Interactions between pi-conjugated chromophores in a giant molecular spoked wheel

TL;DR

This study investigates the photophysical behavior of a giant pi-conjugated molecular spoked wheel, revealing rapid switching among chromophores at the single-molecule level, with implications for understanding molecular interactions in complex structures.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed single-molecule analysis of chromophore interactions within a large molecular spoked wheel structure.

Findings

Fast switching between chromophores observed

Only one chromophore emits at a time

Fluorescence is unpolarised

Abstract

We discuss the intriguing photophysics of a giant molecular spoked wheel of pi-conjugated arylenealkynylene chromophores on the single-molecule level. This "molecular mesoscopic" tructure, C1878H2682, shows fast switching between the 12 identical chromophores since the fluorescence is unpolarised but only one chromophore emits at a time.