Star-shaped light-harvesting polymers incorporating an energy cascade

Abstract

(Chemical Equation Presented) A star in the making: Star-shaped block copolymers have been synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization to obtain light-harvesting systems with an energy gradient from the periphery to the core. Excitation-energy transfer in the block copolymers occurs through an energy cascade from the excited acenaphthenyl units to the coumarin chromophores and hence to the Ru II complex core (red sphere: see picture). © 2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.