Luminescence Properties of the Mixed J-Aggregate of Oxacyanine Dye and Thiacyanine Dye. Formation of a Persistence-Type Aggregate

Thermodynamic Control over Molecular Aggregate Assembly Enables Tunable Excitonic Properties across the Visible and Near-Infrared

Specific molecular arrangements within H-/J-aggregates of cyanine dyes enable extraordinary photophysical properties, including long-range exciton delocalization, extreme blue/red shifts, and excitonic superradiance. Despite extensive literature on cyanine aggregates, design principles that drive the self-assembly to a preferred H- or J-aggregated state are unknown. We tune the thermodynamics of self-assembly via independent control of the solvent/nonsolvent ratio, ionic strength, or dye concentration, obtaining a broad range of conditions that predictably stabilize the monomer (H-/J-aggregate). Diffusion-ordered spectroscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy together reveal a dynamic equilibrium between monomers, H-aggregated dimers, and extended J-aggregated 2D monolayers. We construct a model that predicts the equilibrium composition for a range of standard Gibbs free energies, providing a vast aggregation space which we access using the aforementioned solvation factors. We demonstrate the universality of this approach among several sheet-forming cyanine dyes with tunable absorptions spanning visible, near, and shortwave infrared wavelengths.

Dissimilar Associates of Dyes in Aqueous Solutions: Experimental Study and Computer Simulation

Dissimilar cation-anionic association of dyes («cyanine+oxyxanthene», «cyanine+sulfonepthalein») has been regularly investigated in aqueous solutions. Experimental (by spectrophotometry) and theoretical (by semiempirical) methods were used. The basic regularities of association processes have been discussed. It is shown that the change in the stability of associates has a systematic character both in the series of singly charged and doubly charged anions. The experimentally determined values (of equilibrium constant of association) and simulated values (of standard enthalpy of hydration of associates) are mutually consistent. The standard enthalpy of formation and the most probable structures of associates have been determined.

Effect of nano-clay platelets on the J-aggregation of thiacyanine dye organized in Langmuir-Blodgett films: a spectroscopic investigation

In this paper we report the effect of the incorporation of nano-dimensional clay platelets, laponite, on the J-aggregation of a thiacyanine dye N,N'-dioctadecyl thiacyanine perchlorate (NK) assembled into Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayers. pi-A isotherms and atomic force microscopic studies confirm the successful incorporation of clay platelets into the Langmuir monolayer of NK. J-aggregates of NK remain present in LB films lifted at lower as well as higher surface pressures in the absence of laponite clay platelets. However, with the incorporation of clay platelets, J-aggregates are formed only in LB films lifted at higher surface pressure of 30 mN/m and totally absent in the films lifted at lower surface pressures of 10 and 15 mN/m. This may be due to the formation of nano-trapping level by overlapping of clay platelets at higher surface pressure. NK molecules may get squeezed to these nano-trapping to form J-aggregates.

Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of cationic dyes in the presence and absence of clay mineral layers: N,N'-dioctadecyl thiacyanine, octadecyl rhodamine B and laponite

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of N,N'-dioctadecyl thiacyanine perchlorate (TC18) and octadecyl rhodamine B chloride (RhB18) and their mixtures in the presence and absence of clay mineral layers were investigated by recording surface pressure-area (pi-A) isotherms and by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. The pi-A isotherms of TC18, RhB18, and their mixtures are characteristic of liquid expanded state behavior with repulsive interactions between the two cationic dyes. In the presence of laponite, the pi-A isotherms show liquid expanded and condensed-state behavior. In laponite dispersions and in monolayers, TC18 has a strong tendency to aggregate with formation of H- and J- aggregates. The absorption and fluorescence maxima of the monomers in the films are at 435 nm and at 480 nm; H-dimers have an absorption maximum around 410 nm and do not fluoresce. J-dimers are present in all the films with absorption maximum at 461 nm and fluorescence at 463 nm. RhB18 is mainly present as monomers in the LB films with an absorption maximum at 576 nm and fluorescence at 595 nm. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer from TC18 to RhB18 has been observed in clay dispersions and in films with and without laponite. The optimum condition for TC18 --> RhB18 fluorescence energy transfer in the films is 90 mol % TC18 + 10 mol % RhB18.

Energy transfer studies in binary dye solution mixtures: Acriflavine+Rhodamine 6G and Acriflavine+Rhodamine B

The effect of acceptor concentration on the energy transfer in Acriflavine (donar) plus Rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G) and Acriflavine plus Rhodamine B (Rh B) binary solution mixtures has been studied. The theoretical calculations are done to determine their lifetimes. Effect of these values on the total transfer efficiency at various acceptor concentrations have been studied to identify the appropriate energy transfer mechanism responsible for photon emissions, enhancement in lasing efficiency and dreading of the tenability of such mixed solutions. The energy transfer rate constants and critical transfer radius (R(0)) are calculated using Stern-Volmer plots and concentration dependence of radiative and non-radiative transfer efficiencies have also been determined. The experimental results indicate that dominant mechanism responsible for the efficient energy transfer in the binary mixtures is of non-radiative kind and is due to long-range dipole-dipole interaction.

