Achieving ultralow critical micelle concentration of surfactant with an unlocked aggregation-induced emission probe under pressure
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The ultralow critical micelle concentration (CMC) for micellar stability is crucial in photovoltaic devices, optoelectronic technologies, and biosensors. While aggregation-induced emission (AIE) probes function as sensitive fluorescence switches for millimolar-level CMC detection, their application in the micromolar regime has been limited by the inherent high fluorescence background. Here, a robust strategy is developed to achieve the ultralow CMC of surfactants by the detection of AIE-active 2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-5-(diphenylamino)-phenol (BDTP) system. Under 0.82 GPa, the CMC of typical cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide probed by BDTP is significantly reduced to 15.0 μM compared to 780.0 μM at 0 GPa. The detection of ultralow CMC is attributed to pronounced fluorescence quenching under pressure. Femtosecond transient absorption spectra reveal a clear picture that pressure-induced fluorescence quenching is associated with the triggered excited-state intramolecular proton transfer process. These results establish a direct structure–property–function relationship and provide a robust approach to leveraging this system for achieving and sensing ultralow CMC.
Source: Applied Physics Letters
DOI: 10.1063/5.0324921
Authors: Qi Li, Meilin Guo, Lixia Zhu, Xinze Liu, Peng Zhu, Guangxiong Hu, Hang Yin, Cailong Liu, Huifang Zhao, Ying Shi
Institutions: Jilin University, Liaocheng University, North University of China
Language: English
Subfield: Organic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7140160418