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An aggregation-induced-emission platform for direct visualization of interfacial dynamic self-assembly.

ABSTRACT: An in-depth understanding of dynamic interfacial self-assembly processes is essential for a wide range of topics in theoretical physics, materials design, and biomedical research. However, direct monitoring of such processes is hampered by the poor imaging contrast of a thin interfacial layer. We report in?situ imaging technology capable of selectively highlighting self-assembly at the phase boundary in real time by employing the unique photophysical properties of aggregation-induced emission. Its application to the study of breath-figure formation, an immensely useful yet poorly understood phenomenon, provided a mechanistic model supported by direct visualization of all main steps and fully corroborated by simulation and theoretical analysis. This platform is expected to advance the understanding of the dynamic phase-transition phenomena, offer insights into interfacial biological processes, and guide development of novel self-assembly technologies.

SUBMITTER: Li J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4370284 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An aggregation-induced-emission platform for direct visualization of interfacial dynamic self-assembly.

Li Junwei J Li Yuan Y Chan Carrie Y K CYK Kwok Ryan T K RTK Li Hongkun H Zrazhevskiy Pavel P Gao Xiaohu X Sun Jing Zhi JZ Qin Anjun A Tang Ben Zhong BZ

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) 20141031 49

An in-depth understanding of dynamic interfacial self-assembly processes is essential for a wide range of topics in theoretical physics, materials design, and biomedical research. However, direct monitoring of such processes is hampered by the poor imaging contrast of a thin interfacial layer. We report in situ imaging technology capable of selectively highlighting self-assembly at the phase boundary in real time by employing the unique photophysical properties of aggregation-induced emission. I ...[more]

PMID: 25363745

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Project description:Aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) phenomena received great popularity during the last decade but in most cases insights into the packing structure - fluorescence properties remained scarce. Here, an almost non-fluorescent merocyanine dye was equipped with large solubilizing substituents, which allowed the investigation of it's aggregation behaviour in unpolar solvents over a large concentration range (10-2 to 10-7 M). In depth analysis of the self-assembly process by concentration-dependent UV/Vis spectroscopy at different temperatures revealed a two-step anti-cooperative aggregation mechanism. In the first step a co-facially stacked dimer is formed driven by dipole-dipole interactions. In a second step these dimers self-assemble to give an oligomer stack consisting of about ten dyes. Concentration- and temperature-dependent UV/Vis spectroscopy provided insight into the thermodynamic parameters and allowed to identify conditions where either the monomer, the dimer or the decamer prevails. The centrosymmetric dimer structure could be proven by 2D NMR spectroscopy. For the larger decamer atomic force microscopy (AFM), diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) and vapour pressure osmometric (VPO) measurements consistently indicated that it is of small and defined size. Fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectroscopy provided insights into the photofunctional properties of the dye aggregates. Starting from an essentially non-fluorescent monomer (Φ Fl = 0.23%) a strong AIEE effect with excimer-type fluorescence (large Stokes shift, increased fluorescence lifetime) is observed upon formation of the dimer (Φ Fl = 2.3%) and decamer (Φ Fl = 4.5%) stack. This increase in fluorescence is accompanied for both aggregates by an aggregation-induced CPL enhancement with a strong increase of the g lum from ∼0.001 for the dimer up to ∼0.011 for the higher aggregate. Analysis of the radiative and non-radiative decay rates corroborates the interpretation that the AIEE effect originates from a pronounced decrease of the non-radiative rate due to π-π-stacking induced rigidification that outmatches the effect of the reduced radiative rate that originates from the H-type exciton coupling in the co-facially stacked dyes.

Project description:Positional isomers of zinc-nitrobenzoate complexes possessing pyridine -3-(or-4-) carboxamide are used for a comparative theoretical and experimental study to understand their utility as model complexes to understand the role of metal-to-ligand charge transfer in aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Among the five different model zinc complexes, four of them are non-ionic, and one is an ionic complex. The frontier molecular energy levels of different combinations of the positional isomeric complexes and the absorption maximum were ascertained by density functional theory calculations. The PolyQ value obtained from solid samples of each complex is different. Shifts in the emissions to higher wavelengths than the expected emission for the S1 to S0 transition were observed due to aggregations. The highest value of PolyQ among the complexes was 13.56% observed for emission at 439 nm (λex = 350) of the non-ionic complex, namely, (di-aqua)bis(pyridine-3-carboxamide)di(2-nitrobenzoato)zinc(II) monohydrate. Close resemblance in emission lifetime decay profiles of the solid samples of those complexes and the respective solutions of those complexes in dimethyl sulfoxide with or without water showed a common trend, suggesting aggregation-induced emission in each case. Aggregation-induced emission caused by adding water in dimethyl sulfoxide solution of each complex showed an initial increase without a shift in the emission wavelength followed by a quenching with a shift of the respective emission peak to a short wavelength. Dynamic light scattering studies showed an increase in the average particle sizes upon an increase in the concentration of water. This indicated initial participation of water molecules to form aggregates with the complexes, favoring an increase in the AIE intensity. Aggregation of each complex changes with the concentration of water, and an increase in the concentration of water beyond a characteristic limit causes lowering of the emission intensity to the short wavelength.

Dataset Information

An aggregation-induced-emission platform for direct visualization of interfacial dynamic self-assembly.

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An aggregation-induced-emission platform for direct visualization of interfacial dynamic self-assembly.

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