Resolution of ultrafast pyrene excimer emission rise times in zeolites X and Y

Confinement Effect of Micro- and Mesoporous Materials on the Spectroscopy and Dynamics of a Stilbene Derivative Dye

Micro- and mesoporous silica-based materials are a class of porous supports that can encapsulate different guest molecules. The formation of these hybrid complexes can be associated with significant alteration of the physico-chemical properties of the guests. Here, we report on a photodynamical study of a push–pull molecule, trans-4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran (DCM), entrapped within faujasite-type zeolites (HY, NaX, and NaY) and MCM-41 in dichloromethane suspensions. The complex formation gives rise to caged monomers and H- and J-aggregates. Steady-state experiments show that the nanoconfinement provokes net blue shifts of both the absorption and emission spectra, which arise from preferential formation of H-aggregates concomitant with a distortion and/or protonation of the DCM structure. The photodynamics of the hybrid complexes are investigated by nano- to picosecond time-resolved emission experiments. The obtained fluorescence lifetimes are 65–99 ps and 350–400 ps for H- and J-aggregates, respectively, while those of monomers are 2.46–3.87 ns. Evidences for the presence of a charge-transfer (CT) process in trapped DCM molecules (monomers and/or aggregates) are observed. The obtained results are of interest in the interpretation of electron-transfer processes, twisting motions of analogues push–pull systems in confined media and understanding photocatalytic mechanisms using this type of host materials.

Bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-1,4-dicarboxylic acid: towards transparent metal–organic frameworks

The preparation of transparent porous materials can offer a different access towards the study of molecules under solid confined space.

Photodynamics of a Proton-Transfer Dye in Solutions and Confined Within NaX and NaY Zeolites

We report on steady-state, picosecond and femtosecond time-resolved emission studies of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (HBO) in solutions and interacting with NaX and NaY zeolites. In solutions, an ultrafast (less than 150 fs) excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer (ESIPT) reaction takes place in syn-enol form, and leads to keto-type tautomer. We also observed a torsional motion in the keto form (~20 ps in dichloromethane, DCM). For NaX and NaY DCM suspensions, anionic forms interacting with the zeolites at S0 and S1 states are generated. They show two fluorescence lifetimes in both zeolites (720 ps and 2.4 ns for NaY and 960 ps and 2.7 ns for NaX), while those of the enol bonded to the zeolite framework and of the free keto forms are ~100 and 250 ps, respectively. The ultrafast dynamics of the anion in alkaline solutions reveals two deactivation pathways: an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT, 1.2 ps) and a twisting motion, affected by the viscosity of the solvent (12 and 20 ps for MeOH and ethylene glycol). When HBO is interacting with NaX and NaY the twisting motion is cancelled, while the ICT becomes slower as a result of a combination of several environment effects. HBO anions within the faujasite framework show also a ~ 30 ps decay associated to a non-fluorescent (n, π*) state. Our results demonstrate how intermolecular H-bonds, the confinement and the electrostatic interactions of HBO with the used materials, affect its ground as well as its excited state properties. Our findings add new knowledge on the interactions of silica-based nanomaterials containing the H-bonding guests.

Dissolved organic matter with multi-peak fluorophores in landfill leachate

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) sampled from municipal landfill leachate of different ages with/without anoxic or aerobic treatment, was intensively fractionated via size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and hydrophobic resins, and was studied with fluorescence excitation and emission matrix (EEM). Six fluorophores with multiple EEM peaks (fluorophore A-F) were identified based on the collected EEM spectra and validated by bi-variate analysis, principal component analysis, and parallel factor analysis, as follows (excitation wavelength Ex and emission wavelength Em): (Ex 240, 310, 360 nm, Em 460 nm), (Ex 220, 280 nm, Em 340 nm), (Ex 220, 270 nm, Em 300 nm), (Ex 220, 280 nm, Em 360 nm), (Ex 230, 320 nm, Em 420 nm) and (Ex 220, 310 nm, Em 400 nm). The spectral characteristics of these fluorophores were discussed using fractional EEM and apparent molecular weight (AMW) data obtained via SEC analysis. The triple peak flurophore A was pointed at a hydrophobic acid or hydrophobic neutral compound with a pyrenyl functional group of AMW 2500-3500 Da, which displayed an excitation wavelength at 360 nm and a fluorescence intensity ratio of 6.70(+/-1.79):1.70(+/-0.41):1 (fluorescent intensities of Ex 240:Ex 310:Ex 360 nm at Ex 460 nm). This compound is observed to be refractory in landfilling or in anoxic/aerobic treatments, and is specific to this leachate contamination. This paper revealed that the coupling of SEC and EEM can be useful to track the fluorescent DOM fraction in landfill leachate.