Hybrid Structures of Polycationic aluminum phthalocyanines and quantum dots

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E. G. Maksimov^1*, D. A. Gvozdev¹, M. G. Strakhovskaya^1,2, and V. Z. Paschenko¹

¹Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, 119991 Moscow, Russia; E-mail: emaksimoff@yandex.ru

²Russian Federal Research Centre of Medical Care and Medical Technology, 115682 Moscow, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received July 31, 2014; Revision received December 1, 2014

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Semiconductor nanocrystals (CdSe/ZnS quantum dots, QDs) were used as inorganic focusing antenna, allowing for the enhancement of fluorescence and photosensitizing activity of polycationic aluminum phthalocyanines (PCs). It was found that QDs form stable complexes with PCs in aqueous solutions due to electrostatic interactions. In such hybrid complexes, we observed highly efficient nonradiative energy transfer from QD to PC, leading to a sharp increase in the effective absorption cross section of PC in the absorption bands of the CdSe/ZnS quantum dots. When hybrid complexes are excited within these bands, the intensity of PC fluorescence and the rate of photosensitized singlet oxygen generation increases significantly (up to 500 and 350%, correspondingly) compared to free PC at the same concentration. The observed effect is of interest for modeling primary stages of photosynthesis and increasing photosensitizing activity of dyes used in photodynamic therapy.

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KEY WORDS: quantum dots, aluminum phthalocyanines, hybrid systems, energy migration, reactive oxygen species

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297915030074

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