Light upconverting soft particles: Triplet-triplet annihilation in the phospholipid bilayer of self-assembled vesicles

Abstract

Large unilamellar vesicles (100 nm) were functionalised to obtain supramolecular particles capable of light upconversion in pure aqueous media. Triplet-triplet annihilation of diphenylanthracene (DPA) leading to delayed fluorescence at 420 nm was used to up-convert the light absorbed by embedded metal complex sensitisers. The lipid type and the chromophore position in the membrane affect the TTA intensity, which remains constant over a large concentration range.