Featured
-
-
Article
| Open AccessMultiple photofluorochromic luminogens via catalyst-free alkene oxidative cleavage photoreaction for dynamic 4D codes encryption
Photochromic systems with high contrast and multiple colours are useful for responsive materials, but it is challenging to achieve multiple colours with one molecule. Here, the authors report a photochromic system controlled by oxidative cleavage on light irradiation.
- Lin Lu
- , Bo Wu
- & Ben Zhong Tang
-
Article
| Open AccessNylons with Highly-Bright and Ultralong Organic Room-Temperature Phosphorescence
It may be useful to obtain nylon with room temperature phosphorescence, but identifying a suitable luminophore is challenging. Here, the authors report the doping of nylon with cyano-substituted benzimidazole derivatives for room temperature phosphorescent nylons.
- Dian-Xue Ma
- , Zhong-Qiu Li
- & Yu-Wu Zhong
-
Article
| Open AccessAnomalous anti-Kasha excited-state luminescence from symmetry-breaking heterogeneous carbon bisnanohoops
It is a long-standing scientific controversy to achieve anti-Kasha emissions by tuning structures at a molecular level. Herein, the authors constructed two symmetry-breaking heterogeneous carbon bisnanohoops with unusual anti-Kasha characteristics.
- Xinyu Zhang
- , Cheng Chen
- & Pingwu Du
-
Article
| Open AccessUltra-photostable small-molecule dyes facilitate near-infrared biophotonics
Near-infrared small molecule dyes are attractive in biophotonics, but generally rely on expanded aromatic structures to achieve this redshift. Here the authors report the use of a ground state antiaromatic strategy for 14 aminofluorene dyes, and their use in imaging kidney injury.
- Kui Yan
- , Zhubin Hu
- & Fan Zhang
-
Article
| Open AccessMolecular near-infrared triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion with eigen oxygen immunity
Molecular triplet-triplet upconversion is useful in a wide range of applications, but is limited by significant oxygen quenching. Here the authors report the combination of sensitiser and annihilator that is stable in aerated environments, and suitable for in vivo sensing.
- Xinyu Wang
- , Fangwei Ding
- & Guanying Chen
-
Article
| Open AccessAnomalously bright single-molecule upconversion electroluminescence
The efficiency of upconversion electroluminescence remains very low for single-molecule emitters. Here, the authors report over one order of magnitude improvement in the emission efficiency via engineering energy-level alignments for triplet relayed upconversion involving only carrier injection.
- Yang Luo
- , Fan-Fang Kong
- & Zhen-Chao Dong
-
Article
| Open AccessAggregation-regulated room-temperature phosphorescence materials with multi-mode emission, adjustable excitation-dependence and visible-light excitation
Room temperature phosphorescent materials have potential in a range of applications, but it is challenging to achieve multiple emission and excitation modes. Here, the authors report the development of RTP materials with different emission modes by regulating the aggregation state.
- Jingxuan You
- , Xin Zhang
- & Jun Zhang
-
Article
| Open AccessHemipiperazines as peptide-derived molecular photoswitches with low-nanomolar cytotoxicity
The development of photochromic systems is an important and growing area of research, in particular for bioactive molecular photoswitches. Here, the authors report on photopharmacological antimitotic agents, operational under visible light, based on a peptide-derived hemipiperazine photochrome.
- Susanne Kirchner
- , Anna-Lena Leistner
- & Zbigniew Pianowski
-
Article
| Open AccessFluorescence-based monitoring of the pressure-induced aggregation microenvironment evolution for an AIEgen under multiple excitation channels
The develop of organic functional materials requires the exploration of the pressure dependent emissive mechanisms of molecular structures, conformations and stacking modes. Here, Tong et al propose a strategy for monitoring the pressure-induced fluorescence under multiple excitation channels.
