Single-Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy Reveals Energy Transfer Active versus Inactive Nanocrystal/Dye Conjugate Pairs.

ABSTRACT: Defect-mediated energy transfer (EnT) is a radiative process that occurs between donor defect states in the forbidden bandgap of semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) and dye molecules bound to their surfaces. The EnT efficiency depends on the number of dye molecules attached to each NC, the donor-acceptor distance, and the dipole orientation factor between the donor and acceptor, all of which vary across all individual NCs in a sample. While ensemble-level fluorescence spectroscopy measurements have provided average values for donor-acceptor distances, dye-to-NC ratios, and EnT rate constants, questions remain about the impact of donor/acceptor heterogeneity on observed EnT efficiencies. Notably, ensemble-level measurements cannot distinguish between bare NCs and EnT-active versu

SUBMITTER: Lustig DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12392686 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature