Pierre Karam
American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Title: Turning the heat on conjugated polyelectrolytes: A ratiometric nanothermometer for solution and hydrogel samples
Biography
Biography: Pierre Karam
Abstract
We report a self-referencing ratiometric nanothermometer based on short conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs). The probe is prepared by complexing a phenylene-based polymer with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), an amphiphilic macromolecule that destabilizes CPE π–π stacking. This makes it possible to shift the equilibrium between the less emissive aggregated state of the CPE (520 nm) and its more emissive single chains (450 nm) within a useful temperature range (15.0–70.0 °C). The probe was tested in solution and to map the temperature of hydrogel materials. We believe the reported nanothermometer will prove instrumental for the ongoing efforts to accurately map and investigate heat production and dissipation at the nanoscale level.
