Fluorescence Sensing Properties of Conjugated Polymer-Pyridyl Inserting Poly(phenylene ethynylene)s with Sulfonate Side-chains

Two new conjugated polymers P1, P2, containing pyridine inserting poly(phenylene ethynylene)s backbone with sulfonate side chains were synthesized by Sonogashira coupling reaction. UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra were employed to study their optical properties and Cu(2+) detection. The results indicate that polymer P1 with pyridyl group entrapped in the conjugated backbone in a certain proportion could effectively modify the rigidity of the conjugated main chain and improve the sensitivity of the Cu(2+) detection. In methanol the fluorescence quenching efficiency of P1 by Cu(2+) is about 222 times greater than that of model monomer PESO(3).