Metal ion linked multilayers offer a means of controlling interfacial energy and electron transfer for a range of applications including solar energy conversion, catalysis, sensing, and more. Despite the importance of structure to these interlayer transfer processes, little is known about the distance and orientation between the molecules/surface of these multilayer films. Here we gain structural insights into these assemblies using a combination of UV-Vis polarized visible attenuated total reflectance (p-ATR) and Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) measurements. The bilayer of interest is composed of a metal oxide surface, phosphonated anthracene molecule, Zn(II) linking ion, and a platinum porphyrin with one (P1), two (P2), or three (P3) phenylene spacers between the chromophoric core and the metal ion binding carboxylate group. As observed by both time-resolved emission and transient absorption, the FRET rate and efficiency decreases with an increasing number of phenylene spacers (P1 > P2 > P3). However, from p-ATR measurements we observe a change in orientation of porphyrins in the bilayer, which inhibits a uniform determination of the orientation factor (κ2) across the series. Instead, we narrow the scope of viable structures by determining the best agreement between experimental and calculated FRET efficiencies. Additionally, we provide evidence that suggests, for the first time, that the bilayer structure is similar on both planar and mesoporous substrates.
more »
« less
Förster resonance energy transfer in absorbing environment
We present an analytical model for Förster resonance energy transfer between donors and acceptors in the presence of a metal surface. We find that energy transfer to the metal results in a reduction of the Förster radius, leading to a suppression of concentration quenching for high molecule concentrations.
more »
« less
- PAR ID:
- 10557743
- Editor(s):
- Engheta, Nader; Noginov, Mikhail A; Zheludev, Nikolay I
- Publisher / Repository:
- SPIE
- Date Published:
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 27
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
null (Ed.)We have studied emission kinetics of HITC laser dye on top of glass, smooth Au films, and randomly structured porous Au nanofoams. The observed concentration quenching of luminescence of highly concentrated dye on top of glass (energy transfer to acceptors) and the inhibition of the concentration quenching in vicinity of smooth Au films were in accord with our recent findings. Intriguingly, the emission kinetics recorded in different local spots of the Au nanofoam samples had a spread of the decay rates, which was large at low dye concentrations and became narrower with increase of the dye concentration. We infer that in different subvolumes of Au nanofoams, HITC molecules are coupled to the nanofoams weaker or stronger. The inhibition of the concentration quenching in Au nanofoams was stronger than on top of smooth Au films. This was true for all weakly and strongly coupled subvolumes contributing to the spread of the emission kinetics. The experimental observations were explained using theoretical model accounting for change in the Förster radius caused by the strong energy transfer to metal.more » « less
-
We have studied emission kinetics in dye-doped polymeric films (HITC:PMMA), deposited on top of glass and silver and embedded in Fabry–Perot cavities (metal-insulator-metal waveguides). For highly doped films on glass, we observed strong concentration quenching, as evidenced by a dramatic shortening of the emission kinetics, consistent with our previous studies. However, for the same dye-doped films on top of silver, slower emission kinetics were observed despite the high decay rates of individual dye molecules near the metallic surface. The concentration quenching rates in Fabry–Perot cavities were nearly identical to those of HITC:PMMA films deposited on top of silver. These findings are explained within a theoretical model for the inhibition of Förster energy transfer near a metallic surface. Furthermore, the emission kinetics of the dye-doped films on top of silver were approximately single exponential—consistent with the strong coupling of excited molecules with propagating surface plasmons.more » « less
-
null (Ed.)Zeolitic Imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) have been demonstrated as promising light harvesting and photocatalytic materials for solar energy conversion. To facilitate their application in photocatalysis, it is essential to develop a fundamental understanding of their light absorption properties and energy transfer dynamics. In this work, we report distance-dependent energy transfer dynamics from a molecular photosensitizer (RuN3) to ZIF-67, where the distance between RuN3 and ZIF-67 is finely tuned by depositing an ultrathin Al 2 O 3 layer on the ZIF-67 surface using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. We show that energy transfer time decreases with increasing distance between RuN3 and ZIF-67 and the Förster radius is estimated to be 14.4 nm.more » « less
-
Abstract Recent experiments observed significant energy transfer in type-II van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, such as WS 2 /MoSe 2 , which is surprising due to their staggered band alignment and weak spectral overlap. In this work, we carry out first-principles calculations to shed light on energy and charge transfer in WS 2 /MoSe 2 heterostructure. Incorporating excitonic effect in nonadiabatic electronic dynamics, our first-principles calculations uncover a two-step process in competing energy and charge transfer, unravel their relative efficiencies and explore the means to control their competition. While both Dexter and Förster mechanisms can be responsible for energy transfer, they are shown to operate at different conditions. The excitonic effect is revealed to drive ultrafast energy and charge transfer in type-II WS 2 /MoSe 2 heterostructure. Our work provides a comprehensive picture of exciton dynamics in vdW heterostructures and paves the way for rational design of novel vdW heterostructures for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.more » « less
An official website of the United States government

