Photoluminescence of a conjugated polymer-polyelectrolyte assembly and effective quenching in aqueous solution and on self-assembled thin film architectures

Creation and control of assemblies driven by polyelectrolyte interactions represents a biologically inspired approach to materials synthesis. In this regard, polyelectrolyte interactions involving luminescent species have potential for creating functional complex biomimetic assemblies. Here, we report control of the photoluminescence of the polyectrolyte assembly formed between poly (2,5-methoxy-propyloxy sulfonate phenylene vinylene) (MPS-PPV) and DAB-Am-16, a generation 3.0 polypropylenimine hexadecamine dendrimer (DAB), in solution and in thin films. This control is achieved by the efficient quenching of MPS-PPV photoluminescence by partially hydrolyzed polycyclosulfated-C60 (PCS-C60). In aqueous solution, quenching of -80% is observed, while in self-assembled thin films quenching -88% is observed. The results indicate possible directions useful for the development of applications in high-sensitivity chemical and biological sensing and light-emitting displays.