Fluorescence nonradiative energy transfer in bulk polymer and miscible and phase‐separated polymer blends: A quantitative analysis including correlation effects

Alice S. Mendelsohn, John M. Torkelson*, Monica Olvera de la Cruz

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

A theoretical analysis has been developed to predict fluorescence nonradiative energy transfer (NBET) behavior in homogeneous and phase‐separated polymer blends. Conditions where intermolecular correlations need to be included are examined by first investigating the effect of including intermolecular correlations in predictions of NRET behavior in donor and trap (acceptor) end‐labeled polymer melts. Donor fluorescence decays and energy transfer efficiencies are predicted for several different polymer systems using donor‐trap intermolecular correlations in the theoretical analysis. These results are compared quantitatively to the same predictions recalculated without correlations and demonstrate the need to consider the effects of correlations when analyzing NRET measurements used for quantitative study of phase behavior. For the nonradiative energy transfer systems investigated here, correlation effects can often result in substantial differences, up to 60% as compared to the uncorrelated case, in predictions of relative energy transfer efficiency for bulk polymer. In the case of the blends, the effect of including intermolecular correlations is strongly a function of composition. A two‐phase model is proposed to establish a quantitative method for relating energy transfer efficiency to phase‐separated blend composition, and it is demonstrated that significant errors in interpretation of experimental NRET data may result if correlation effects are not included. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2667-2681
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics
Volume32
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1994

Keywords

  • intermolecular correlations
  • miscibility
  • modeling
  • nonradiative energy transfer
  • phase separation
  • polymer blends

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

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