Two-photon absorption and time-resolved stimulated emission depletion spectroscopy of a new fluorenyl derivative

The synthesis, comprehensive linear photophysical characterization, two-photon absorption (2PA), steady-state and time-resolved stimulated emission depletion properties of a new fluorene derivative, (E)-1-(2-(di-p-tolylamino)-9,9-diethyl-9H-fluoren-7-yl)-3-(thiophen-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (1), are reported. The primary linear spectral properties, including excitation anisotropy, fluorescence lifetimes, and photostability, were investigated in a number of aprotic solvents at room temperature. The degenerate 2PA spectra of 1 were obtained with open-aperture Z-scan and two-photon induced fluorescence methods, using a 1 kHz femtosecond laser system, and maximum 2PA cross-sections of ∼400-600 GM were obtained. The nature of the electronic absorption processes in 1 was investigated by DFT-based quantum chemical methods implemented in the Gaussian 09 program. The one- and two-photon stimulated emission spectra of 1 were measured over a broad spectral range using a femtosecond pump-probe-based fluorescence quenching technique, while a new methodology for time-resolved fluorescence emission spectroscopy is proposed. An effective application of 1 in fluorescence bioimaging was demonstrated by means of one- and two-photon fluorescence microscopy images of HCT 116 cells containing dye encapsulated micelles.