Structure and Host–Guest Interactions of Perylene–Diimide Dyes in Zeolite L Nanochannels

Abstract

Confinement-driven self-assembly of dyes in nanomatrices is an effective route for the production of hybrid supramolecular structures of high technological relevance, among which the archetypal zeolite L based systems are exploited in Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensitized solar cells, luminescent solar concentrators, and color-changing media but also in sensing in analytical chemistry, biology, and diagnostics. Despite this progress in applications, the organization of confined chromophores in zeolite L materials remains elusive. Herein, by integrating experiments with different time scale and radiation source (IR, XRPD, total scattering) with first-principles DFT modeling, we attained a microscopically detailed picture of a technologically important hybrid composite of zeolite L with a perylene–diimide (also known as perylene–bisimide) dye at both hydrated and anhydrous conditions. The asymmetric positioning of the dye in the zeolite channel is determined by two factors: shape-volume constr...