Local Energy Transfer in Self-Assembled Polyelectrolyte Thin Films Probed by Near-Field Optics

Abstract

Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) has been used to investigate spatially localized energy transfer properties of self-assembled polyelectrolyte films consisting of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) doped with Texas Red dye (TR-PAH). Local differences in energy transfer efficiency highlight the unique multilayer interpenetration properties of thin films constructed using the layer-by-layer (LbL) electrostatic self-assembly technique, as well as the importance of localized probes, to discern local variation that would not be observed using spatially averaged measurements.