Photophysics and photochemistry of xanthene dyes in polymer solutions and films

Abstract

The singlet and triplet lifetimes of erythrosin B and rose bengal, two representative xanthene dyes, are significantly increased by enclosing the dye in a cage of poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP). The fluorescence yield, controlled by the rate of intersystem crossing, is also increased by such encapsulation. Parallel effects are observed upon adding the polymer to an ethanolic solution of the xanthene or upon loading the dye into a polymer matrix dispersed on a metal oxide surface. The effect of the polymer on static quenching of the excited dye and the implications of dye-loaded polymer films in solar energy conversion are discussed.