Self-Assembly of Charged Bodipy Dyes To Form Cassettes That Display Intracomplex Electronic Energy Transfer and Accrete into Liquid Crystals

Abstract

Red- and blue-absorbing boron dipyrromethene dyes, bearing opposite electronic charges, associate in solution to form a 1:2 complex having a stability constant of ca. 10(17) M(-2). The complex can be dismantled by addition of a large excess of tetra-N-butylammonium cations. The same complex displays liquid crystalline properties on heating from rt to above 150 °C, as characterized by various experimental techniques. Highly efficient electronic energy transfer from the red to the blue dye occurs in both the initial complex and the subsequent mesomorphic state.