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Influence of Oxygen on Single Molecule Blinking
Author(s) -
Panzer Oliver,
Göhde Wolfgang,
Fischer Ulrich C.,
Fuchs Harald,
Müllen Klaus
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-4095(199812)10:17<1469::aid-adma1469>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - materials science , molecule , oxygen , adsorption , polymer , confocal , fluorescence , nitrogen , nanotechnology , photochemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical engineering , chemical physics , optics , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , engineering
The influence of ambient oxygen on blinking (on–off transitions) of individual terrylenediimide (TDI) molecules is investigated by confocal microscopy. The authors show that the “on‐times”—during which the fluorescence intensity is above a certain threshold—are shortened significantly in ambient air compared to in nitrogen. The “off‐times” are virtually unaffected. In addition, it is shown that single TDI molecules embedded in a polymer film show much longer “on‐times” and fewer “blinks” than those adsorbed on a glass surface.