Förster energy transfer from poly(arylene–ethynylene)s to an erbium–porphyrin complex

We study the infrared emission at 1.54 μm of an organolanthanide complex, Er(III)-tetraphenylporphyrin [Er(TPP)acac], both as a result of direct optical excitation and via energy transfer from host π-conjugate polymers of type poly(arylene–ethynylene) [PAE]. In the first case, the emission of the neat complex is characterized in inert transparent materials and a value of the quantum yield at 1.54 μm φ_IR=4×10⁻⁴ is measured. Then, fluorescence resonance transfer is investigated in blends of Er(TPP)acac with PAEs by monitoring the quenching of the polymer fluorescence along with the enhancement of both the visible emission of the ligand and the near-infrared band of Er³⁺. These different procedures allow a detailed analysis of the transfer efficiency within a specific implementation of the Förster model for polymeric donors. The experimental values of the critical radius R₀, ranging from 1.3 to 2.5 nm for the different blends, are in good agreement with theory for a wide interval of the physical and spectroscopic parameters. This suggests that other mechanisms for excitation transfer do not play a significant role in these materials.     

Creation of entangled states of excitons in coupled quantum dots

We present two methods for the creation of two-particle entangled states of excitons in a coupled quantum dot system. The system contains two identical quantum dots that are coupled by an inter-dot hopping process. The manipulation of the system is succeeded by proper application of an external laser field.     

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of Fluorophore‐Labeled Oligospiroketal Rods

Fluorescence probes consisting of well‐established fluorophores in combination with rigid molecular rods based on spirane‐type structures were investigated with respect to their fluorescence properties under different solvent conditions. The attachment of the dyes was accomplished by 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition between alkynes and azides (‘click’ reaction) and is a prime example for a novel class of sensor constructs. Especially, the attachment of two (different) fluorophores on opposite sides of the molecular rods paves the way to new sensor systems with less bulky (compared to the conventional DNA‐ or protein‐based concepts), nevertheless rigid spacer constructs, e.g., for FRET‐based sensing applications. A detailed photophysical characterization was performed in MeOH (and in basic H₂O/MeOH mixtures) for i) rod constructs containing carboxyfluorescein, ii) rod constructs containing carboxyrhodamine, iii) rod constructs containing both carboxyfluorescein and carboxyrhodamine, and iv) rod constructs containing both pyrene and perylene parts. For each dye (pair), two rod lengths with different numbers of spirane units were synthesized and investigated. The rod constructs were characterized in ensemble as well as single‐molecule fluorescence experiments with respect to i) specific rod? dye and ii) dye? dye interactions. In addition to MeOH and MeOH/NaOH, the rod constructs were also investigated in micellar systems, which were chosen as a simplified model for membranes.     

Understanding the electronic energy transfer pathways in the trimeric and hexameric aggregation state of cyanobacteria phycocyanin within the framework of Förster theory

In the present study, the electronic energy transfer pathways in trimeric and hexameric aggregation state of cyanobacteria C‐phycocyanin (C‐PC) were investigated in term of the Förster theory. The corresponding excited states and transition dipole moments of phycocyanobilins (PCBs) located into C‐PC were examined by model chemistry in gas phase at time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), configuration interaction‐singles (CIS), and Zerner's intermediate neglect of differential overlap (ZINDO) levels, respectively. Then, the long‐range pigment‐protein interactions were approximately taken into account by using polarizable continuum model (PCM) at TDDFT level to estimate the influence of protein environment on the preceding calculated physical quantities. The influence of the short‐range interaction caused by aspartate residue nearby PCBs was examined as well. Only when the protonation of PCBs and its long‐ and short‐range interactions were properly taken into account, the calculated energy transfer rates (1/K) in the framework of Förster model at TDDFT/B3LYP/6‐31+G* level were in good agreement with the experimental results of C‐PC monomer and trimer. Furthermore, the present calculated results suggested that the energy transfer pathway in C‐PC monomer is predominant from β‐155 to β‐84 (1/K = 13.4 ps), however, from α‐84 of one monomer to β‐84 (1/K = 0.3–0.4 ps) in a neighbor monomer in C‐PC trimer. In C‐PC hexamer, an additional energy flow was predicted to be from β‐155 (or α‐84) in top trimer to adjacent β‐155 (or α‐84) (1/K = 0.5–2.7 ps) in bottom trimer. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of configurational ensembles compatible with experimental FRET efficiency data through a restraint on instantaneous FRET efficiencies

