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7626634 
Journal Article 
Intersystem crossing mechanisms and single molecule fluorescence: Terrylene in anthracene crystals 
Kol'chenko, MA; Kozankiewicz, B; Nicolet, A; Orrit, M; , 
2005 
1 
Optics and Spectroscopy
ISSN: 0030-400X
EISSN: 1562-6911 
PLEIADES PUBLISHING INC 
MOSCOW 
98 
5 
681-686 
English 
WOS:000229951200007 
Single molecule spectroscopy requires molecules with low triplet yields and/or short triplet lifetimes. The intersystem crossing (ISC) rate may be dramatically enhanced by the host matrix. Comparing the fluorescence intensity of single terrylene molecules in para-terphenyl, naphthalene, and anthracene crystals, we found a reduction of the saturation intensity by three orders of magnitude in the latter case. The fluorescence autocorrelation function indicates that the bottleneck state is the terrylene triplet. We propose a ping-pong mechanism between host and guest. This intermolecular ISC mechanism, which can open whenever the host triplet lies lower than the guest singlet, was overlooked in previous single molecule investigations. (c) 2005 Pleiades Publishing, Inc.