Comparison of the oxygen sensor performance of some pyrene derivatives in silicone polymer matrix

Pyrene and its derivatives find application as fluorescent probes for monitoring the oxygen concentrations in air and various fluids. Photophysical characteristics of some commercially available derivatives of pyrene in silicone polymer matrix were studied in order to find out whether they could be employed as a substitute for pyrene in the pressure sensitive paint (PSP). The derivatives under study were: 1-pyrenyl methanol (PMO), 1-pyrenyl butanol (PBO), 1-pyrene butyric acid (PBA), and 1-pyrene acetic acid (PAA). Distinct differences were observed in the fluorescence emission spectra of the silicone coatings of derivatives depending on the functional group attached to pyrene. The oxygen quenching sensitivity (OQS) of these probes were evaluated and compared to that of pyrene. It was found that the fluorescence spectra of all silicone coatings of pyrene derivatives exhibited monomer and excimer peaks. The excimer emission of PBO in silicone matrix was oxygen sensitive whereas the coatings of the other three pyrene derivatives exhibited poor oxygen quenching. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.