Abstract
A novel dendrimer containing eight perylene diimide chromophores has been synthesized and studied by ensemble and single-molecule spectroscopic techniques. Photon anti-bunching (coincidence) measurements on single molecules embedded in zeonex polymer films show that the dendrimer behaves as a deterministic (triggered) single photon source with only one fluorescence photon being emitted following pulsed laser excitation, even when more than one chromophore is excited. This behaviour is due to efficient singlet–singlet annihilation being operative in this dendrimer. Preliminary results indicate that the triplet lifetime and yield for this molecule are similar to the values for a molecule containing a single perylene diimide chromophore.