Binding modes, organic dyes

Fig. B.9.1. Molecules such as organic dyes, polycyclic aromatic compounds, organometallic complexes, saccharides, peptides, and polyamides bind to nucleic acids. Two major binding modes are possible — intercalation (left) and groove binding (right).

From an experimental standpoint, information on the dye binding modes at the semiconductor/dye interface, are conventionally accessed by vibrational spectroscopy [Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)] [228-237]. These techniques can provide structural details about the adsorption modes as well as information on the relative orientation of the molecules anchored onto the oxide surface. Photoelectron Spectroscopy (PES) has also been successfully employed to characterize the dye/oxide interface for a series of organic dyes [238-242]. The analysis of the PES spectra yields information on the molecular and electronic structures at the interface, along with basic indications of the dye coverage and of the distance of selected atoms from the... 

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