Light-harvesting organogel based on tris(phenylisoxazolyl)benzene

Abstract

A novel light-harvesting organogel based on tris(phenylisoxazolyl)benzene, 1, was developed. A pyrene derivative, 2, possessing four phenylisoxazole substituents, was synthesised as an energy acceptor. The electronically excited-state energy of 1 was transferred to a small portion of 2 in the gel state, whereas the photo-induced energy transfer was not observed in solution. The coassembled structures of 1 and 2, formed in the decalin gel, exhibited light-harvesting behaviour. The study on the fluorescence quantum yield revealed that one molecule of 2 accepts the excited-state energy from approximately eight molecules of 1. Time-resolved fluorescence decay experiments revealed that the fluorescence resonance energy transfer is dominant in the energy transfer process in the gel state.