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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter June 1, 2005

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy as a Tool to Investigate Single Molecule Probe Dynamics in Thin Polymer Films

  • Alain Casoli and Monika Schönhoff
From the journal Biological Chemistry

Abstract

Fluorescence correlation experiments were performed on rhodamine 6G in PDMS spincoated films on glass surfaces. With polarised excitation, ensemble bleaching of the dye and single molecule intensity fluctuations were observed. From the statistics of single molecule intensity data taken at different positions in the film, correlation functions were calculated. Two modes of motion with exponential decay shapes and correlation times of τ = 0.15 s and τ = 0.7 s could be detected. Potential origins of intensity fluctuations are lateral diffusion, rotational diffusion or intramolecular fluctuations of dyes involving spectral diffusion or photoinduced processes. From the experimental results, lateral diffusion can be ruled out as a motional mode. Single molecule fluctuations are assigned to changes of the molecular configuration of the dyes, which are rigidly bound to the glass. To assess the environmental influence on such molecular motions, the bulk viscosity of the PDMS was varied over two orders of magnitude, leading to changes of τ of the slow mode by a factor of four. This result proves the sensitivity of the single molecule fluctuations to the molecular scale dynamics of the surrounding polymer matrix and makes the correlation time a measure of the local environment of dye probes.

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Published Online: 2005-06-01
Published in Print: 2001-03-21

Copyright © 2001 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG

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