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Light-induced electron transfer vs. energy transfer in molecular thin-film systems

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5182978
Quenching of fluoranthene (FA) singlets by tetrabromo-o-benzoquinone (TBBQ) and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) was studied both in xylene solutions and in spin-cast polystyrene (PS) films. Emphasis was placed on time-resolved fluorescence transients resulting from pulsed excitation. Linear Stern-Volmer plots were obtained for quenching in solution and gave diffusion-controlled rate constants, of 1.45 x 10/sup 10/ M/sup -1/ sec/sup -1/ and 1.53 x 10/sup 10/ M/sup -1/ sec/sup -1/ for TBBQ and TMPD, respectively. TBBQ was found to quench FA singlets in PS over the studied concentration range 12 mM < (TBBQ) < 48 mM, but in its presence FA singlets decayed nonexponentially. The results were interpreted quantitatively in terms of pure Foerster's transfer from FA to TBBQ without diffusion of excitons. The critical transfer radius R/sub 0/ was experimentally determined to be 24.3 A, which is in good agreement with the theoretical value of 23 A calculated from spectral data. Quenching of FA singlets in PS films was found to be independent of FA concentration over a 300 mM to 1200 mM FA concentration range for a constant TBBQ concentration of 24.0 mM. TMPD was only slightly effective as a quencher of FA singlets in PS because it apparently behaves strictly as a contact quencher based on reversible charge transfer. The implications of these results for the design of systems intended to exploit light-induced electron transfer are discussed.
Research Organization:
Illinois Univ., Urbana (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76ER01198
OSTI ID:
5182978
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/01198-1306; CONF-800905-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English