title: Dendrimer-tuned formation of luminescent organic microcrystals.
abstract: Microcrystals of an organic fluorescent dye, 4-n-octylamino-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-C8), were prepared by reprecipitation in water. The crystallization kinetics was monitored by UV/vis absorption spectroscopy, and a model was proposed. The size and shape of the microcrystals were analyzed by laser light scattering, fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. In the presence of PAMAM dendrimers of generation 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5, the crystallization process was drastically accelerated. The crystals obtained were smaller and more regular than those formed in pure water and were not agglomerated. There are probably two levels of interaction of NBD-C8 with the dendrimers, which act as both templates and colloid stabilizers.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Interactions Moléculaires Réactivité Chimique et Photochimique, UMR CNRS 5623, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bertorelle
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lavabre
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fery-Forgues