Single molecule studies of a ladder type conjugated polymer: vibronic spectra, line widths, and energy transfer.

Confocal fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy are employed to investigate single poly(ladder-type pentaphenylene) (LPPentP) molecules dispersed in thin poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films at 1.2 K. Emission spectra of single chains show single as well as multi-chromophore emission indicating variegated communication along the chains.

Origin of the red sites and energy transfer rates in single MEH-PPV chains at low temperature.

Single poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) molecules dispersed in thin poly(methylmethacrylate) films have been investigated by fluorescence emission, excitation and time-resolved spectroscopy at 1.2 K. For the molecular weight studied (∼200 kDa) a bimodal distribution of emission maxima is observed.

Superexchange-mediated electronic energy transfer in a model dyad.

On the basis of time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations coupled to the polarizable continuum model (PCM) and single molecule spectroscopic studies, we provide a detailed investigation of excitation energy transfer within a model bi-chromophoric system where a perylene monoimide (PMI) donor is bridged to a terrylene diimide (TDI) acceptor through a ladder-type pentaphenylene (pPh) spacer. We find that the electronic excitation on the PMI donor significantly extends over the bridge giving rise to a partial charge transfer character and inducing a approximately 3-fold increase in the electronic interaction between the chromophores, which explains the failure of the Förster model in reproducing the observed energy migration rates when treating PMI as the donor. However, despite an increased charge transfer contribution in the effective donor state, the increase in solvent polarity is not accompanied by an enhancement in the electronic coupling between the subunits, which is rationalized from a detailed analysis of the excited-state wavefunctions.

Fluorescence excitation and emission spectroscopy on single MEH-PPV chains at low temperature.

Fluorescence emission and excitation spectra of single MEH-PPV polymer molecules dispersed in thin PMMA films have been recorded at 1.2 and 20 K. We observe single as well as multichromophore emission in single chain emission spectra, whereby the relative fractions depend on the two different molecular weights (50 and 350 kDa) studied.

Observation of very narrow linewidths in the fluorescence excitation spectra of single conjugated polymer chains at 1.2 K.

Fluorescence emission and excitation spectra of single poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] polymer molecules embedded in poly(methylmethacrylate) have been recorded at 1.2 K. The ubiquitous spectral diffusion causes large variations in the spectral shape and apparent linewidth in the emission spectra.