A Luminescent Thermometer Based on Linearly Thermo-responsive Copolymer and Polyoxometalates

Abstract

A novel switchable luminescent thermometer based on thermo-responsive triblock copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(acrylamide-co-acrylonitrile-co-dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate) (PEO113-b-P(AAm264-co-AN112-co-DMA8)) and Eu-containing polyoxometalate (Eu-POM) was successfully constructed. The copolymer synthesized by RAFT exhibited a linear response to temperature variations in aqueous media, which was quite different from the uncharged copolymer P(AAm-co-AN) having a specific upper critical solution temperature (UCST). Eu-POM was surrounded around thermo-responsive blocks through electrostatic interactions, and its luminescence could be finely tuned due to the sensitivity of copolymer to the temperature variation. In cold water, POMs were trapped in highly hydrophobic cores, exhibiting an intense emission. With the upraising of temperature, the emission intensity presented a gradual decrease and showed a linear correlation with temperature. When the complex solution cooled down, the luminescence could also be perfectly restored. This temperature-luminescence correlation could be held for numerous trials, showing a potential application in thermometer.