Photochemical Activity of Merocyanine Dyes

Time-resolved photothermal responses of merocyanine dyes were used to estimate such parameters as the quenching rate constant of dye triplet states and dye capability of singlet oxygen generation, which are helpful in explanation of the dye photochemical activity. The results have shown that the high photostability of the salt form of merocyanine dyes and their resistance against reactive oxygen species as well as dye–oxygen interaction by triplet–triplet energy transfer make merocyanines efficient singlet oxygen generators in simple and complex systems.