Enhancing long-range exciton guiding in molecular nanowires by H-aggregation lifetime engineering

Excitonic transitions in organic semiconductors are associated with large oscillator strength that limits the excited-state lifetime and can in turn impede long-range exciton migration. We present perylene-based emissive H-aggregate nanowires where the lowest energy state is only weakly coupled to the ground state, thus dramatically enhancing lifetime. Exciton migration occurs by thermally activated hopping, leading to luminescence quenching on topological wire defects. An atomic force microscope tip can introduce local topological quenchers by distorting the H-aggregate structure, demonstrating long-range exciton migration at room temperature and offering a potential route to writing fluorescent "nanobarcodes" and excitonic circuits.