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements are widely used to investigate (bio)molecular interactions or/and association. FRET efficiencies, the primary data obtained from this method, give, in combination with the common assumption of isotropic chromophore orientation, detailed insight into the lengthscale of molecular phenomena. This study illustrates the application of a FRET efficiency restraint during classical atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of a mutant mastoparan X peptide in either water or 7 M aqueous urea. The restraint forces acting on the donor and acceptor chromophores ensure that the sampled peptide configurational ensemble satisfies the experimental primary data by modifying interchromophore separation and chromophore transition dipole moment orientations. By means of a conformational cluster analysis, it is seen that indeed different configurational ensembles may be sampled without and with application of the restraint. In particular, while the FRET efficiency and interchromophore distances monitored in an unrestrained simulation may differ from the experimentally‐determined values, they can be brought in agreement with experimental data through usage of the FRET efficiency restraining potential. Furthermore, the present results suggest that the assumption of isotropic chromophore orientation is not always justified. The FRET efficiency restraint allows the generation of configurational ensembles that may not be accessible with unrestrained simulations, and thereby supports a meaningful interpretation of experimental FRET results in terms of the underlying molecular degrees of freedom. Thus, it offers an additional tool to connect the realms of computer and wet‐lab experimentation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

掺杂型红色有机电致发光显示器件

全色显示是有机电致发光显示(OLED)器件发展的目标,而高性能红色发光器件一直是制约全彩色OLED器件实用化的瓶颈,也是目前有机电致发光显示研究的热点。制作了掺杂DCJTB和不同浓度的rubrene两种荧光染料的红色有机电致发光显示器件,以NPB和Alq₃分别作为空穴传输层和电子传输层,发现器件性能与只掺杂DCJTB的器件相比有明显提高,发光效率提高到2～3倍。通过Frster理论和能带理论分析了器件的能量转移机理,研究发现Frster能量转移不是掺杂器件能量转移的主要形式,载流子俘获机制才是器件效率提高的主要原因;rubrene的引入使得能量能够更有效地从Alq₃转移到DCJTB,从而显著地提高了器件的发光效率和性能。     

Excitation energy transfer pathways in light‐harvesting proteins: Modeling with PyFREC

Excitation energy transfer (EET) determines the fate of sunlight energy absorbed by light‐harvesting proteins in natural photosynthetic systems and photovoltaic cells. As previously reported (D. Kosenkov, J. Comput. Chem. 2016, 37(19), 1847), PyFREC software enables computation of electronic couplings between organic molecules with a molecular fragmentation approach. The present work reports implementation of direct fragmentation‐based computation of the electronic couplings and EET rates in pigment–protein complexes within the Förster theory in PyFREC. The new feature enables assessment of EET pathways in a wide range of photosynthetic complexes, as well as artificial molecular architectures that include light‐harvesting proteins or tagged fluorescent biomolecules. The developed methodology has been tested analyzing EET in the Fenna–Matthews–Olson (FMO) pigment–protein complex. The pathways of excitation energy transfer in FMO have been identified based on the kinetics studies. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Characterization of the Self-Assembly of Glutathione Stabilized Cadmium Selenide–Zinc Sulfide Quantum Dots with a Cyanine5-Labeled Peptide by Capillary Electrophoresis and Fluorescence

Capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection was used to characterize the self-assembly of cadmium selenide–zinc sulfide quantum dots and a cyanine5-labeled peptide (cyanine5-EAAAAAHHHHHH). The self-assembly was driven by metal-affinity forces to allow characterization by Förster resonance energy transfer. The Förster resonance energy transfer signal increased with the ratio of cyanine5-EAAAAAHHHHHH to quantum dots and reached a plateau at a ratio of 32:1. This method illustrates the application of quantum dot-based bioanalysis.