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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals
Published on: May 29, 2018
Single molecule studies of a ladder type conjugated polymer: vibronic spectra, line widths, and energy transfer
Martin F Zickler1, Florian A Feist1, Josemon Jacob2
1Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
Abstract:
Confocal fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy are employed to investigate single poly(ladder-type pentaphenylene) (LPPentP) molecules dispersed in thin poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films at 1.2 K. Emission spectra of single chains show single as well as multi-chromophore emission indicating variegated communication along the chains. The vibronic structure in the emission spectra resembles the one found for other ladder-type polymers. Purely electronic zero-phonon lines in emission are substantially broadened, most probably due to fast spectral diffusion. By surmounting the limitations of emission spectroscopy, nonemitting donor chromophores, which transfer their excitation energy in a radiationless manner to emitting chromophores, are accessed by excitation spectroscopy. Remarkably, by comparing the data of emitting and nonemitting chromophores a contribution to the zero-phonon excitation line width has to be considered which places a lower limit on the estimated energy transfer time of several picoseconds between adjacent chromophores. Finally, the data indicate qualitatively a restricted flexibility of LPPentP compared to poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV).
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