The rylene colorant family-tailored nanoemitters for photonics research and applications

Abstract

This Review summarizes the latest advances in the field of rylene dyes and rylene nanoemitters for applications in photonics, and describes the influence of the dye design on the optical properties, the self-assembly, the molecular interactions, as well as the labeling specificity of the compounds. The interplay between tailored (macro)molecular design and bulk/single-molecule spectroscopy enables complex processes to be explained, for example, the kinetics of energy-transfer processes or (bio)catalysis. Such investigations are essential for the ultimate design of optimized nanoemitters, and require a close cooperation between spectroscopists and preparative organic chemists. Live and let dye: Rylene dyes, such as those shown in the picture together with their absorption spectra (R=tert-octylphenyl, R'=diisopropylphenyl) have outstanding optical properties and can be modified in a site-directed fashion. In recent years, several novel applications of these functional materials have emerged, such as in photonics, single-molecule spectroscopy, as well as for biological investigations. Copyright © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.