Pyrene-Based Nonwoven Fabric with Tunable Fluorescence Properties by Employing the Aggregation-Caused Quenching Effect

Conventional aromatic compounds tend to exhibit the formation of sandwich-shaped excimers and exciplexes between their excited and ground states at high concentrations or in their aggregated states, causing their fluorescence to weaken or disappear due to the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect. This limits their applications in concentrated solutions or solid materials. Herein, for the first time, ACQ-based pyrene (Py) units are covalently connected to the surface of polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric (PE/PP NWF) via electron beam preradiation-induced graft polymerization followed by chemical modification. The matrix can be considered a solid solvent and Py units as a solid solute, such that the amount of Py units can be controlled by varying the reaction time. The obtained fluorescent fabric not only exhibits remarkable fluorescence properties with high fluorescence intensity, high quantum yield (>90%), and excellent fluorescence stability after laundering or in harsh chemical environments, but the fluorescence color and intensity, quantum yield, and lifetime can also be regulated by employing the ACQ effect. Additionally, the as-prepared fluorescent fabric can effectively distinguish common monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons via a simple fluorescence response test.

Automated summary

This study first utilized the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect to covalently connect ACQ-based pyrene (Py) units to the surface of polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric (PE/PP NWF), resulting in a fluorescent fabric with excellent fluorescence properties. By controlling the reaction time, the amount of Py units can be regulated, leading to high fluorescence intensity, quantum yield, and stable fluorescence properties with the ability to adjust fluorescence color and intensity through the ACQ effect. Moreover, the fluorescent fabric can effectively differentiate common monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons through a simple fluorescence response test.