Surface-Induced Photophysical Enhancement of Conjugated Polyelectrolytes on Cellulose Nanocrystals: A Single-Particle Study.

ABSTRACT: Conjugated polyelectrolytes possess unique photophysical properties, yet their brightness and photostability are significantly hindered in water as they adopt a collapsed state. In this study, we present a strategy to overcome these limitations by assembling short poly(phenylene ethynylene)-based conjugated polyelectrolytes onto cellulose nanocrystals, forming brighter fluorescent hybrid nanoparticles. This assembly process suppresses excimer-like species and promotes disaggregated, highly fluorescent, and photostable conformation whose emission is shifted to 450 nm. By analyzing the intensity-time traces and emission spectra at both the ensemble and single-particle levels, we unraveled the underlying mechanism of the enhanced photophysical properties of the conjugated polyelectrolytes. Th

SUBMITTER: Merhi N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12548090 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature