Hydrophilic gel composition effect on the molecular association and spectroscopic behavior of rhodamine B

Abstract

Electronic absorption spectra of rhodamine B dye in aqueous solutions and in a polyacrylamide hydrogel matrix with different structural compositions were studied at room temperature. The transport and the solute–solute interactions of rhodamine B in aqueous solutions across the hydrophilic gels were investigated via exploration of the spectral properties of the dye-loaded hydrogel. The nature of the dye pair interactions in these media was discussed using the Kasha exciton theory. In addition, the monomer–dimer equilibrium of rhodamine B molecules in hydrogels with different compositional percentages was studied by means of UV–vis spectroscopy and least-squares fitting methods.