Photophysics of disulphonated aluminium phthalocyanine in reverse micelles of Aerosol OT

The photophysical properties of disulphonated aluminium phthalocyanine (AlS2Pc) incorporated within the inner water pool core of Aerosol OT reverse micelles dispersed in n-heptane have been studied using time-correlated single-photon counting, nanosecond laser flash photolysis, and steady state techniques. Within this reverse micelle system, the fluorescence and triplet state decay kinetics of AlS2Pc are non-exponential, and are dependent on the concentration of micelle-solubilized water and on the presence of fluoride ions. When D2O is solubilized within the reverse micelle, the decay kinetics appear to be relatively independent of the size of the water pool core, The associated lifetimes are very similar to those found for AlS2Pc in a homogeneous solution of D2O. Using this reverse micelle system, it is shown that the decay kinetics are dependent on the microenvironment of the solubilized probe, and on the ability of water molecules and fluoride ions to coordinate or interact with the phthalocyanine macrocycle. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.