Water‐soluble fluorescent polymers that respond to singlet oxygen

ABSTRACT Although acenes with more than three fused rings can both fluoresce efficiently and react with singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) rapidly, their hydrophobic nature presents a challenge to their use in aqueous environments. Herein we report a series of fluorescent, water‐soluble random copolymers that each comprise (oligoethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA) and one of several diarylacene methacrylates, including a tetracene methacrylate and a tetraceneothiophene methacrylate. Exposure to 1 O 2 in water oxidizes the pendant acenes, resulting in diminution of their fluorescence intensities. The observed rate of oxidation of the tetracene‐containing polymers compares favorably with a commercial 1 O 2 ‐sensitive dye. Polymers that also include energy‐donating coumarin side chains show ratiometric fluorescence changes in response to 1 O 2 . © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54 , 2526–2535