Quantum luminescence

In crystals where the probabilities of nonradiative decay processes are smaller (the latter takes place in luminescent crystals with a large quantum luminescence yield), the lifetime for singlet-excitons in pure crystals can be of the order of 10-9 s. For triplet-excitons this time can be a few orders of magnitude larger (for example, the lifetime of a triplet exciton in anthracene is of order 10-4 s). The characteristic time of exciton scattering by phonons is of the order of picoseconds and thus usually is much less than its radiative lifetime. This means that generally one may assume that during the exciton s lifetime thermodynamic equilibrium of excitons and phonons is established. 

Calculations concerning this problem made by Ketskemety and coworkers (18) have shown that on the r.h.s. of eqn (1.15), a factor r)(w) occurs, being the relative quantum luminescence yield by excitation with light of frequency w. 

Liquid-phase oxidation of organic compounds is accompanied by weak chemiluminescence, which was found in 1959 by R.F. Vasil ev, V.Ya. Shlyapintokh, and O.N. Karpukhin. Chemiluminescence is due to the fact that the disproportionation of secondary peroxide radicals affords triplet-excited ketone. The yield of excited molecules of ketone is 10 -10 per disproportionation act. The most part of excited molecules is quenched the emission yield is 10 -10 quanta per excited molecule. The low quantum luminescence yield results in the low luminescence intensity. 

Bawendi M G ef a/1992 Luminescence properties of CdSe quantum crystallites resonance between interior and surface localized states J. Chem. Phys. 96 946... 

The blue luminescence observed during cool flames is said to arise from electronically excited formaldehyde (60,69). The high energy required indicates radical— radical reactions are producing hot molecules. Quantum yields appear to be very low (10 to 10 ) (81). Cool flames never deposit carbon, in contrast to hot flames which emit much more intense, yellowish light and may deposit carbon (82). 

Nonradiative Decay. To have technical importance, a luminescent material should have a high efficiency for conversion of the excitation to visible light. Photoluminescent phosphors for use in fluorescent lamps usually have a quantum efficiency of greater than 0.75. AH the exciting quanta would be reemitted as visible light if there were no nonradiative losses. 

In photoluminescence one measures physical and chemical properties of materials by using photons to induce excited electronic states in the material system and analyzing the optical emission as these states relax. Typically, light is directed onto the sample for excitation, and the emitted luminescence is collected by a lens and passed through an optical spectrometer onto a photodetector. The spectral distribution and time dependence of the emission are related to electronic transition probabilities within the sample, and can be used to provide qualitative and, sometimes, quantitative information about chemical composition, structure (bonding, disorder, interfaces, quantum wells), impurities, kinetic processes, and energy transfer. 

Emission spectra have been recorded for four aryl-substituted isoindoles rmder conditions of electrochemical stimulation. Electrochemiluminescence, which was easily visible in daylight, was measured at a concentration of 2-10 mM of emitter in V jV-dimethylformamide with platinum electrodes. Emission spectra due to electrochemi-luminescence and to fluorescence were found to be identical, and quantum yields for fluorescence were obtained by irradiation with a calibrated Hght source. Values are given in Table X. As with peak potentials determined by cyclic voltammetry, the results of luminescence studies are interpreted in terms of radical ion intermediates. ... 

Recent work with multi-layer polymer LEDs has achieved impressive results and highlights the importance of multi-layer structures [46]. Single-layer, two-layer and three-layer devices were fabricated using a soluble PPV-based polymer as the luminescent layer. The external quantum efficiencies of the single-layer, two-layer, and three-layer devices were 0.08%, 0.55%, and 1%, respectively, with luminous efficiencies of about 0.5 hn/W, 3 lm/W, and 6 lm/W. These results clearly demonstrate improvement in the recombination current because of the increase in quantum efficiency. The corresponding increase in luminous efficiency demonstrates that the improvement in recombination efficiency was achieved without a significant increase in the operating bias. 

