Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.129, No.12, 3502-3502, 2007
Color change of N-isopropylacrylamide copolymer bearing Reichardts dye as optical sensor for lower critical solution temperature and for host-guest interaction with beta-cyclodextrin
With a simple reaction pathway, a polymerizable solvatochromic dye monomer was synthesized. Copolymerization of this dye monomer with NiPAAM leads to formation of a solvatochromic copolymer with lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior. This resulting copolymer visualizes via a red-orange color change (a) the LCST phase transition and (b) the host-guest interaction of cyclodextrin with this copolymer simply by the naked eye. Actually, these effects are completely reversible.