Dynamic Thermosensitive Solid-State Photoluminescent Carbonized Polymer Dots as Temperature-Responsive Switches for Sensor Applications
Dong Chen, Mingsheng Xu, Jiahao Huang, Fei Li, Peifa Wei, Antônio Cláudio Tedesco, Hong Bi
Abstract
Carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) are promising fluorescent probes for bioimaging, biomarkers, sensors, etc. Here a type of thermosensitive CPD (ts-CPD) was synthesized via a solvothermal method from α-mangostin at 160 °C for 4 h. The as-prepared solid-state ts-CPD exhibits a reversible temperature-responsive photoluminescence (PL) enhancement behavior during both the heating (273–423 K) and cooling (273–77 K) processes. A plausible mechanism is proposed for this reversible thermosensitive PL behavior on the basis of competitive restriction of intramolecular vibrations (RIVs) and π–π interactions. This work indicates the potential application of ts-CPDs in switchable temperature-responsive sensors.