Oxygen sensing by photoluminescence quenching of a heteroleptic copper (I)bis(phenanthroline) complex immobilized in polystyrene

The copper(I) bis(phenanthroline) complex [Cu(dbp)(dmp)](PF6) (dbp = 2,9-di -tert-butyl-1,10-phenanthroline; dmp = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) wa s immobilized in polystyrene, and the polystyrene films were examined as lu minescent solid-state oxygen sensors. The emission spectra of the films wer e examined under varying concentrations of oxygen. Significant quenching of the luminescent signal was observed under pure oxygen, and it was determin ed that oxygen could be measured over the 0-760 Torr range. The films showe d a high degree of reproducibility over numerous runs, and a Stern-Volmer p lot showed that the quenching response was linearly dependent on oxygen con centration. This study represents the first use of an immobilized copper co mplex for the optical detection of oxygen. This is an important improvement over previous ruthenium-based luminescent sensors since copper-based senso rs can be prepared at a fraction of the cost. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A . All rights reserved.