Molecular structure and reversible photodegradation in anthraquinone dyes

Reversible photodegradation is a process that has been observed in several dye molecules, but the underlying mechanisms are not still well understood. In this contribution, we characterize a series of anthraquinone dyes to determine how self-healing depends on molecular structure. Past studies have used probing techniques that rely on linear absorption, two-photon fluorescence, and amplified spontaneous emission. Each of these probes provide an indirect measure of the populations of the damaged and undamaged species, requiring calibrations or assumptions to be made that might affect the accuracy of the results. The present studies use fluorescence as a probe, which is shown to directly measure the undamaged population. It is found that certain anthraquinone classes share common structural features that are associated with self healing. Furthermore, the time and temperature dependence of photodegradation and self-healing is found to be consistent with the domain model of self healing.