FLUORESCENCE PROPERTIES OF DANSYL GROUPS COVALENTLY BONDED TO THE SURFACE OF OXIDATIVELY FUNCTIONALIZED LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE FILM

We have attached the fluorophoric dansyl left bracket 5-(dimethylamino(naphthalene-1-sulfonyl right bracket moiety to carboxylic acid groups introduced onto the surface of low-density polyethylene film by reaction with aqueous chromic acid and used it as a reporter to explore the functionalized interphase between these films and liquids. The dansyl group was chosen because its fluorescence emission maximum and quantum yield are sensitive to the polarity and acidity of the local environment. The functionalization procedure used introduced approx. 6 multiplied by 10**1**4 dansyl moieties per cm**2 of geometric film surface. The shape of the fluorescence curves and the similarity of the width of curves of surface-attached dansyl groups to those of soluble analogues suggest that the majority of the surface-bound species experience a common environment, although certain features of the data suggest a second minority population having a different environment.