title: Self-assembly of poly{1,4-phenylene-[9,9-bis(4-phenoxy-butylsulfonate)]fluorene-2,7-diyl} with oppositely charged phenylenevinylene oligoelectrolytes.
abstract: The interaction of the water-soluble conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) poly{1,4-phenylene-[9,9-bis(4-phenoxy-butylsulfonate)]fluorene-2,7-diyl} (PBS-PFP) (degree of polymerization, DP, ∼3-6) with various concentrations of a homologous series of oppositely charged amphiphilic phenylenevinylene oligomers was investigated in water:dioxane mixtures and in aqueous micellar solutions of the non-ionic surfactant n-dodecylpentaoxyethylene glycol ether. The excellent spectral overlap between the CPE fluorescence and the conjugated oligoelectrolyte (COE) absorption indicates that energy transfer between these is a highly favored process, and can be tuned by changing the COE chain length. This is supported by time-resolved fluorescence data. The overall results provide support for different types of self-assembly, which are sensitive to the solvent environment and to the size of the phenylenevinylene oligoelectrolyte chain. It is suggested that large aggregates are formed in water:dioxane mixtures, while decorated core-shell structures are present in the surfactant solutions.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Química de Coimbra, Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra , 3004-535 Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Telma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Ana T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: J Sérgio
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Seixas de Melo
authors.forename: Alexander W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Logan E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Garner
authors.forename: Ullrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Scherf
authors.forename: Guillermo C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Bazan
authors.forename: Hugh D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Burrows