Analysis of the Fluorescence Correlation Function of Quantum Rods with Different Lengths

We built a polarization fluorescence correlation spectroscopy system to analyze the variation of the correlation function in rotational diffusion based on the length of rod-like fluorescent particles. Because the rotational diffusion of particles in liquid depends on the relative polarization states of the laser source and particle fluorescence, we compared the amplitudes of the rotational diffusion using the autocorrelation function in different polarization states. For experiments that depend on the length of the fluorescent particles, we prepared three kinds of quantum rod samples with a width of 6.5 ± 0.5 nm and lengths of 17 ± 3, 40 ± 3, and 46 ± 3 nm. Through the experiment, we obtained the hydrodynamic radii of each particle using the rotational diffusion coefficient: 10.7 ± 0.8, 13.4 ± 0.7, and 14.1 ± 0.4 nm with the length of the particles. All the obtained values for radii are 3 nm larger than the calculated equivalent radii of spheres with the same volume as the rod samples. Through a fraction analysis by polarization state, we confirmed that the ratio of rotational fraction for polarization increases with the aspect ratio of the actual particle.