Emission Tuning with Size-Controllable Polymer Dots from a Single Conjugated Polymer

4 years ago

Emission Tuning with Size-Controllable Polymer Dots from a Single Conjugated Polymer

Jongho Kim, Taek Seung Lee

Two conjugated polymers (CPs) with various compositions of phenylene and benzoselenadiazoben (BSD) are synthesized to have a special emitting property; different fluorescence colors in solution and in the solid states, allowing the resulting conjugated polymer dots (Pdots) to emit different fluorescence colors upon their size variation. The photophysical property of such different-sized Pdots is investigated using fluorescence spectra and fluorescence lifetimes. A decrease in the fluorescence lifetime of Pdots is observed with an increase in the size of Pdots, caused by quantitative change in energy transfer from phenylene (energy donor) to the BSD unit (energy acceptor). The results provide that any CP can be used for the fabrication of Pdots with size-tunable emission, as long as the CP shows different emissions according to its phases. Such emission of Pdots can even be observed when in the solid solution in polymer matrix, which emits different fluorescence colors depending on the size of embedded Pdots in the polymer matrix. Conjugated polymer dots (Pdots) with a size-dependent emission are demonstrated using a single conjugated polymer (CP). The CPs have a specific fluorescence property with different fluorescence colors in solution and in the solid state. This strategy will be a feasible approach to achieving a size-tunable effect for different sized Pdots from a single CP.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/smll.201702758