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Time‐Resolved Studies of Energy Transfer in Thin Films of Green and Red Fluorescent Proteins
Author(s) -
Zajac Joanna M.,
Schubert Marcel,
Roland Thomas,
Keum Changmin,
Samuel Ifor D. W.,
Gather Malte C.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201706300
Subject(s) - materials science , förster resonance energy transfer , fluorescence , thin film , green fluorescent protein , resonant inductive coupling , optoelectronics , lasing threshold , exciton , quantum yield , semiconductor , photochemistry , energy transfer , biophysics , nanotechnology , chemical physics , optics , chemistry , wavelength , biochemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , biology , gene
Biologically derived fluorescent proteins are attractive candidates for lasing and sensing due to their excellent optical properties, including their high quantum yield, spectral tunability, and robustness against concentration quenching. Here, a time‐resolved study of the fluorescence dynamics of protein thin films is reported for the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), the red‐emitting tandem‐dimer protein tdTomato, and blends of EGFP and tdTomato. The exciton dynamics are characterized by using spectrally and time‐resolved measurements of fluorescence and a threefold reduction in lifetime is observed when going from solution to thin film, down to 1 and 0.6 ns for EGFP and tdTomato, respectively. This finding is attributed to a dipole–dipole nonradiative Förster resonant energy transfer (FRET) in solid state. The temporal characteristics of FRET in blended thin films are also studied and increased nonradiative transfer rates are found. Finally, efficient sensitization of a semiconductor surface with a protein thin film is reported. Such a configuration may have important implications for energy harvesting in hybrid organic–inorganic solar cells and other hybrid optoelectronic devices.