Formation of disulphide linkages restricts intramolecular motions of a fluorophore: detection of molecular oxygen in food packaging

Reliable and easy detection of oxygen in food packaging without the aid of sophisticated instruments is highly coveted. A tetraphenylethene probe based on oxygen-mediated polymerization via the formation of disulfides causes restricted intramolecular rotation of the TPE phenyls resulting in a >100 fold enhancement of emission and thus detects O-2 in food packages.