- Shuang Tong
- , Jianhong Dai
- & Xinggui Gu
-
Article
| Open AccessA dynamic assembly-induced emissive system for advanced information encryption with time-dependent security
The development of advanced materials for information encryption is desirable. Here, the authors report materials that enable orthogonal and temporal encryption of information via dynamic assembly-induced multicolor pyrene-based supramolecular systems.
- Qian Wang
- , Biyan Lin
- & Da-Hui Qu
-
Article
| Open AccessSecondary through-space interactions facilitated single-molecule white-light emission from clusteroluminogens
Although mature and systematic theories of molecular photophysics have been developed, it is still challenging to endow clusteroluminogens (CLgens) with designed photophysical properties by manipulating through-space interactions. Here, the authors design three CLgens that show multiple emissions and white-light emission in the crystalline state, and emphasize the important role of secondary through-space interactions between the acceptor and non-conjugated donor units.
- Jianyu Zhang
- , Parvej Alam
- & Ben Zhong Tang
-
Article
| Open AccessHigh-resolution two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy reveals the homogeneous line profile of chromophores solvated in nanoclusters
Understanding the interaction of single chromophores with nanoparticles remains a challenging task in nanoscience. Here the authors provide insight into the interaction between isolated base-free phthalocyanine molecules and He and Ne nanoclusters in the gas phase using high-resolution two-dimensional spectroscopy.
- Ulrich Bangert
- , Frank Stienkemeier
- & Lukas Bruder
-
Article
| Open AccessUltrasensitive detection of local acoustic vibrations at room temperature by plasmon-enhanced single-molecule fluorescence
.Sensitive detection of weak acoustic signals at nanometer scale is challenging. Here, the authors present an acoustic detection system based on a single molecule as a probe, where frequency and amplitude of acoustic vibrations can be extracted from its minute variations in distance to the surface of a plasmonic gold nanorod.
- Mingcai Xie
- , Hanyu Liu
- & Yuxi Tian
-
Article
| Open AccessNanoscale π-conjugated ladders
Increasing the rigidity of a macromolecule while maintaining solubility is challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate covalent connection of two rigid-rod polymer chains with stiff connectors, leading to rigid ladder structures with well-defined conjugated rails.
- Stefanie A. Meißner
- , Theresa Eder
- & Sigurd Höger
-
Article
| Open AccessHot exciplexes in U-shaped TADF molecules with emission from locally excited states
Molecular designs improving the performance of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters are greatly desired for optoelectronic applications. The authors propose a molecular geometry with donor and acceptor moieties facing each other separated by an anthracene bridge, giving rise to hot exciplex states producing color pure and fast TADF emission.
- A. Lennart Schleper
- , Kenichi Goushi
- & Alexander J. C. Kuehne
-
Article
| Open AccessBottom-up modular synthesis of well-defined oligo(arylfuran)s
Oligofurans have attracted great attention because of their strong fluorescence, charge delocalization, and increased solubility. Here the authors show a bottom-up modular construction of chemically and structurally well-defined oligo(arylfuran)s by de novo synthesis of α,β′-bifuran monomers and late-stage bromination, stannylation and subsequent coupling reaction.
- Yang Chen
- , Pingchuan Shen
- & Shifa Zhu
-
Article
| Open AccessRelief of excited-state antiaromaticity enables the smallest red emitter
Commonly, large π-conjugated systems facilitate low-energy electronic transitions. Here, the authors demonstrate that the relief of excited-state antiaromaticity of the benzene core leads to large Stokes shifts, and allows the construction of emitters covering the entire visible spectrum without the need of extending π-conjugation.
- Heechan Kim
- , Woojin Park
- & Dongwhan Lee
-
Article
| Open AccessProbing intramolecular vibronic coupling through vibronic-state imaging
Vibronic coupling is a key feature of molecular electronic transitions, but its visualization in real space is an experimental challenge. Here the authors, using scanning tunneling microscopy induced luminescence, resolve the effect of vibronic coupling with different modes on the electron distributions in real space in a single pentacene molecule.
