Enforcing luminescence at organic nanointerfaces: luminescence spatial confinement and amplification in molecular-based core-shell nanoparticles

Abstract

Fully organic core-shell nanoparticles that promote luminescence spatial confinement and enhancement at the core-shell nanointerface are designed and prepared. These molecular-based bicomponent nanostructures give rise to very efficient directional excitation energy transfer from the shell to acceptor molecules in the core located at the core-shell nanointerface. A striking luminescence enhancement is observed with respect to the corresponding single-component nanoparticles, which is ascribed to large local electric fields generated at the nanointerface between the polarizable molecular core and shell.