Poly(ethylene oxide)–silica hybrids entrapping sensitive dyes for biomedical optical pH sensors: Molecular dynamics and optical response

Abstract Polymer–silica hybrid nanocomposites prepared by sol–gel process based on triethoxisilane-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) chains and tetraethoxysilane as silica precursor, doped with organic pH sensitive dyes, have been prepared and their suitability for use as sensors coupled with plastic optic fibers has been evaluated. Sensors were prepared by immobilizing a drop of the hybrid materials onto the tip of a multi-mode poly(methyl methacrylate) optical fiber. The performance of the optical sensor in terms of sensitivity and response time was tested in different experimental conditions, and was found to be markedly higher than analogous sensors present on the market. The very fast kinetic of the hybrid’s optical response was supported by studies performed at the molecular level by broadband dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS), investigated over a wide range of frequency and temperature, showing that poly(ethylene oxide) chains maintain their dynamics even when covalently bonded to silica domains, which decrease the self-association interactions and promote motions of polymer chain segments. Due to the fast response kinetic observed, these pH optical sensors result suitable for the fast-detection of biomedical parameters, i.e. fast esophageous pH-metry.