Formation of nano‐dots of phenylazomethine dendrimers with Rhodamine 6G on mica

Abstract The phenylazomethine dendrimer (DPA) is associated with Rhodamine 6G in chloroform, which results in the chemical shift attributed to the aromatic protons of phenylazomethine being moved upfield in the 1H‐NMR spectrum by increasing the Rhodamine 6G. The shift is saturated at the ratio of 1 : 1. On the basis of the NMR analysis, the association constant K of phenylazomethine with Rhodamine 6G was determined to be 1.4 × 104 (l/mol) in CDCl3 at 20°C. The association is also confirmed by UV‐vis spectroscopy, in which the absorption around 450 and 527 nm changes during the addition of Rhodamine 6G. The fluorescence intensity of the 1 : 1 complex of Rhodamine 6G and DPA G4 is stronger than that of the solution dissolved only in Rhodamine 6G at greater than 1 mM though it is generally known that the intermolecular interaction quenches the dye fluorescence in a concentrated solution. The association of DPA G4 with Rhodamine 6G suppresses the quenching at higher concentrations. Homogenous nano‐dots were observed on mica by casting the DPA G4 complex with Rhodamine 6G, in which the height and average area were 1.5–3 nm and 1.6 × 103 nm2 (the standard deviation σ = 3.7 nm2), respectively. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.