Fluorescence enhancement induced by quadratic electric-field effects on singlet exciton dynamics in poly(3-hexylthiophene) dispersed in poly(methyl methacrylate)

Electroabsorption and Stark Fluorescence Spectroscopies of Thioflavin T

Thioflavin T (ThT) is a typical fluorescent marker for detecting the formation of amyloid fibrils, because its fluorescence intensity increases by more than 2 orders of magnitude upon complexation with the fibrils. Strong electrostatic fields on protein surfaces are known to be a significant factor in chemical reactions and biological functions. Therefore, ThT bound to amyloid fibrils must experience strong electric fields. This study employed electroabsorption and Stark fluorescence spectroscopies to clarify the effects of external electric fields on the photophysics of ThT. The absorption spectrum shows two bands ascribed to locally excited (LE) and charge transfer (CT) states. Coupling between the LE and CT states is enhanced in the presence of an external electric field, resulting in fluorescence quenching. The electric field strength of the amyloid fibril surface was inferred from the fluorescence quenching efficiency of ThT.

Ultrafast polaron-pair dynamics in a poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) device influenced by a static electric field: insights into electric-field-related charge loss

Photogenerated polaron-pair ultrafast dynamics in poly(3-hexylthiophene)-based devices are found to be influenced by external electric fields via delayed field-induced singlet exciton dissociation, yielding a bimolecular decay contribution.