Pentiptycene-Derived Fluorescence Turn-Off Polymer Chemosensor for Copper(II) Cation with High Selectivity and Sensitivity

Fluorescent conjugated polymers (FCPs) have been explored for selective detection of metal cations with ultra-sensitivity in environmental and biological systems. Herein, a new FCP sensor, tmeda-PPpETE (poly[(pentiptycene ethynylene)-alt-(thienylene ethynylene)] with a N,N,N′-trimethylethylenediamino receptor), has been designed and synthesized via Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction with the goal of improving solid state polymer sensor development. The polymer was found to be emissive at λ(max) ~ 459 nm under UV radiation with a quantum yield of 0.119 at room temperature in THF solution. By incorporating diamino receptors and pentiptycene groups into the poly[(phenylene ethynylene)-(thiophene ethynylene)] (PPETE) backbone, the polymer showed an improved turn-off response towards copper(II) cation, with more than 99% quenching in fluorescence emission. It is capable of discriminating copper(II) cation from sixteen common cations, with a detection limit of 16.5 nM (1.04 ppb).