Oxygen sensing properties of embedded amphiphilic ruthenium(II) derivatives in presence of silver nanoparticles

Most of the ruthenium dyes suffer from leaching from host matrices. In this work, alkyl branched Ru(II) derivatives were used along with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in two different silicon based matrices for oxygen sensing purposes. By this way, we securely entrapped the dye molecules without any leaching from the matrix. The sensing materials were fabricated in form of thin films and electrospun nanofibers. 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMI+][BF- 4 ]) and perfluoro compounds (PFCs) were exploited as additives to enhance the response to oxygen. O₂ induced spectral changes at 630 nm were followed for both gas phase and dissolved oxygen as the analytical signal. The oxygen sensitivities of the probes were also tested by lifetime based and kinetic mode measurements. Utilization of the amphiphilic Ru dyes in silicon along with AgNPs in form of electrospun fibers resulted in many advantages such as enhanced long term stability, increased surface area, sensitivity and improvement in all sensor dynamics. Sensing characteristics of the offered design were also tested in presence of vapors of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, hexane and xylene. The offered composite can be employed for both, gas phase and dissolved O₂ measurements even in refinery conditions.