Inhong Kim

A low-bandgap alternating copolymer containing the dimethylbenzimidazole moiety

A new acceptor unit containing dimethyl-2H-benzimidazole was synthesized and utilized for the synthesis of a conjugated polymer containing electron donor–acceptor pairs for OPV devices. The dimethyl-2H-benzimidazole unit was designed to act as a substitute for the BT unit of PCDTBT. This novel dimethyl-2H-benzimidazole unit has two methyl groups which can supply higher solubility than those of the BT series. A thin film of PCDTMBI, containing the dimethyl-2H-benzimidazole unit, shows two broad absorption bands with maxima at 400 and 636 nm and an absorption onset of 756 nm, corresponding to a band gap of 1.64 eV. The oxidation onset of PCDTMBI was estimated to be 0.67 V, which corresponds to a HOMO energy level of −5.47 eV. The LUMO energy level of the polymer was thus determined to be −3.82 eV. A device with a PCDTMBI:PC71BM blend had a VOC value of 0.65 V, a JSC value of 10.0 mA cm−2, and a FF of 0.48, leading to an efficiency of 3.12%. The enhanced efficiency of PCDTMBI was caused by the higher IPCE value between 400 and 700 nm and high mobility (2.2 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1).

Solvent-assisted optical modulation of FRET-induced fluorescence for efficient conjugated polymer-based DNA detection.

The solvent effects were studied in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from a cationic polyfluorene copolymer (FHQ, FPQ) to a fluorescein (Fl)-labelled oligonucleotide (ssDNA-Fl). Upon addition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), the optical properties of polymers and the probe dye were substantially modified and the FRET-induced PL signal was enhanced 3.8-37 times, relative to that in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The hydrophobic interaction between polymers and ssDNA-Fl is expected to decrease in the presence of DMSO, which induces the weaker polymer/ssDNA-Fl complexation with longer intermolecular donor-acceptor separation and perturbs the competition between the FRET and PL quenching processes such as photo-induced charge transfer. The gradual decrease in Fl PL quenching with increasing the DMSO content was investigated by measuring the Stern-Volmer quenching constants (3.3-4.2 × 10(6) M(-1) in PBS, 0.56-1.1 × 10(6) M(-1) in 80 vol% DMSO) and PL lifetime of the excited Fl* in polymer/ssDNA-Fl (600 ps in PBS and 2120 ps in 80 vol% DMSO for FHQ/ssDNA-Fl) in PBS/DMSO mixtures. The substantially reduced PL quenching would amplify the resulting FRET Fl signal. The signal amplification in real DNA detection was also demonstrated with fluorescein-labelled PNA (probe PNA) in the presence of a complementary target DNA and noncomplementary DNA in aqueous DMSO solutions. This approach suggests a simple way of modifying the fine-structure of polymer/ssDNA-Fl and improving the detection sensitivity in conjugated polymer-based FRET bioassays.

Fabrication of Nanotubules and Microspheres from the Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic Monochain Stearic Acid Derivatives

A series of amphiphilic monochain derivatives of stearic acid, CH(3)(CH(2))(16)CONH(CH(2))(n)NH(2) (n = 2, 3, 4, 6), CH(3)(CH(2))(16)CONH(CH(2))(2)S(2)(CH(2))(2)NH(2), and [CH(3)(CH(2))(16)CONH](2)(CH(2))(2), are synthesized, and their self-assembly behaviors have been investigated in 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE). In addition to the concentration of the compound in DCE, the number of methylene units in hydrophilic segments play a crucial role in determining the final morphology of self-assembling structures from nanotubules with 20 nm inner diameter to microspheres with an average diameter of 20 μm. The external texture of the microsphere is also influenced by the number of methylene units in the hydrophilic segment. The microspheres formed by highly ordered aggregation of nanobelts show high thermal stability. The particular processes and causations have been expatiated.

