TY - JOUR
T1 - Molecular fluorescence lifetime fluctuations
T2 - On the possible role of conformational effects
AU - Vallée, Renaud A.L.
AU - Vancso, G. J.
AU - van Hulst, N. F.
AU - Calbert, J. P.
AU - Cornil, J.
AU - Brédas, J. L.
N1 - Funding Information:
R.A.L. Vallée is grateful to the Council for Chemical Sciences of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO-CW) for supporting this research. The work in Arizona is supported by the National Science Foundation (CHE-0078819), the Petroleum Research Fund, and the IBM Shared University Research Program. The work in Mons is supported by the Belgian Federal Government ‘InterUniversity Attraction Pole in Supramolecular Chemistry and Catalysis (PAI 4/11)’, and the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS-FRFC). J.C. is an FNRS research associate; J.P.C. acknowledges a grant from the Fonds pour la Formation à la Recherche dans l’Industrie et dans l’Agriculture (FRIA).
PY - 2003/4/22
Y1 - 2003/4/22
N2 - The radiative lifetime of single 1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′, 3′-tetramethylindodicarbocyanine molecules, embedded in a polymer thin film, has been characterized. At room temperature the chemically identical molecules exhibit strong fluctuations in their fluorescence lifetime. The possible conformational origin of these fluctuations has been addressed by semi-empirical quantum-chemical calculations. Specifically, the impact of conformational effects induced by thermal motion on the transition energy and the value of the transition dipole moment has been studied. The results indicate that the strong fluctuations cannot be explained by pure thermally activated conformational changes. Since quenching mechanisms are not responsible for the observed fluctuations, we suggest that molecular segmental dynamics of the surrounding polymer play a key role in determining the lifetime fluctuations.
AB - The radiative lifetime of single 1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′, 3′-tetramethylindodicarbocyanine molecules, embedded in a polymer thin film, has been characterized. At room temperature the chemically identical molecules exhibit strong fluctuations in their fluorescence lifetime. The possible conformational origin of these fluctuations has been addressed by semi-empirical quantum-chemical calculations. Specifically, the impact of conformational effects induced by thermal motion on the transition energy and the value of the transition dipole moment has been studied. The results indicate that the strong fluctuations cannot be explained by pure thermally activated conformational changes. Since quenching mechanisms are not responsible for the observed fluctuations, we suggest that molecular segmental dynamics of the surrounding polymer play a key role in determining the lifetime fluctuations.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037461159&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0009-2614(03)00379-8
DO - 10.1016/S0009-2614(03)00379-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0037461159
SN - 0009-2614
VL - 372
SP - 282
EP - 287
JO - Chemical Physics Letters
JF - Chemical Physics Letters
IS - 1-2
ER -