Measurement of temperature and pH using an environment-sensitive luminophore in a gold-cored “smart” gel

CHED 272

Christopher A. Strulson, strulsonc@etown.edu and Kristi A. Kneas, kneask@etown.edu. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Elizabethtown College, One Alpha Drive, Elizabethtown, PA 17022
Luminescence-based sensing methods have numerous advantages including high sensitivity and selectivity, ease of miniaturization and remote sensing, non-consumptive analyte measurement, little to no sample preparation, low cost and ease of use, and continuous and rapid real-time monitoring. A challenge in sensor design is the limited number of analyte-responsive luminophores. The potential of a more widely applicable sensing strategy and the development of a prototype sensor for measurement of temperature and pH are discussed. The sensing strategy requires a “smart” hydrogel that swells and contracts as a function of temperature and pH, a gold nano-particle core that affords careful size control of the hydrogel, and an environment-sensitive luminophore whose emission intensity or wavelength changes as the hydrogel swells and contracts and the local environment of the luminophore is altered.