Misconceptions in electronic energy transfer: bridging the gap between chemistry and physics

Abstract

Many treatments of energy transfer (ET) phenomena in current literature employ incorrect arguments and formulae and are not quantitative enough. This is unfortunate because we witness important breakthroughs from ET experiments in nanoscience. This review aims to clarify basic principles by focusing upon Förster-Dexter electric dipole-electric dipole (ED-ED) ET. The roles of ET in upconversion, downconversion and the antenna effect are described and the clichés and simple formulae to be avoided in ET studies are highlighted with alternative treatments provided.

A Reversible Rhodamine B Based pH Probe with Large Pseudo‐Stokes Shift

“…The Förster resonance energy transfer was secured by the overlap of the emission spectrum of intermediate 1 and the absorption spectrum of the Rhodamine B part of DPE−Rh (Figure S3). The Förster distance R 0 (where the energy transfer efficiency is 50 %) has been calculated from the spectral overlap integral as 15.6 Å, by taking into account the donor quantum yield . The use of the DPE unit alone showed no obvious change of absorption and emission spectra at various pH values (Figures S4, S5).…”

“…The Förster distance R 0 (where the energy transfer efficiency is 50 %) has been calculated from the spectral overlap integral as 15.6 Å, by taking into account the donor quantum yield. [11] The use of the DPE unit alone showed no obvious change of absorption and emission spectra at various pH values ( Figures S4, S5). It should be noted that the excitation at 340 nm of the Rh unit only also enables the characteristic Rhodamine emission since Rhodamine possesses a weak absorption band at around 350 nm ( Figure S6).…”

π‐Expanded Thioxanthones – Engineering the Triplet Level of Thioxanthone Sensitizers for Lanthanide‐Based Luminescent Probes with Visible Excitation

“…The goal is to make bright luminescent probes that can be excited with the blue (405 nm) laser, thus using the highest energy line in commercial microscopes, rather than the specialised costly UV lasers that currently is needed to do bioimaging using lanthanide centred luminescence. This requires a narrow singlet‐triplet energy splitting, and a redshift of the absorption of commonly used sensitizers above 400 nm …”

“…[1] As the most efficient sensitization pathway goes through the triplet state of a strongly absorbing chromophore, [2] the next natural step in optimizing lanthanide luminescent probes for bioimaging is triplet engineering. [3] The goal is to make bright luminescent probes that can be excited with the blue (405 nm) laser, thus using the highest energy line in commercial microscopes, rather than the specialised costly UV lasers that currently is needed to do bioimaging using lanthanide centred luminescence. This requires a narrow singlet-triplet energy splitting, and a redshift of the absorption of commonly used sensitizers above 400 nm.…”

“…This requires a narrow singlet-triplet energy splitting, and a redshift of the absorption of commonly used sensitizers above 400 nm. [2,3] Sensitized lanthanide luminescence can result in bright lanthanide luminescent probes. This is also known as the antenna principle, where the sensitizer is considered a light harvesting antenna chromophore.…”