Fluorescence enhancement of organic
fluorophores shows tremendous potential to improve image contrast
in fluorescence-based bioimaging. Here, we present an experimental
study of the interaction of two cationic porphyrins, meso-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin chloride (TMPyP) and meso-tetrakis(4-
N,N
,N-trimethylanilinium)porphyrin
chloride (TMAP), with cationic surfactant-stabilized zinc oxide nanoparticles
(ZnO NPs) based on several steady-state and time-resolved techniques.
We show the first experimental measurements demonstrating a clear
transition from pronounced fluorescence enhancement to charge transfer
(CT) complex formation by simply changing the nature and location
of the positive charge of the meso substituent of the cationic porphyrins.
For TMPyP, we observe a sixfold increase in the fluorescence intensity
of TMPyP upon addition of ZnO NPs. Our experimental results indicate
that the electrostatic binding of TMPyP with the surface of ZnO NPs
increases the symmetry of the porphyrin macrocycle. This electronic
communication hinders the rotational relaxation of the meso unit and/or
decreases the intramolecular CT character between the cavity and the
meso substituent of the porphyrin, resulting in the enhancement of
the intensity of the fluorescence. For TMAP, on the other hand, the
different type and nature of the positive charge resulting in the
development of the CT band arise from the interaction with the surface
of ZnO NPs. This observation is confirmed by the femtosecond transient
absorption spectroscopy, which provides clear spectroscopic signatures
of photoinduced electron transfer from TMAP to ZnO NPs.