Multi-State Organic Fluorophores

佛罗里达州立大学化学与生物化学系的朱磊教授和Kenneth L . Knappenberger教授在化学系化学结构、动力学与机理B项目资助的这个项目中，正在开发新的有机荧光分子，这些分子能够单独发出不同颜色的光。本研究的目的是了解产生多重发射的独特性质的基本分子结构要求。这些多发射分子可以被开发成高能效发光材料的组成部分。本项目处于有机化学、物理化学和材料化学的交叉点，因此非常适合对化学各个学科的各级科学家进行教育。这个研究小组在种族和文化上是多元化的，这也有利于为科学领域代表性不足的学生提供最高水平的教育和培训。拓展活动包括开发针对非化学学生的短期课程，介绍化学研究的社会影响，以及一个夏季讲习班，培训大学生了解原创研究的前景和危险。多态有机荧光团是一种经历基态平衡和/或激发态转换以同时产生不同波长荧光（即多次发射）的有机荧光团。本项目的目的是了解新型多态有机荧光团的基本分子光物理学。通过这样做，可以开发控制多荧光轮廓的整体亮度和颜色混合的方法，以提供例如白光发射。在基于电致发光的节能照明设备中，评估了明亮的、近白色发光的荧光团的潜在效用。能够在激发态或基态（即质子转移染料）下快速进行分子内或分子间质子转移的荧光团是本应用中正在研究的特定多态荧光团。通过量子力学计算、稳态光谱和超快时间分辨光谱研究了这些化合物的光物理性质。如果成功的话，新的荧光化合物将在白光发光材料中被发现。

In this project funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics & Mechanisms B Program of the Chemistry Division, Professors Lei Zhu and Kenneth L Knappenberger of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State University are developing new organic fluorescent molecules that are individually capable of emitting light of different colors. The goal of this research is to understand the fundamental molecular structural requirements that give rise to the unique property of multiple emissions. These multi-emitting molecules can be developed into components of energy-efficient, light-emitting materials. This project lies at the interface of organic, physical, and materials chemistry, and is therefore well suited to the education of scientists at all levels across disciplines in chemistry. This research group is ethnically and culturally diverse, which is also well-positioned to provide the highest level of education and training for students underrepresented in science. Outreach activities include developing short courses targeting non-chemistry students on the societal impact of chemical research, and a summer workshop on training college students on the promises and perils of original research. A multi-state organic fluorophore is one that undergoes ground state equilibria and/or excited state transformations to result in simultaneous fluorescence at different wavelengths (i.e., multiple emission). The goal of this project is to understand the fundamental molecular photophysics of novel multi-state organic fluorophores. By doing so, means to control the overall brightness and color mixing of a multi-fluorescence profile can be developed to afford, for example, white light emission. Bright, near-white light-emitting fluorophores are assessed for their potential utility in electroluminescence-based energy-efficient lighting devices. Fluorophores that are capable of rapid intra- or intermolecular proton transfer either in the excited or the ground state (i.e., proton transfer dyes) are the specific multi-state fluorophores under investigation in this application. The photophysical properties of these compounds are studied by quantum mechanical calculations, steady-state and ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopies. If successful, new fluorescent compounds with utility in white light-emitting materials will be identified.