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Title: Understanding of Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) in Ionic Materials
Herein, an ionic material (IM) with Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) characteristics is reported for the first time. The IM is designed by pairing a Nile Blue A cation (NBA+) with an anionic near-infrared (NIR) dye, IR820−, using a facile ion exchange reaction. These two dyes absorb at different wavelength regions. In addition, NBA+ fluorescence emission spectrum overlaps with IR820− absorption spectrum, which is one requirement for the occurrence of the FRET phenomenon. Therefore, the photophysical properties of the IM were studied in detail to investigate the FRET mechanism in IM for potential dye sensitized solar cell (DSSCs) application. Detailed examination of photophysical properties of parent compounds, a mixture of the parent compounds, and the IM revealed that the IM exhibits FRET characteristics, but not the mixture of two dyes. The presence of spectator counterion in the mixture hindered the FRET mechanism while in the IM, both dyes are in close proximity as an ion pair, thus exhibiting FRET. All FRET parameters such as spectral overlap integral, Förster distance, and FRET energy confirm the FRET characteristics of the IM. This article presents a simple synthesis of a compound with FRET properties which can be further used for a variety of applications.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1833004
NSF-PAR ID:
10357781
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Sustainable Chemistry
Volume:
2
Issue:
4
ISSN:
2673-4079
Page Range / eLocation ID:
564 to 575
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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