Structuration of pH-responsive fluorescent molecules on surfaces by soft lithographic techniques

Two different soft lithographic techniques ( LCW and mu CP) have been successfully used for the structuration of fluorescent pH-responsive molecules on surface. The molecules of choice, fluorescein (1) and a new catechol derivative (2), exhibit several protonation states with distinct emission properties over a large acid-base range. This allowed us to fabricate fluorescent arrays that respond over a large pH-window.