A collaboration between scientists at the University of Newcastle, UK, and Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, France, has lead to the discovery of an especially stable dye derived from the difluoro-boraindacene family, known as F-Bodipy.

Since their discovery in the late 1960s, fluorescent dyes based on F-Bodipy have been used for many different applications such as biomolecular labelling, fluorescent switches and sensitisers for solar cells. A problem for most efficient fluorescent dyes is that they can fade on exposure to both light and oxygen, thus limiting their use. 

Now research lead by Anthony Harriman at the University of Newcastle, has resulted in a Bodipy-based dye that shows not only good luminescence properties, but also high resistance to photochemical destruction. 

Previous work by Harriman and his collaborators into the derivatisation of F-Bodipy  allowed the attachment of functional groups to the boron centre of the Bodipy unit. Harriman has exploited this to create a dye molecule with two different types of Bopdiy units for the first time. This new Bodipy dye represents a major step forward in the design of photo-stable and highly efficient photon collectors, according to Harriman.

Kevin Burgess, an expert in the synthesis of fluorescent dyes at Texas A&M University, College Station, US, found the work interesting but added that the dye 'shows good, though not perfect energy transfer'. 

Research continues in the Harriman group to further functionalise the dyes with the aim of using them as unique markers for anti-forgery systems.

Gavin Armstrong