Energy transfer from phenanthrene to anthracene in a dye-labeled (ethylene-methyl acrylate) copolymer

We describe the synthesis of a branched polyethylene-based polymer containi ng randomly spaced fluorescent dyes (phenanthrene or anthracene) along the polymer backbone. The dyes were introduced via ester exchange into the ethy lene-methyl acrylate copolymer. Fluorescence and fluorescence-decay experim ents indicated that the dyes were distributed randomly in a purely amorphou s matrix. There was no indication of dye aggregation or of an enhanced loca l dye concentration of the sort that might be expected in a semicrystalline matrix. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.