Photoactivated ratiometric copper(<scp>ii</scp>) ion sensing with semiconducting polymer dots

Abstract

This paper describes a simple platform that employs spiropyran-functionalized semiconducting polymer dots as a fluorescent probe for photoactivated ratiometric and sensitive Cu(2+) detection, in which the sensing mechanism is based on photogenerated merocyanine that can selectively bind Cu(2+) to induce Förster resonance energy transfer.