AIEgen-incorporated nanoparticles as a probe for the construction of dual-luminophore pressure- and temperature-sensitive coatings

Abstract

Non-contact measurement of surface pressure via an oxygen-quenching photoluminescence pathway may be interrupted by environmental temperature since most oxygen-sensitive probes are temperature sensitive. The inclusion of a proper temperature indicator for pressure correction is of importance for the application of the technique. In this work, we prepared aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogen (AIEgen)-incorporated polyacrylonitrile nanoparticles, which are highly sensitive to temperature change with preferable reversibility and possess desirable insensitivity to oxygen concentration and preferable stability against photobleaching. AIEgen-incorporated nanoparticles (AIE-NPs) are capable as a temperature-sensitive probe for constructing dual pressure- and temperature-sensitive coatings with a ruthenium complex as the oxygen-sensitive probe, and an oxygen-permeable room-temperature vulcanizing silicone rubber as the matrix. The coating enables the accurate mapping of oxygen or air pressure distribution on its surface, even under a condition of temperature variation, through simultaneous measurement of photoluminescence from the ruthenium complex and AIE-NPs. Such characteristics realized the utility of the coatings in the field of hydrodynamics and possibly in other applications.