Hyper-efficient quenching of non-conjugated pendant polymer by silver nanoparticles: A demonstration and versatile mechanistic proposition

Hyper-efficient quenching of fluorescence of non-conjugated polymer poly(N-vinylcarbazole) by silver nanoparticles is demonstrated. The quenching efficiency increases with an increase in the length of the polymer chain containing the pendant chromophore units. The Stern–Volmer constants (109–1010 mol−1 dm3) are found to be orders of magnitude higher than the normal photochemical quenching processes. Although nanoparticle induced hyper-quenching is reported for conjugated polymers, similar observation in non-conjugated polymers is unprecedented. A versatile mechanism is proposed that rationalizes the hyper-quenching of both conjugated and non-conjugated polymers.