Regulation of Aggregation and Morphology of Cyanine Dyes on Monolayers via Gemini Amphiphiles

The aggregation of dyes is of considerable importance in relating to their functions and applications. In this paper, we have investigated the regulation on the aggregation and morphology of two cyanine dyes, 3,3'-disulfopropyl-4,5,4',5'-dibenzo-9-methylthiacarbocyanine triethylammonium salt (MTC) and 3,3'-disulfopropyl-4,5,4',5'-dibenzo-9-phenylthiacarbocyanine triethylammonium salt (PTC), using a series of gemini amphiphiles (bis(2'-heptadecyl-3'-ethylimidazolium)-1,n-alkane dibromide, abbreviated as Gn, n=2, 4, 6, 8, 10). It has been found that both of the dyes could be adsorbed onto the monolayers of the gemini amphiphiles through the electrostatic and pi-pi interaction and stacked into H- or J-aggregate. The spacer of the gemini amphiphile showed good control over the aggregation of MTC: H-aggregate was favored when gemini amphiphiles with short spacer were applied, while J-aggregation was preferred in the case of longer spacer. Only J-aggregate was observed for PTC on gemini monolayer, regardless of the structure of the gemini amphiphiles. Interesting morphologies were observed for all the gemini/dye complex monolayers. Network structure and nanofibers were formed for the gemini/MTC films transferred below the plateau surface pressure and close to the collapse pressure, respectively. The ability of the complex monolayers to form nanofibers strongly depended on the component amphiphiles, G2>G4>G6, and no nanofibers were observed for G8/MTC and G10/MTC after the collapse. Only squared domains were observed for gemini/PTC monolayers. When both G2 and G10 were mixed, an individual control of the gemini amphiphiles over the aggregation of MTC in the complex monolayers was observed. The relationship among the spacer, dye structure, and aggregation was revealed.

Cationic Gemini surfactant at the air/water interface

The surface properties and structures of a cationic Gemini surfactant with a rigid spacer, p-xylyl-bis(dimethyloctadecylammonium bromide) ([C(18)H(37)(CH(3))(2)N(+)CH(2)C(6)H(4)CH(2)N(+)(CH(3))(2)C(18)H(37)],2Br(-), abbreviated as 18-Ar-18,2Br(-1)), at the air/water interface were investigated. It is found that the surface pressure-molecular area isotherms observed at different temperatures do not exhibit a plateau region but display an unusual "kink" before collapse. The range of the corresponding minimum compressibility and maximum compressibility modulus indicates that the monolayer is in the liquid-expanded state. The monolayers were transferred onto mica and quartz plates by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. The structures of monolayers at various surface pressures were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV-vis spectroscopy, respectively. AFM measurements show that at lower surface pressures, unlike the structures of complex or hybrid films formed by Gemini amphiphiles with DNA, dye, or inorganic materials or the Langmuir film formed by the nonionic Gemini surfactant, in this case network-like labyrinthine interconnected ridges are formed. The formation of the structures can be interpreted in terms of the spinodal decomposition mechanism. With the increase of the surface pressure up to 35 mN/m, surface micelles dispersed in the network-like ridges gradually appear which might be caused by both the spinodal decomposition and dewetting. The UV-vis adsorption shows that over the whole range of surface pressures, the molecules form a J-aggregate in LB films, which implies that the spacers construct a pi-pi aromatic stacking. This pi-pi interaction between spacers and the van der Waals interaction between hydrophobic chains lead to the formation of both networks and micelles. The labyrinthine interconnected ridges are formed first because of the rapid evaporation of solvent during the spreading processes; with increasing surface pressure, some of the alkyl chains reorient from tilting to vertical, forming surface micelles dispersed in the network-like ridges due to the strong interaction among film molecules.

Spacer-Controlled Aggregation and Surface Morphology of a Selenacarbocyanine Dye on Gemini Monolayers

The adsorption and aggregation of a selenacarbocyanine dye (3,3-disulfopropyl-9-methyl-selenacarbocyanine, SeCy) onto Langmuir monolayers of a series of gemini amphiphiles with different methylene spacers were investigated. When the monolayers of the gemini amphiphiles were spread on the dye-containing subphase, the dye could be easily adsorbed and aggregated onto the monolayers through the electrostatic and pi-pi interaction. The dye formed complexes with gemini amphiphiles and stacked as J-aggregates in all the transferred multilayers, regardless of the structure of gemini amphiphiles. However, the surface morphologies of the complex monolayers showed a significant dependence on the spacer length of the gemini amphiphiles and the temperature of the subphase. Nanorods were observed for the complex films with spacer lengths ranged from 4 to 10 methylenes. With the temperature of the subphases increased from 20 degrees C to 30 degrees C, aligned longer nanofibers were formed instead. Although both the gemini amphiphiles and the dye were achiral, strong circular dichroism (CD) signals were observed for the transferred complex films. However, the CD signals could be just opposite in different places of the transferred films, suggesting that a resolved enantiomeric micro/nanostructure coexisted in the films. On the other hand, for the complex film of the dye with the gemini amphiphile of two methylenes spacer, neither CD signal nor ordered surface morphologies were detected in any place of the film although the dye itself stilled formed J-aggregate in the film. It was suggested that regular nanoarchitectures and resolved chiral domains could be observed only when the spacer of gemini amphiphiles is comparative to the distance between the two SO3- groups in the dye.