Insertion of merocyanine dyes into Silicalite-1 hosts

CHED 1415

Casandra Sheldon, cls436@psu.edu and Jennifer S. Holt, jsh18@psu.edu. School of Science, Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, 5091 Station Road, Erie, PA 16563
Host-guest chemistry involves a host lattice that provides a cavity for a guest molecule to be inserted. The resulting composite material has novel properties not observed in the two original materials due to the orientation of the guest molecules within the host. The focus of this project is the insertion of Brooker's merocyanine dye in hydrothermally synthesized Silicalite-1 hosts, either in the form of powder or aligned onto a glass template. The orientation of the merocyanine dye within the zeolite was measured using solid-state UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Solvent effects on the degree and rate of insertion of dye, using various polar solvents, have also been characterized by spectroscopy. Theoretical models of dye loading have been developed based on pore size and structure in the Silicalite-1 host. These effects may lead to a better understanding of the interactions between dyes and zeolites.