Dye-Decorated Functional Materials

Modulation of photophysical features of organic fluorescent dyes via formation of various functional materials has gathered widespread attention over the years. Various methodologies have been adopted for the preparation of such materials; the notable one to mention is non-covalent interaction of dye molecules with suitably selected hosts (macrocyclic hosts, polymers, different biomolecules etc.). Formation of supramolecularly assisted dye-decorated functional materials is one of the primary impetuses of contemporary research field and provides valuable information regarding optical property modulations of the dyes along with the improvement in their chemical reactivity and photophysical stability. In this chapter, modulations in the optical properties of fluorescence dyes achieved through various means, specially focusing on the formation of dye-decorated functional materials via supramolecular interactions of dyes with various hosts, have been discussed in an elaborated fashion. Formation of supramolecular complexes of dyes results in alteration of the surrounding environments and/or structural features of the dyes, causing changes in the non-radiative decay processes of the complexed dyes. Accordingly, optical properties of the complexed dyes are varied significantly. Such supramolecular modulation of chromophoric properties of organic dyes has been extensively studied considering their intriguing features and applications in various fields of contemporary areas of chemical, biological, and material sciences.