Single molecule power-law behavior on a crystalline surface

A surface science compatible epifluorescence microscope for inspection of samples under ultra high vacuum and cryogenic conditions

We modified an epi-illumination light microscope and mounted it on an ultra high vacuum chamber for investigating samples used in a surface science experiment. For easy access and bake out, all optical components are placed outside the vacuum and the sample is imaged through a glass window. The microscope can be operated in reflection brightfield or epifluorescence mode to image the sample surface or fluorescent dye molecules adsorbed on it. The homemade sample mounting was made compatible for the use under the microscope; sample temperatures as low as 6 K can be achieved. The performance of the microscope is demonstrated on two model samples: Brightfield-images of a well-prepared Ag(100) surface show a macroscopic corrugation of the surface, although low energy electron diffraction data indicate a highly ordered crystalline surface. The surface shows macroscopic protrusions with flat regions, about 20-200 μm in diameter, in between. Fluorescence images of diluted 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylicacid dianhydride (PTCDA) molecules adsorbed on an ultrathin epitaxial KCl film on the Ag(100) surface show a shading effect at surface protrusions due to an inclined angle of incidence of the PTCDA beam during deposition. For some preparations, the distribution of the fluorescence intensity is inhomogeneous and shows a dense network of bright patches about 5 μm in diameter related to the macroscopic corrugation of the surface. We propose that such a light microscope can aid many surface science experiments, especially those dealing with epitaxial growth or fluorescent materials.

Probing single-molecule electron-hole transfer dynamics at a molecule-NiO semiconductor nanocrystalline interface

Interfacial charge transfer dynamics in dye-sensitized NiO nanoparticles are being investigated for photocathodes in p-type dye-sensitized solar cells. In the photoreaction, after fast electron transfer from NiO to a molecule, the recombination of the hole in the nanoparticles with the electron in a reduced molecule plays an important role in the charge separation process and solar energy harvesting. Nevertheless, knowledge of the interfacial charge recombination (CR) rate and its mechanism is still limited due to the complex photoinduced electron and hole dynamics and lack of characterization of the inhomogeneity of the dynamics. Here, we report our work on probing interfacial charge recombination dynamics in Zn(ii)-5,10,15,20-tetra(3-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (m-ZnTCPP) dye-sensitized NiO nanoparticles by correlating single-molecule fluorescence blinking dynamics with charge transfer dynamics using single-molecule photon-stamping spectroscopy. The correlated analyses of single-molecule fluorescence intensity, lifetime, and blinking reveal the intrinsic distribution and temporal fluctuation of interfacial charge transfer reactivity, which are closely related to site-specific molecular interactions and dynamics.

Two-state theory of binned photon statistics for a large class of waiting time distributions and its application to quantum dot blinking

A theoretical method is proposed for the calculation of the photon counting probability distribution during a bin time. Two-state fluorescence and steady excitation are assumed. A key feature is a kinetic scheme that allows for an extensive class of stochastic waiting time distribution functions, including power laws, expanded as a sum of weighted decaying exponentials. The solution is analytic in certain conditions, and an exact and simple expression is found for the integral contribution of "bright" and "dark" states. As an application for power law kinetics, theoretical results are compared with experimental intensity histograms from a number of blinking CdSe/ZnS quantum dots. The histograms are consistent with distributions of intensity states around a "bright" and a "dark" maximum. A gap of states is also revealed in the more-or-less flat inter-peak region. The slope and to some extent the flatness of the inter-peak feature are found to be sensitive to the power-law exponents. Possible models consistent with these findings are discussed, such as the combination of multiple charging and fluctuating non-radiative channels or the multiple recombination center model. A fitting of the latter to experiment provides constraints on the interaction parameter between the recombination centers. Further extensions and applications of the photon counting theory are also discussed.

Long-range photoinduced electron transfer dynamics in rigid media

In semi-rigid PEG-DMA550 films with added reductive quenchers, electron transfer quenching of the metal-to-ligand charge transfer excited state(s) of [Ru(bpy)3](2+) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) occurs by both rapid, fixed-site, and slow, diffusional, quenching processes. Stern-Volmer analysis of diffusional quenching reveals diffusion-controlled quenching both in the fluid and film with the latter greatly inhibited by the high viscosity of the medium. The data for fixed-site quenching are consistent with electron tunneling with the expected exponential distance dependence. Based on this analysis long-range electron transfer occurs with a distance attenuation factor β of ∼0.47 Å(-1) with a notable decrease, β = 0.16 Å(-1), when the quencher is incorporated into the PEG backbone. Fixed-site electron transfer quenching varies with driving force. Back electron transfer is complex, as expected for a distribution of fixed sites, and varies with power law kinetics.

Extension of the diffusion controlled electron transfer theory for intermittent fluorescence of quantum dots: inclusion of biexcitons and the difference of "on" and "off" time distributions

The equations for the diffusion controlled electron transfer (DCET) theory of quantum dot blinking are extended to include biexcitons. In contrast to excitons, which undego resonant light to dark transitions, the biexcitons, having a much larger total energy, undergo a Fermi's Golden rule type transfer (many acceptance states). The latter immediately gives rise to an exponential tail for the light state, and it is explained why the dark state power law behavior is unaffected. Results are given for both continuous and pulsed excitation. The typical -3/2 power law for the light state at low light intensities, and for the dark state at all intensities, as well as dependence of the exponential tail on the square of the light intensity, and a decrease of the power in the power law for the light state from -3/2 to less negative values with increasing light intensity are all consistent with the theory. The desirability of measuring the dependence of the spectral diffusion coefficient on light intensity at room temperature as a test of several aspects of the theory is noted.