Researchers from Denmark and the US have synthesized a new class of compounds that can be embedded in a solid material to impart fluorescent properties. About his discovery of the authors of the journal article Chem.
“These materials will potentially find application in any area where bright fluorescence to visualize or improve optical properties. This, for example, solar energy, bioimaging and lasers,” says one of the authors, a chemist from Indiana University Amar Flood.
Although today there are more than 100 thousand different fluorescent dyes, almost none of them are perfect for creating a solid optical materials. Dyes are usually “blanked” when they are transferred into the solid state. This is due to the fact that with increasing packing density of the molecules decreases the intensity of their fluorescence. This gives rise to a decrease in the intensity of the emitted light.
To overcome this problem, scientists have mixed the colored dye from the colorless solution of pentacrinites[25]annulene. It is a macrocyclic molecule in the form of stars, which prevents the interaction of fluorescent molecules as hardening of the mixture, while maintaining their optical properties unchanged. Over time, the mixture became hard and it started to form a new fluorescent materials, the crystal lattice of small molecules with isolated ions (SMILES).
Then the scientists grew crystals of them, were converted into dry powders, and finally, introduced the structure of the polymers. Since the macrocycles of pentacrinites[25]annulene are staggered, the researchers could easily introduce a dye into the grid and without additional manipulation to give the structure the desired color and shape.
Next, the researchers plan to investigate the properties of fluorescent materials, was created using new methods. Then, scientists plan to find industrial partners and to try to implement its technology in the production of various products.