Temperature dependence of the radiative recombination time in ZnO nanorods under an external magnetic field of 6T

The Temperature dependence of the exciton radiative decay time in ZnO nanorods has been investigated, which is associated with the density of states for the intra-relaxation of thermally excited excitons. The photoluminescence decay time was calibrated by using the photoluminescence intensity in order to obtain the radiative decay time. In the absence of an external magnetic field, we have confirmed that the radiative decay time increased with temperature in a similar manner to that seen in bulk material (∼ T1.5). Under an external magnetic field of 6 T parallel to the c-axis, we found that the power coefficient of the radiative decay time with temperature decreased (∼ T1.3) when compared to that in the absence of a magnetic field. This result can be attributed to an enhancement of the effective mass perpendicular to the magnetic field and a redshift of the center-of-mass exciton as a consequence of perturbation effects in the weak-field regime.

Recent advances in M13 bacteriophage-based optical sensing applications

Recently, M13 bacteriophage has started to be widely used as a functional nanomaterial for various electrical, chemical, or optical applications, such as battery components, photovoltaic cells, sensors, and optics. In addition, the use of M13 bacteriophage has expanded into novel research, such as exciton transporting. In these applications, the versatility of M13 phage is a result of its nontoxic, self-assembling, and specific binding properties. For these reasons, M13 phage is the most powerful candidate as a receptor for transducing chemical or optical phenomena of various analytes into electrical or optical signal. In this review, we will overview the recent progress in optical sensing applications of M13 phage. The structural and functional characters of M13 phage will be described and the recent results in optical sensing application using fluorescence, surface plasmon resonance, Förster resonance energy transfer, and surface enhanced Raman scattering will be outlined.

Surface plasmon-assisted photoluminescence enhancement of Au-hybrid CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal quantum dots

ABSTRACT We demonstrated that radiative recombination rate of CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal quantum dots is enhanced by local surface plasmon of an adjacent Au layer as a consequence of the Purcell effect. In the presence of Au thin layer, the photoluminescence intensity and the decay rate of CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal quantum dots become significantly enhanced due to the coupling between the excitons of CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal quantum dots and the surface plasmon electric field of Au layer, whereby the Purcell factor (1.6 ∼ 2.3) has been obtained as a measure of enhancement.

Formation of water soluble wavelength tunable InGaP and InP quantum dots

Quantum dots (Q-dots) have recently attracted interest for biological applications as efficient biomarkers. Operational wavelength and water solubility are core considerations in terms of the applicable to Q-dots in biology. However, operating wavelength control and PL loss during water solubilization are major drawbacks. Herein, high quality, wavelength tuneable, and water soluble InGaP and InP were prepared using a simple thermal synthesis. The results obtained showed that the decrease in quantum yield previously observed in lipidized quantum dots loss was greatly diminished using this approach, which resulted in excellent control of emission wavelength and enhanced PL intensity. Q-dot sizes were controlled using a two-step etching process that enabled size control, significantly improved PL intensities, and minimized the loss in PL intensity associated with lipidization.

Solvent-modified ultrafast decay dynamics in conjugated polymer/dye labeled single stranded DNA

We have investigated that organic solvent (DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide) modifies energy transfer efficiency between conjugated polymers (donors) and fluorescein-labeled single stranded DNAs (acceptors). In a mixture of buffer and organic solvent, fluorescence of the acceptors is significantly enhanced compared to that of pure water solution. This result can be attributed to change of the donor-acceptor environment such as decreased hydrophobicity of polymers, screening effect of organic solvent molecules, resulting in an enhanced energy transfer efficiency. Time-resolved fluorescence decay of the donors and the acceptors was modelled by considering the competition between the energy harvesting Foerster resonance energy transfer and the energy-wasting quenching. This enables to quantity that the Foerster distance (R0 = 43.3 Å) and resonance energy transfer efficiency (EFRET = 58.7 %) of pure buffer solution become R0 = 38.6 Å and EFRET = 48.0 % when 80% DMSO/buffer mixture is added.

Time‐resolved FRET and PCT in cationic conjugated polymer/dye‐labeled DNA complex

The energy transfer mechanism between cationic conjugated polyelectrolytes and a single stranded DNA labeled with fluorescein was investigated in terms of Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and photo‐induced charge transfer (PCT) by time‐resolved fluorescence. Both FRET and PCT rate efficiencies were obtained by phenomenological coupled rate equations, which are in excellent agreement with experiments. We found the total energy transfer in the complex is maximized as a consequence of FRET and PCT at an optimum distance 32.7A.