Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer (ESIPT) in Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles
Jangwon Seo and Soo Young Park
Fluorescent organic nanoparticles were prepared from the ESIPT-active 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole with 6-dicyanovinyl substituent (HBODC) as conjugative electron acceptor. Colloidal suspension of this nanoparticle (~50 nm diameter) in THF/water mixture showed the characteristic scattering tail of nanoaggregates as well as the J-type aggregate band in the absorption spectrum. Fluorescence emission from HBODC nanoparticle was significantly enhanced and red-shifted compared to that from THF solution. This bathochromic shift was attributed to the planarization and J-type stacking effect in the HBODC nanoparticle.