For copolymers of structure I, for both types of side-chains, there is a striking similarity with the optical properties of the corresponding models the absorption and photoluminescence maxima of the polymers arc only 0.08-0.09 eV red-shifted relative to those of the models, as shown in Figure 16-9 (left) for the octyloxy-substituted compounds. The small shift can be readily explained by the fact that in the copolymers the chromophorcs are actually substituted by silylene units, which have a weakly electron-donating character. The shifts between absorption and luminescence maxima are exactly the same for polymers and models and the width of the emission bands is almost identical. The quantum yields are only slightly reduced in the polymers. These results confirm that the active chro-mophores are the PPV-type blocks and that the silylene unit is an efficient re-conjugation interrupter. 

In electroluminescence devices (LEDs) ionized traps form space charges, which govern the charge carrier injection from metal electrodes into the active material [21]. The same states that trap charge carriers may also act as a recombination center for the non-radiative decay of excitons. Therefore, the luminescence efficiency as well as charge earner transport in LEDs are influenced by traps. Both factors determine the quantum efficiency of LEDs. 

D. Moses, High quantum efficiency luminescence from a conducting polymer in solution a novel polymer laser dye. Appl. Phys. Leu. 1992, 60, 3215. 

A critical parameter in determining the operating efficiency of polymer LEDs is the luminescence quantum efficiency of singlet excilons in the polymer i.e. the probability that a singlet exciton will decay radiatively. The luminescence quantum elft-... 

Fluorescent small molecules are used as dopants in either electron- or hole-transporting binders. These emitters are selected for their high photoluminescent quantum efficiency and for the color of their emission. Typical examples include perylene and its derivatives 44], quinacridones [45, penlaphenylcyclopenlcne [46], dicyanomethylene pyrans [47, 48], and rubrene [3(3, 49]. The emissive dopant is chosen to have a lower excited state energy than the host, such that if an exciton forms on a host molecule it will spontaneously transfer to the dopant. Relatively small concentrations of dopant are used, typically in the order of 1%, in order to avoid concentration quenching of their luminescence. 

The absorption and luminescence spectra of imidazo[ 1,2,4]triazines and related compounds were recorded. The phenyl groups on both the 6-and the 7-positions quenched the luminescence. An acceptor substituent such as CHO in position-7 sharply reduced the luminescence quantum yield (82MI4). A detailed study of the infrared spectra of imidazotriazines was carried out (75T433). 

Fig. 1.7 Spectral change of the in vitro firefly bioluminescence by pH, with Photinus pyralis luciferase in glycylglycine buffer. The normally yellow-green luminescence (Amax 560 nm) is changed into red (Xmax 615 nm) in acidic medium, accompanied by a reduction in the quantum yield. From McElroy and Seliger, 1961, with permission from Elsevier.

The reported quantum yields of the long-chain aldehydes in the luminescence reaction catalyzed by P. fischeri luciferase are 0.1 for dodecanal with the standard I (Lee, 1972) 0.13 for decanal with the standard I (McCapra and Hysert, 1973) and 0.15-0.16 for decanal, dodecanal and tetradecanal with the standard III (Shimomura et al., 1972). Thus, the quantum yield of long-chain aldehydes in the bacterial bioluminescence reaction appears to be in the range of 0.10-0.16. 

Fig. 3.1.5 Effects of salt concentration on the activity of Cypridina luciferase (solid lines) and quantum yield (dotted lines). In the activity measurement, Cypridina luciferin (1 pg/ml) was luminesced with a trace amount of luciferase in 2.5 mM HEPES buffer, pH 7.5, containing a salt to be tested, at 20°C. In the measurement of quantum yield, luciferin (1 pg/ml) was luminesced with luciferase (20 pg/ml) in 20 mM sodium phosphate buffer (for the NaCl data) or MES buffer (for the CaCl2 data), pH 6.7.

Fig. 3.1.7 Effects of temperature on the activity of Cypridina luciferase (solid line) and the quantum yield of Cypridina luciferin (dashed line). Luciferin (1 pg/ml) was luminesced in the presence of luciferase (a trace amount for the activity measurement 20 pg/ml for the quantum yield) in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.8, containing 0.1 M NaCl.

