Self-assembly of sensitizer and acceptor molecules has recently emerged as a promising strategy to facilitate and harness photon upconversion via triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA-UC). In addition to the energetic requirements, the structure and relative orientation of these molecules can have a strong influence on TTA-UC rates and efficiency. Here we report the synthesis of five different acceptor molecules composed of an anthracene core functionalized with 9,10- or 2,6-phenyl, methyl, or directly bound phosphonic acid groups and their incorporation into self-assembled bilayers on a ZrO 2 surface. All five films facilitate green-to-blue photon upconversion with Φ uc as high as 0.0023. The efficiency of TTA, and not triplet energy transfer, fluorescence, or losses via FRET, was primarily responsible for dictating the Φ uc emission. Even for molecules having similar photophysical properties, variation in the position of the phosphonic acid resulted in dramatically different Φ TTA , I th values, γ TTA , and D . Interestingly, we observed a strong linear correlation between Φ TTA and the I th value but the cause of this relationship, if any, is unclear.
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CdSe nanocrystal sensitized photon upconverting film
Here, films using CdSe nanocrystal (NC) triplet photosensitizers in conjunction with diphenylanthracene (DPA) emitters were assembled to address several challenges to practical applications for solution-based photon upconversion. By using poly(9-vinylcarbazole) as a phosphorescent host in this film, volatile organic solvents are eliminated, the spontaneous crystallization of the emitter is significantly retarded, and ∼1.5% photon upconversion quantum yield (out of a maximum of 50%) is obtained. Transient absorption spectroscopy on nanosecond-to-microsecond time scales reveals this efficiency is enabled by an exceptionally long triplet lifetime of 3.4 ± 0.3 ms. Ultimately, we find the upconversion efficiency is limited by incomplete triplet–triplet annihilation, which occurs with a rate 3–4 orders of magnitude slower than in solution-phase upconversion systems.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2003735
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10374302
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- RSC Advances
- Volume:
- 11
- Issue:
- 49
- ISSN:
- 2046-2069
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 31042 to 31046
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1039/D1RA06562A
