Mesoscopic FRET Antenna Materials by Self-Assembling Iridium(III) Complexes and BODIPY Dyes

This study presents a new design of light-harvesting antenna materials using two dyes organised into mesoporous silica: an iridium(III) complex and a BODIPY-derived surfactant that undergo Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), acting, respectively, as donor and acceptor. The chemical structure of each dye determines the position taken within the micellar templates used for the synthesis of the silica host, which maintains mesopore order as shown by TEM imaging. Steady-state and time-resolved UV-visible spectroscopy revealed that incorporation of the iridium complex into the silica shields it from oxygen-induced quenching and allows a degree of control over the donor-acceptor distance, yielding FRET efficiencies from 24 to 76% and tuneable emission ranges. Such silica-based antennae show promising properties for the realisation of polychromatic sensitisers for photovoltaics and photocatalysis.