Abstract
Ter(9,9-diarylfluorene) (TDF) neat film featuring oxygen sensing with advantages of fast response, reversibility and high efficiency is reported. The fast O 2 fluorescence quenching process (4.0 × 10 10 M -1 s -1 ) is unique and is mainly due to intact amorphous morphology of the TDF film, providing ample porous sites in nature so that O 2 can travel therein freely. This, together with a large S 1 -T 1 energy gap of TDF, leads to efficient O 2 sensitization, i.e. the O 2 induced S 1 -T 1 intersystem crossing. The sensitivity can be further enhanced up to ∼10-fold and ∼20-fold in amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and lasing action, respectively. The work thus demonstrated a new class of organic materials suited for high-speed, high-sensitivity oxygen sensing. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.