Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence of Single Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles

Abstract

We demonstrate a novel and powerful method to study electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of single nanoparticles (NPs) (r = 25 +/- 15 nm) of a conjugated polymer, F8BT, on an ITO electrode in the presence of a co-reactant, such as tri-n-propylamine (TPrAH) in acetonitrile solution. The results reveal that the maximum formation rate of ECL of individual NPs is achieved after a long "build-up" time (10-40 s after pulse application). The high number of detected ECL photons from individual NPs (1500 photons during 100 s) highlights the potential of this technique as a very sensitive analytical method. Additionally, TPrAH acts as a very efficient protecting agent against irreversible electrochemical processes occurring in F8BT, as found in photoluminescence studies. This protection mechanism probably involves the neutralization of holes at the particle surface via electron transfer by both TPrAH and TPrA radical (TPrA*).