Electrospinning fibrous films doped with a series of luminescent copper complexes: Synthesis, characterization and oxygen sensing performance comparison

Abstract

In this paper, a diamine ligand was modified with various electron-pulling and electron-donating groups. Corresponding luminescent Cu(I) complexes were synthesized using PPh3 as an auxiliary ligand. The correlation between ligand structure and photophysical performance of these Cu(I) complexes was discussed, including single crystal analysis, density functional theory calculation, absorption spectra, emission spectra, emission quantum yields and lifetimes. It was found that a large electron-pulling conjugation plane in diamine ligand increased decay lifetime of excited electrons and broadened their distribution, which increased sensing collision probability between excited electrons and O2 molecules, favoring oxygen sensing performance. These complexes were then doped into a polymer matrix polystyrene (PS) through electrospinning method to make a uniform and porous microenvironment around them. Oxygen sensing performance of their composite fibrous films was reported and compared.