The interaction of 1,1'-diethyl-2,2'-cyanine (PIC), a non-fluorescent cationic dye known to form emissive J-aggregates in aqueous solutions, with the polyelectrolyte poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) is investigated by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Depending on the amount of polyelectrolyte added, three regimes are identified. At a large excess of PIC, there is an equilibrium between the PIC monomer and a non-fluorescent PIC aggregate characterized by a strong absorption band centered at 565 nm. As the amount of PSS increases, we observe the growth of the PIC J-aggregate onto the PSS backbone, characterized by a sharp absorption band at 572 nm and a narrow emission at 577 nm. At a large excess of PSS, the major species consists of PIC molecules adsorbed independently along the polyelectrolyte chains.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.