Highly efficient sequential light-harvesting system constructed by macrocycle-based nanoparticles for tunable photoluminescence

Abstract

Efficient energy transfer is ubiquitous in natural light-harvesting systems (LHSs), which has inspired humans to develop various carrier platforms and energy transfer strategies to mimic nature. In this study, we employ pillar [5]arene-mediated nanoparticles as the nano-platform and a sequential energy transfer strategy to achieve a highly efficient LHS. Specifically, by incorporating the hydrophobic dye, eosin Y (ESY) into the nanoparticles as a relay acceptor, the excitation energy from the host-guest donor WP5⸧G can be efficiently transferred to the final acceptor, sulforhodamine 101 (SR101), making the overall donor energy transfer efficiency up to 94%. Under this condition, the radiative rate constant (kr) of WP5⸧G is almost 8 times higher, and the emission brightness (ε(λabs) × φF) is nearly doubled, indicative of the rapid and efficient energy transfer process. Finally, the as-prepared LHS nanoparticles were applied to LED devices to achieve color-tunable photoluminescence. This work demonstrates a fabrication strategy for highly efficient light-harvesting systems that holds great potential for manufacturing bright organic luminescent materials.