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Exciton Migration and Surface Trapping for a Photonic Crystal Displaying Charge-Recombination Fluorescence

Lookup NU author(s): Roza Al-Aqar, Dr Alparsan Atahan, Professor Andrew Benniston, Thomas Perks, Dr Paul Waddell, Emeritus Professor Anthony Harriman

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This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Wiley - VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 2016.

For re-use rights please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.


Abstract

A compact donor–acceptor molecular dyad has been synthesized by attaching an N,N-dimethylamino fragment to a naphthalic anhydride residue. The dyad shows fluorescence from an intramolecular charge-transfer state (i.e., charge-recombination fluorescence) in solution, with the photo-physical properties being strongly dependent on the solvent polarity. Similar emission is seen for single crystals of the target compound, the molecules being aligned head-to-head, although time-resolved emission profiles display dual-exponential kinetics. A second polymorph with the head-to-tail alignment also gives rise to two lifetimes that differ somewhat from those of the first structure, which are assigned to bulk and surface-bound molecules. Growing the crystal in the presence of Rhodamine B localizes the dye around the surface. Excitation of the crystal is followed by sub-ps exciton migration along the aligned stacks, with occasional crossing to adjacent stacks and trapping at the surface. Rhodamine B present at very low levels acts as the acceptor for excitons entering the surface layer. Crystals embedded in a polyester resin form an artificial light-harvesting antenna able to sensitize an amorphous silicon solar cell.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Al-Aqar R, Atahan A, Benniston AC, Perks T, Waddell PG, Harriman A

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Chemistry: A European Journal

Year: 2016

Volume: 22

Issue: 43

Pages: 15420-15429

Print publication date: 17/10/2016

Online publication date: 06/09/2016

Acceptance date: 01/09/2016

Date deposited: 13/09/2016

ISSN (print): 0947-6539

ISSN (electronic): 1521-3765

Publisher: Wiley - VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201602155

DOI: 10.1002/chem.201602155


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