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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2011
In this work, the fabrication and performance of thin film optical chemical sensors based on the fluorescence quenching of indicator molecules by several analytes such as organic nitro compounds or metal ions are described. To fabricate the sensors, a fluorescent molecule, 1- hydroxypyrene-3,6,8-trisulfonate or pyrene methanol, was covalently incorporated into poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and subsequently the polymers were assembled with a polycation employing electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly into thin film structures. Fluorescence intensities decreased with increasing concentration of analytes. Quenching behavior follows Stern-Volmer bimolecular quenching kinetics. Linear increase in absorbance, film thickness and emission intensity was observed with increase in number of bilayers deposited in all multilayer films.