Lengthening of fluorescence lifetimes in self-organized metal-organic assemblies

Resonance energy transfer from tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium (II) ([Ru(bpy)3](2+)) to nile blue A is demonstrated in aqueous solution in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). At SDS concentrations below the critical micelle concentration, aggregates that permit energy transfer between these dyes at optically dilute (10 microM) concentrations with nearly 100% efficiency are formed. The disparity between the lifetimes of the donor and acceptor results in the lengthening of the photoluminescence lifetime of the sensitized emission observed from nile blue A. Time-resolved luminescence measurements confirm that the long-lived components of the emission originate from sensitized acceptor emission.