Modification of single molecule fluorescence using external fields

Controlling and manipulating the fluorescence of single fluorophores is of great interest in recent years for its potential uses in improving the performance of molecular photonics and molecular electronics, such as in organic light-emitting devices, single photon sources, organic field-effect transistors, and probes or sensors based on single molecules. This review shows how the fluorescence emission of single organic molecules can be modified using local electromagnetic fields of metallic nanostructures and electric-field-induced electron transfer. Electric-field-induced fluorescence modulation, hysteresis, and the achievement of fluorescence switch are discussed in detail.