Effect of nanoscale dielectric environments on concentration quenching

We have studied the dependence of concentration quenching of luminescence (donor–acceptor energy transfer) on the thickness d of dye-doped polymeric films (HITC:PMMA) and found its strong inhibition at small values of d. This phenomenon is tentatively explained by a limited number of acceptors, which donors’ excitation can reach in thin samples, if the film’s thickness is comparable to the diffusion length of the energy transfer. The latter mechanism, along with effective reduction of the dye concentration, is responsible for an inhibition of the concentration quenching of dye molecules impregnating porous alumina membranes. The elongation of emission kinetics in thick (≥3 μm) HITC:PMMA films is cautiously attributed to the samples’ crystallinity.

Effect of Random Nanostructured Metallic Environments on Spontaneous Emission of HITC Dye

We have studied emission kinetics of HITC laser dye on top of glass, smooth Au films, and randomly structured porous Au nanofoams. The observed concentration quenching of luminescence of highly concentrated dye on top of glass (energy transfer to acceptors) and the inhibition of the concentration quenching in vicinity of smooth Au films were in accord with our recent findings. Intriguingly, the emission kinetics recorded in different local spots of the Au nanofoam samples had a spread of the decay rates, which was large at low dye concentrations and became narrower with increase of the dye concentration. We infer that in different subvolumes of Au nanofoams, HITC molecules are coupled to the nanofoams weaker or stronger. The inhibition of the concentration quenching in Au nanofoams was stronger than on top of smooth Au films. This was true for all weakly and strongly coupled subvolumes contributing to the spread of the emission kinetics. The experimental observations were explained using theoretical model accounting for change in the Förster radius caused by the strong energy transfer to metal.

Uniform Phosphor Spheres of Diverse Emission Colours via Homogeneous Precipitation

Basic carbonate monospheres of various lanthanide combinations are successfully synthesized by the urea-based homogeneous precipitation technique, which are then converted into well dispersed phosphor particles that emit diverse colours. Sequential precipitation is commonly observed for these mixed cation systems, calling for adequate annealing of the basic carbonate precursors to attain cation homogenization in the final oxide particles and thus better luminescence, through eliminating localized concentration quenching of luminescence. It is shown that, owing to their excellent dispersion and uniform size, the phosphor spheres are readily assembled into close-packed luminescent films, allowing their wide applications in white LEDs, plasma display panels (PDPs), and field emission displays (FEDs).