Optical properties of stilbene-type dyes containing various terminal donor and acceptor groups

Abstract A series of “D-π-A” stilbene-type dyes, named as trans-4-[p-(N,N-hydroxyethyl) aminino-styryl]-N-methylpyridinium iodide (DHEASPI-C1), trans-4-[p-(N,N-hydroxyethyl) aminino-styryl]-N-butylpyridinium bromide (DHEASPBr-C4), trans-4-[p-(N,N-hydroxyethyl) aminino-styryl]-N-octylpyridinium bromide (DHEASPBr-C8) and trans-4-[p-(N,N-hydroxyethyl) aminino-styryl]-N-dodecylpyridinium bromide (DHEASPBr-C12), respectively, have been synthesized and their optical properties have been experimentally investigated. When DHEASPI-C1 are compared with trans-4-[p-(N,N-diethylamino) styryl]-N-methylpyridinium iodide (DEASPI) and trans-4-[p-(N-hydroxyethyl-N-ethylamino) styryl]-N-methylpyridinium iodide (HEASPI), both the electronegativity of two hydroxyl and intra-molecular hydrogen bond decrease the donor ability of the ethyl chain, there are obvious blue shifts both in single-photon absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra and two-photon excited fluorescence spectra. Interestingly, fluorescence intensity of DHEASPI-C1 is the biggest. There are little shifts from DHEASPBr-C4 to DHEASPBr-C8 and to DHEASPBr-C12 in their spectra. As dyes’ two-photon excited fluorescence spectra were concerned, pumped by 1064 nm,