In our report on the bioluminescence of Meganyctiphanes (Shimomura and Johnson, 1967), the extremely unstable nature of the substance P caused us to interpret the functions of P and F incorrectly, the former as a photoprotein and the latter as a catalyst, as pointed out by Hastings (1968). The error was corrected 28 years later (Shimomura, 1995a), F being unambiguously shown to be a luciferin and P, a luciferase, on the basis that the quantum yield of F is about 0.6 at 0°C, while P can be recycled many times in the luminescence reaction. 

Heat stability The Oplophorus luminescence system is more thermostable than several other known bioluminescence systems the most stable system presently known is that of Periphylla (Section 4.5). The luminescence of the Oplophorus system is optimum at about 40°C in reference to light intensity (Fig. 3.3.3 Shimomura et al., 1978). The quantum yield of coelenterazine is nearly constant from 0°C to 20°C, decreasing slightly while the temperature is increased up to 50°C (Fig. 3.3.3) at temperatures above 50°C, the inactivation of luciferase becomes too rapid to obtain reliable data of quantum yield. In contrast, in the bioluminescence systems of Cypridina, Latia, Chaetopterus, luminous bacteria and aequorin, the relative quantum yields decrease steeply when the temperature is raised, and become almost zero at a temperature near 40-50°C (Shimomura et al., 1978). 

Quantum yield and luciferase activity The quantum yield of coelenterazine in the luminescence reaction catalyzed by Oplophorus luciferase was 0.34 when measured in 15 mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 8.3, containing 0.05 M NaCl at 22°C (Shimomura et al., 1978). The specific activity of pure luciferase in the presence of a large excess of coelenterazine (0.9pg/ml) in the same buffer at 23°C was 1.75 x 1015 photons s 1 mg-1 (Shimomura et al., 1978). Based on these data and the molecular weight of luciferase (106,000), the turnover number of luciferase is calculated at 55/min. 

Fig. 3.3.3 Effects of temperature on the activities of luciferase ( ) and the quantum yields of coelenterazine (o) in the Oplophorus bioluminescence reaction. The activity was measured with coelenterazine (4.5 pg) and luciferase (0.05 pg), and the quantum yields with coelenterazine (0.2 pg) and luciferase (200 pg), in 5 ml of 15 mM Tris-HC1 buffer, pH 8.3 (at 25°C), containing 50 mM NaCl. Coelenterazine was first added to the buffer solution at the designated temperature, then the luminescence reaction was started by a rapid injection of 0.1 ml of luciferase solution. Replotted from Shimomura et al., 1978, with permission from the American Chemical Society.

Aqueous solutions of aequorin also emit light upon the addition of various thiol-modification reagents, such as p-quinone, Br2, I2, N-bromosuccinimide, N-ethylmaleimide, iodoacetic acid, and p-hydroxymercuribenzoate (Shimomura et al., 1974b). The luminescence is weak and long-lasting ( 1 hour). The quantum yield varies with the conditions, but seldom exceeds 0.02 at 23-25°C. The luminescence is presumably due to destabilization of the functional moiety caused by the modification of thiol and other groups on the aequorin molecule. 

Quantum yield of coelenterazine. The quantum yields of coelenterazine in the luminescence reaction catalyzed by luciferases A, B and C are all close to 0.30 at 24°C, which is one of the highest values among coelenterazine luciferases. The amount of luciferase L obtained was insufficient to measure reliable data of specific activity and quantum yield. 

Quantum yield of luciferin. Various values of quantum yield have been reported for coelenterazine in the luminescence reaction catalyzed by Renilla luciferase 0.055 (Matthews et al., 1977a), 0.07 (Hart, et al., 1979), and 0.10-0.11 (with a recombinant form Inouye and Shimomura, 1997). The quantum yield is significantly increased in the presence of Renilla green fluorescent protein (GFP) see below. 

The reaction scheme of Latia bioluminescence. Based on the structures of luciferin 1 (Ln) and the product of luminescence reaction 2 (OxLn), it was proposed that the luciferase-catalyzed luminescence reaction of Latia luciferin in the presence of the purple protein results in the formation of 2 moles of formic acid, as shown in the scheme A (Shimomura and Johnson, 1968c). However, when the luminescence reaction was carried out in a medium containing ascorbate and NADH (in addition to the purple protein) to increase the quantum yield, it was found that only one mole of formic acid was produced accompanied... 

---