A long lifetime chemical sensor: study on fluorescence property of fluorescein isothiocyanate and preparation of pH chemical sensor

The fluorescence property of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) in acid–alkaline medium was studied by spectrofluorimetry. The characteristic of FITC response to hydrogen ion has been examined in acid–alkaline solution. A novel pH chemical sensor was prepared based on the relationship between the relative fluorescence intensity of FITC and pH. The measurement of relative fluorescence intensity was carried out at 362 nm with excitation at 250 nm. The excellent linear relationship was obtained between relative fluorescence intensity and pH in the range of pH 1–5. The linear regression equation of the calibration graph is <F>F=66.871+6.605</F> pH (F is relative fluorescence intensity), with a correlation coefficient of linear regression of 0.9995. Effects of temperature, concentration of FITC on the response to hydrogen ion had been examined. It was important that this chemical sensor was long lifetime, and the property of response to hydrogen ion was stable for at least 70 days. This pH sensor can be used for measuring pH value in water solution. The accuracy is 0.01 pH unit. The results obtained by the pH sensor agreed with those by the pH meter. Obviously, this pH sensor is potential for determining pH change real time in biological system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]