- Fan-Fang Kong
- , Xiao-Jun Tian
- & J. G. Hou
-
Article
| Open AccessAncillary ligand increases the efficiency of heteroleptic Ir-based triplet emitters in OLED devices
Though Ir-based dopants with ancillary ligands are attractive for realizing efficient organic light-emitting diodes, a strategy for designing these materials remains elusive. Here, the authors report a design strategy for heteroleptic triplet OLED emitters featuring functionalized ancillary ligands.
- Seung-yeol Baek
- , Seung-Yeon Kwak
- & Mu-Hyun Baik
-
Article
| Open AccessPhotoactivation of silicon rhodamines via a light-induced protonation
Activatable fluorophores are of interest for a wide range of applications but the need for caging groups complicates their development and application. Here, the authors report on a photoactivatable silicon rhodamine derivative and its application in live cell imaging and single-particle tracking.
- Michelle S. Frei
- , Philipp Hoess
- & Kai Johnsson
-
Article
| Open AccessMicroscopic insight into non-radiative decay in perovskite semiconductors from temperature-dependent luminescence blinking
The mechanism of the non-radiative recombination in halide perovskite nanocrystals has not been fully understood. Here Gerhard et al. resolve the contributions of individual recombination centers by photoluminescence blinking measurements and identify ion migration as the underlying mechanism.
- Marina Gerhard
- , Boris Louis
- & Ivan G. Scheblykin
-
Article
| Open AccessPhotoregulated fluxional fluorophores for live-cell super-resolution microscopy with no apparent photobleaching
Super-resolution microscopy with spontaneously blinking dyes is dependent on pH and polarity of the medium. Here the authors introduce a photoactivatable fluxional fluorophore for live cell imaging that allows control over the fraction of spontaneously blinking molecules independently of medium properties.
- Elias A. Halabi
- , Dorothea Pinotsi
- & Pablo Rivera-Fuentes
-
Article
| Open AccessMolecular demultiplexer as a terminator automaton
Nanorobots will likely play a major role in future therapeutic approaches. Here, the authors develop a molecular automaton based on Zinc-BODIPY complexes that can autonomously switch between singlet oxygen generation and fluorescence emission, i.e., therapeutic and diagnostic modes.
- Ilke S. Turan
- , Gurcan Gunaydin
- & Engin U. Akkaya
-
Article
| Open AccessElectrically driven single-photon emission from an isolated single molecule
Molecular emitters offer a promising solution for single-photon generation. Here, by exploiting electronic decoupling by an ultrathin dielectric spacer and emission enhancement by a resonant plasmonic nanocavity, the authors demonstrate electrically driven single-photon emission from a single molecule.
- Li Zhang
- , Yun-Jie Yu
- & J. G. Hou
-
Article
| Open AccessControlling photophysical properties of ultrasmall conjugated polymer nanoparticles through polymer chain packing
Synthesis of small conjugated polymer nanoparticles (Pdots) with bright and stable fluorescence is an active challenge. Here, the authors introduce a strategy to fabricate ultrasmall Pdots with high fluorescence intensity by using twisted, rather than planar, conjugated polymers, lending new insight into the molecular design of Pdots.
- Hubert Piwoński
- , Tsuyoshi Michinobu
- & Satoshi Habuchi
-
Article
| Open AccessVisualization of molecular fluorescence point spread functions via remote excitation switching fluorescence microscopy
Plasmonic nanoparticles can dramatically enhance the optical properties of molecules but background scattering is a limiting factor. Su et al.use remote excitation by plasmons on nanowires to better access single fluorophore point spread functions for improved sensing and super-resolution imaging.
- Liang Su
- , Gang Lu
- & Hiroshi Uji-i
-
Article |
Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy maps the folding landscape of a large protein
The folding of multidomain proteins can involve metastable intermediate states. Here, a single-molecule FRET based method is developed and used to identify six metastable states in the folding landscape of the three-domain protein adenylate kinase.
- Menahem Pirchi
- , Guy Ziv
- & Gilad Haran