Tuning the Sensitivity of Fluorescent Porphyrin Dimers to Viscosity and Temperature

Abstract

Conjugated porphyrin dimers have emerged as versatile viscosity-sensitive fluorophores that are suitable for quantitative measurements of microscopic viscosity by ratiometric and fluorescence lifetime-based methods, in a concentration-independent manner. Here, we investigate the effect of extended conjugation in a porphyrin-dimer structure on their ability to sense viscosity and temperature. We show that the sensitivity of the fluorescence lifetime to temperature is a unique property of only a few porphyrin dimers.

Keywords: fluorescence; microscopic viscosity; molecular rotors; porphyrinoids; temperature sensors.