Strong coupling for bifunctionality in organic systems

Abstract

In this paper, we exploit the strong light–matter coupling to hybridize two materials for bifunctionality properties. The strong coupling has been achieved between a surface plasmon and two organic emitters: a J-aggregate cyanine dye, known for its high absorption and emission properties and a photochromic material in which absorption can be optically switched on and off. The optical properties are drastically modified between the activated and deactivated forms of the photochromic material coupled to the cyanine dye. In particular, the emission of the structure can be energy shifted by several hundreds of meV providing a way to build a tunable emission system. This system also reveals its potential for modifying the fluorescence of photochromes thanks to light–matter interaction instead of functionalization using covalent bonding.