UV–Vis spectral investigation of photophysical properties of a solvatochromic electron donor/acceptor dye within a reverse micelle domain

The optical response of a solvatochromic dye, [(E)-3-(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-1-phenylprop-2-en-1-one], N1, has been studied in the AOT/n-heptane/water reverse micellar media using steady-state and time-resolved techniques. To this end variation in the photophysical properties of N1 have been systematically studied as a function of water pool size (w0). Micropolarity, microviscosity, and relative permittivity of the immediate microenvironment surrounding the probe has been estimated from the limiting values of the photophysical parameters of N1 at high w0. Information about the location of the dye in the reverse micellar media has been obtained using the observed results.