal display (LCD) device. The new‐type hydrophobic force assembled PCs may open an innovative avenue toward new‐generation energy‐saving devices.