Enhanced conjugated polymer fluorescence quenching by dipyridinium-based quenchers in the presence of surfactant.

Poly[(2-methoxy-5-propyloxysulfonate)phenylene vinylene] (MPS-PPV) was synthesized directly from its bischloromethylated monomer, considerably reducing the total number of steps involved in the polymer preparation. For the first time, a simple technique of ultracentrifugation was employed for final purification of the polymer. The interactions among the polymer, surfactant, and quencher molecules, as well as amplified fluorescence quenching and fluorescence enhancement associated with the interactions, were investigated and discussed. When compared with methyl viologen [MV]2+, higher values of Stern-Volmer constant K(SV) values on the order of > or =10(7) M(-1) were observed for the newly synthesized N-(2-carboxyhexadecanoyl)-N'-methyl-4,4'-bipyridinium iodide bromide ([CHMB]2+) quencher in the presence of 1,2-dioleoyl-3- trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP) surfactant. Comparisons of surfactants demonstrated that the K(SV) of [CHMB]2+ was 10-fold higher in the presence of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) surfactant than with DOTAP. Polymer fluorescence was totally recovered upon addition of DOTAP surfactant to a MV-quenched polymer system, whereas only 50% of fluorescence was recovered upon addition of DOTAP surfactant to the CHMB-quenched polymer solution. In contrast, no fluorescence was recovered when DTAB was added to either the MV- or CHMB-quenched polymer systems. Thus, fluorescence enhancement was observed for the polymer complex with DOTAP, whereas fluorescence quenching was predominant in the polymer complex with DTAB. Such studies will not only help to better understand the intrinsic properties of the ionic conjugated polymer and amplified fluorescence quenching and enhancement but also provide guidelines to develop the next generation of ionic conjugated-polymer-based biosensors.