Matrix-induced intensity fluctuations in the fluorescence from single oligo(phenylenevinylene) molecules

Single molecule spectroscopy on oligo(phenylenevinylene) (OPV) chromophores shows that the fluorescence intermittency strongly correlates to the rigidity of the environment surrounding the molecules. For OPV single molecules, environmental rigidity inhibits twisting about the vinyl linkages, the molecular motion associated with the observed "off" (nonabsorbing) state. By increasing the rigidity of a single molecule's environment, we can tune its room temperature fluorescence from rapid, sub-millisecond "blinking" fluctuations (fluid polymer environment) to completely "on" with no blinking observed (molecules adsorbed to a rigid bare glass substrate). The difference in fluorescence intermittency from environment to environment is immediately apparent and explicit in single molecule intensity trajectories under cw (continuous wave) excitation, demonstrating the sensitivity of these chromophores to their surroundings and emphasizing the importance of morphological control in real-world applications involving phenylenevinylene-based materials.