Study of chemical physics on energy transfer phenomenon between quantum dots and a designed diporphyrin in solution

Abstract The present paper reports a case study of energy transfer (ET) phenomenon from the excited CdS/ZnS core-shell type quantum dots (QDs) having particle size of ~2 nm to a designed diporphyrin ( 1 ) molecule in solution. Photoluminescence intensity measurements and lifetime quenching experiments establish the process of Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from QDs to 1 in toluene. Magnitude of bimolecular quenching constant of QDs/ 1 system (2.185 × 10 −13  s − 1 ) rules out the possibility of diffusion controlled mechanism in present work. It is proposed that QDs/ 1 system may be employed as an efficient energy transfer unit for possible application in photosensitization.