Sensory Polymers for Electron-Rich Analytes of Biological Interest

Synthesis and photophysical properties of water-soluble fluorinated poly(aryleneethynylene)s

Reported are the synthesis of water-soluble fluorinated conjugated polymers, and photophysical properties, and fluorescence quenching response to arylamines.

Proton induced aggregation of water soluble isophthalic acid appended arylene diimides: justification with perylene derivative

We report the self-assembly behaviour of five water soluble arylene diimides based on benzene, naphthalene and perylene moieties, by utilizing the essentiality of two major reversible supramolecular interactions, π-stacking and hydrogen bonding.

Synthesis of a multifunctional poly(p-phenylene ethynylene) scaffold with clickable azide-containing side chains for (bio)sensor applications

Clickable poly(p-phenylene ethynylene) (PPE) copolymers were designed and synthesized towards (bio)sensor applications.

Synthesis and chemosensory application of water-soluble polyfluorenes containing carboxylated groups

Detection of metal ions in aqueous solutions is a major issue for environmental protection. Conjugated polyelectrolytes showing high sensitivity and selectivity towards the detection of metal ions are highly desirable. We report a water-soluble polyfluorene containing carboxylated groups (P1), poly[9,9'-bis(3''-propanoate)fluoren-2,7-yl] sodium salt, which shows high recognition capability toward Cu(+) and Cu(2+). P1 was prepared via the hydrolysis of poly[9,9'-bis(tert-butyl-3''-propanoate)fluoren-2,7-yl] (P0) which was synthesized by Suzuki coupling polymerization. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of P1 in aqueous solution are significantly quenched in the presence of Cu(+) and Cu(2+). P1 shows high selectivity and sensitivity toward Cu(+) and Cu(2+), with the Stern-Volmer constants (Ksv) being 3.5 × 10(6) and 5.78 × 10(6) M(-1), respectively. Moreover, the stoichiometric ratio of the P1 repeat unit to Cu(+) or Cu(2+) is 2 : 1 obtained from Job's plot. P1 maintains high selectivity towards Cu(+) or Cu(2+) in the presence of various metal cations. Our results demonstrate that P1 shows very high sensitivity and selectivity in recognizing Cu(+) and Cu(2+), indicating that it is a promising functional material for chemical sensors.

Chemical sensing of neurotransmitters

This review focuses on the chemosensors for neurotransmitters published for the last 12 years, covering biogenic amines (dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, histamine and acetylcholine), amino acids (glutamate, aspartate, GABA, glycine and tyrosine), and adenosine.

Conjugated amplifying polymers for optical sensing applications

Thanks to their unique optical and electrochemical properties, conjugated polymers have attracted considerable attention over the last two decades and resulted in numerous technological innovations. In particular, their implementation in sensing schemes and devices was widely investigated and produced a multitude of sensory systems and transduction mechanisms. Conjugated polymers possess numerous attractive features that make them particularly suitable for a broad variety of sensing tasks. They display sensory signal amplification (compared to their small-molecule counterparts) and their structures can easily be tailored to adjust solubility, absorption/emission wavelengths, energy offsets for excited state electron transfer, and/or for use in solution or in the solid state. This versatility has made conjugated polymers a fluorescence sensory platform of choice in the recent years. In this review, we highlight a variety of conjugated polymer-based sensory mechanisms together with selected examples from the recent literature.

Peptide nucleic acids in materials science

This review highlights the recent methods to prepare PNA-based materials through a combination of self-assembly and self-organization processes. The use of these methods allows easy and versatile preparation of structured hybrid materials showing specific recognition properties and unique physicochemical properties at the nano- and micro-scale levels displaying potential applications in several directions, ranging from sensors and microarrays to nanostructured devices for biochips.

Enhanced two-photon singlet oxygen generation by photosensitizer-doped conjugated polymer nanoparticles

We have prepared photosensitizer-doped conjugated polymer nanoparticles by using a reprecipitation method. The conjugated polymer, poly[9,9-dibromohexylfluorene-2,7-ylenethylene-alt-1,4-(2,5-dimethoxy)phenylene] (PFEMO), was used as the host matrix to disperse tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP). These TPP-doped PFEMO nanoparticles are stable and have a uniform size of ∼50 nm. Efficient intraparticle energy transfer from PFEMO to TPP has been observed. The TPP emission of the nanoparticles was found to be enhanced by 21-fold by PFEMO under two-photon excitation. Enhanced two-photon excitation singlet oxygen generation efficiency in the TPP-doped PFEMO nanoparticles has been demonstrated. Our results suggest that these photosensitizer-doped conjugated polymer nanoparticles can act as novel photosensitizing agents for two-photon photodynamic therapy and related applications.

Practical model for imperfect conductometric molecular wire sensors

We present a theoretical model for description of real polyreceptor molecular wire sensors (MWS), whose conductance signal may dramatically reduce upon analyte binding to one of the receptors coupled to the molecular wire but may not vanish as completely as assumed in the ideal MWS model. For the present nonideal MWS model, we establish the exact relationship between analyte concentration and the sensory signal intensity. It turns out that, whereas the Stern-Volmer curve of the ideal MWS always has a positive curvature, the Stern-Volmer curve of the imperfect MWS can have a negative curvature, consistent with experimental data. We find that the MWS still performs better than the corresponding ideal monoreceptor sensor, unless the nonideality of the imperfect MWS is egregiously large. We establish the conditions for the imperfect polyreceptor MWS to have a sensitivity and detection limit superior to the traditional monoreceptor sensor.

Synthesis and characterization of a water-soluble carboxylated polyfluorene and its fluorescence quenching by cationic quenchers and proteins

We have developed a new intermediate monomer, 2,7-[bis(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-9,9-bis(3-(tert-butyl propanoate))]fluorene, that allows the easy synthesis of water-soluble carboxylated polyfluorenes. As an example, poly[9,9'-bis(3''-propanoate)fluoren-2,7-yl] sodium salt was synthesized by the Suzuki coupling reaction, and the properties of the polymer were studied in aqueous solutions of different pH. Fluorescence quenching of the polymer by different cationic quenchers (MV(2+), MV(4+), and NO(2)MV(2+); MV=methyl viologen) was studied, and the quenching constants were found to be dependent on the charge and electron affinity of the quencher molecule and the pH of the medium. The largest quenching constant was observed to be 1.39 x 10(8) M(-1) for NO(2)MV(2+) at pH 7. The change in polymer fluorescence upon interaction with different proteins was also studied. Strong fluorescence quenching of the polymer was observed in the presence of cytochrome c, whereas weak quenching was observed in the presence of myoglobin and bovine serum albumin. Lysozyme quenched the polymer emission at low protein concentrations, and the quenching became saturated at high protein concentrations. Under similar experimental conditions, the polymer showed improved quenching efficiencies toward cationic quenchers and a more selective response to proteins relative to other carboxylated conjugated polymers.