Enforcing Luminescence at Organic Nanointerfaces: Luminescence Spatial Confinement and Amplification in Molecular-Based Core-Shell Nanoparticles

Fully organic core–shell nanoparticles that promote luminescence spatial confinement and enhancement at the core–shell nanointerface are designed and prepared. These molecular-based bicomponent nanostructures give rise to very efficient directional excitation energy transfer from the shell to acceptor molecules in the core located at the core–shell nanointerface. A striking luminescence enhancement is observed with respect to the corresponding single-component nanoparticles, which is ascribed to large local electric fields generated at the nanointerface between the polarizable molecular core and shell.