Significant enhancement of light-harvesting efficiency through the formation of [2]pseudorotaxane with γ-cyclodextrin based on a bolaamphiphile of salicylaldehyde azine moiety

Abstract

In this work, we have designed and synthesized a bolaamphiphile of salicylaldehyde azine (BSA), which can form [2]pseudorotaxane with γ-cyclodextrin (BSA@γ-CD) in aqueous solution and exhibit remarkable enhancement of the fluorescence emission. Both BSA and BSA@γ-CD assembly can spontaneously form spherical aggregates in aqueous solution with diameter at about 30 nm and 20 nm, respectively. By using BSA and BSA@γ-CD as energy donor and sulforhodamine 101 (SR101) as energy acceptor, we fabricated two artificial light-harvesting systems in aqueous solution. Significantly, an efficient energy transfer process was revealed to occur between the BSA or BSA@γ-CD assembly and the loaded SR101 to obtain high energy transfer efficiency and antenna effect. More importantly, energy transfer efficiency and antenna effect can be greatly improved in these two systems only just by addition of γ-CD.