Antenna size effect: The influence on energy transfer in the CdTe–pseudoisocyanine nanocomposite system

Excitonic Properties of Organic Dye Aggregates: Contribution of Ukrainian Science

Unexpected discovery that molecules of organic dyes when they form regular structures can change dramatically their light absorption and fluorescence properties were attracting the minds of researchers for more than eight decades. The progress in investigation of this unique phenomenon described in terms of H- and J-aggregation has led to many practical applications. Here the author expresses his personal view on the dramatic story of switching this research area from empirical knowledge to that standing on strong background of molecular exciton theory. The author was a witness of some of these events and acquainted with several great personalities involved. The major trends of future developments are highlighted.

Dynamics of Excitons in Conjugated Molecules and Organic Semiconductor Systems

The exciton, an excited electron-hole pair bound by Coulomb attraction, plays a key role in photophysics of organic molecules and drives practically important phenomena such as photoinduced mechanical motions of a molecule, photochemical conversions, energy transfer, generation of free charge carriers, etc. Its behavior in extended π-conjugated molecules and disordered organic films is very different and very rich compared with exciton behavior in inorganic semiconductor crystals. Due to the high degree of variability of organic systems themselves, the exciton not only exerts changes on molecules that carry it but undergoes its own changes during all phases of its lifetime, that is, birth, conversion and transport, and decay. The goal of this review is to give a systematic and comprehensive view on exciton behavior in π-conjugated molecules and molecular assemblies at all phases of exciton evolution with emphasis on rates typical for this dynamic picture and various consequences of the above dynamics. To uncover the rich variety of exciton behavior, details of exciton formation, exciton transport, exciton energy conversion, direct and reverse intersystem crossing, and radiative and nonradiative decay are considered in different systems, where these processes lead to or are influenced by static and dynamic disorder, charge distribution symmetry breaking, photoinduced reactions, electron and proton transfer, structural rearrangements, exciton coupling with vibrations and intermediate particles, and exciton dissociation and annihilation as well.