Photophysical Properties Of A Distyrylbenzene-related Color-change Fluorophore

Abstract

This thesis mainly focuses on the photophysical properties and potential sens- ing applications of a designed fluorescent distyrylbenzene-related fluorophore. This fluorophore, which we refer to as “P4VB” in this work shows a large fluorescence spectral shift upon exposure to certain local environments. In this work, the response to protonation is shown to result in a blue-to-orange shift in the visible emitted color. The main research in this thesis then focuses on how one might develop this color-shifting fluorophore for several possi- ble applications, mainly relating to sensing. We start by examining how the fluorescence polarization can be controlled by incorporation of P4VB into a zinc-based metal-organic framework. Next, we show how P4VB can be used for paper-based carbon dioxide sensing, which is based on the formation and detection of carbonic acid in a humid carrier gas. Finally, we show how the sensing capacity can be dramatically enhanced by taking advantage of analyte partitioning into P4VB-loaded oil droplets. All of these methods capitalize on the ratiometric sensing approach afforded by a color-change fluorophore. We finally discuss the limitations of fluorescence color-shift sensing and potential further developments.