Conjugated polymers (CPs) are ideal signal transduction elements in sensing platforms due to signal amplification upon binding of a specific analyte. While CPs are commonly used in fluorescent assays for the sensitive detection of small molecule analytes, little work has been done to improve sensitivity and selectivity through precise control of polymer architecture. In this work, a series of fluorene copolymers with pendant recognition elements and varying copolymer compositions were synthesized. Upon subsequent addition of Fe<sup>+3</sup> and pyrophosphate turn off/on assays were realized with quenching and dequenching sensitivity that are highly dependent on molecular structure. Careful manipulation of the CP structure afforded the capability to fine-tune assay performance in organic and aqueous solutions and achieve parts-per-million sensitivity to Fe<sup>+3</sup> and pyrophosphate. Our results demonstrate new molecular design paradigms toward increased sensing sensitivity of CP sensors in both organic and aqueous environments.

Rational design of sensitive and selective conjugated polymer based fluorescent sensors for the detection of phosphate

255th National Meeting (2018)

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