Gradual modification of ITO particle's crystal structure and optical properties by pulsed UV laser irradiation in a free liquid jet.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) particle coatings are known for high transparency in the visible, good conductive properties and near-infrared absorption. These properties depend on ITO particle's stoichiometric composition, defects and size. Here we present a method to gradually change ITO particle's optical properties by a simple and controlled laser irradiation process. The defined irradiation process and controlled energy dose input allows one to engineer the absorption and transmission of coatings made from these particles. We investigate the role of the surrounding solvent, influence of laser fluence and the specific energy dose targeting modification of the ITO particle's morphology and chemistry by stepwise laser irradiation in a free liquid jet. TEM, SEM, EDX, XPS, XRD and Raman are used to elucidate the structural, morphological and chemical changes of the laser-induced ITO particles. On the basis of these results the observed modification of the optical properties is tentatively attributed to chemical changes, e.g. laser-induced defects or partial reduction.

Molecular Water Lilies: Orienting Single Molecules in a Polymer Film by Solvent Vapor Annealing.

The microscopic orientation and position of photoactive molecules is crucial to the operation of optoelectronic devices such as OLEDs and solar cells. Here, we introduce a shape-persistent macrocyclic molecule as an excellent fluorescent probe to simply measure (i) its orientation by rotating the excitation polarization and recording the strength of modulation in photoluminescence (PL) and (ii) its position in a film by analyzing the overall PL brightness at the molecular level. The unique shape, the absorption and the fluorescence properties of this probe yield information on molecular orientation and position. We control orientation and positioning of the probe in a polymer film by solvent vapor annealing (SVA). During the SVA process the molecules accumulate at the polymer/air interface, where they adopt a flat orientation, much like water lilies on the surface of a pond. The results are potentially significant for OLED fabrication and single-molecule spectroscopy (SMS) in general.

Exciton Localization in Extended π-Electron Systems: Comparison of Linear and Cyclic Structures.

We employ five π-conjugated model materials of different molecular shape-oligomers and cyclic structures-to investigate the extent of exciton self-trapping and torsional motion of the molecular framework following optical excitation. Our studies combine steady state and transient fluorescence spectroscopy in the ensemble with measurements of polarization anisotropy on single molecules, supported by Monte Carlo simulations. The dimer exhibits a significant spectral red shift within ∼100 ps after photoexcitation which is attributed to torsional relaxation. This relaxation mechanism is inhibited in the structurally rigid macrocyclic analogue. However, both systems show a high degree of exciton localization but with very different consequences: while, in the macrocycle, the exciton localizes randomly on different parts of the ring, scrambling polarization memory, in the dimer, localization leads to a deterministic exciton position with luminescence characteristics of a dipole. Monte Carlo simulations allow us to quantify the structural difference between the emitting and absorbing units of the π-conjugated system in terms of disorder parameters.

Mono- and multilayers of molecular spoked carbazole wheels on graphite.

Self-assembled monolayers of a molecular spoked wheel (a shape-persistent macrocycle with an intraannular spoke/hub system) and its synthetic precursor are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at the liquid/solid interface of 1-octanoic acid and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. The submolecularly resolved STM images reveal that the molecules indeed behave as more or less rigid objects of certain sizes and shapes - depending on their chemical structures. In addition, the images provide insight into the multilayer growth of the molecular spoked wheels (MSWs), where the first adlayer acts as a template for the commensurate adsorption of molecules in the second layer.

Fluctuating exciton localization in giant π-conjugated spoked-wheel macrocycles.

Conjugated polymers offer potential for many diverse applications, but we still lack a fundamental microscopic understanding of their electronic structure. Elementary photoexcitations (excitons) span only a few nanometres of a molecule, which itself can extend over microns, and how their behaviour is affected by molecular dimensions is not immediately obvious. For example, where is the exciton formed within a conjugated segment and is it always situated on the same repeat units? Here, we introduce structurally rigid molecular spoked wheels, 6 nm in diameter, as a model of extended π conjugation. Single-molecule fluorescence reveals random exciton localization, which leads to temporally varying emission polarization. Initially, this random localization arises after every photon absorption event because of temperature-independent spontaneous symmetry breaking. These fast fluctuations are slowed to millisecond timescales after prolonged illumination. Intramolecular heterogeneity is revealed in cryogenic spectroscopy by jumps in transition energy, but emission polarization can also switch without a spectral jump occurring, which implies long-range homogeneity in the local dielectric environment.

Molecular spoked wheels: synthesis and self-assembly studies on rigid nanoscale 2D objects.

We present the efficient synthesis of a new molecular spoked-wheel structure (MSW-3). Two derivatives with diameters of approximately 4 nm have been prepared. By highlighting the importance of pseudo-high-dilution conditions during cyclization, we were able to access the compounds on a several hundred milligram scale. In addition to the standard characterization (NMR spectroscopy, MS), we describe a detailed investigation of the optical properties of the fluorescent MSWs by comparison with appropriate model chromophores. Furthermore, a comprehensive study of the structure in solution by means of light- and X-ray scattering experiments has been conducted. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) revealed the two-dimensional organization of the molecules on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and emphasized the spoked-wheel structure. The diameter of these molecules measured by small-angle X-ray scattering is in very good agreement with that obtained from STM and matches the results of molecular modeling. This confirms the rigidifying effect of the spokes, which results in highly shape-persistent nanometer-sized oblate organic compounds.