title: Molecular rotors: Synthesis and evaluation as viscosity sensors.
abstract: It has been shown that compounds containing the p-N,N,-dialkylaminobenzylidene cyanoacetate motif can serve as fluorescent non-mechanical viscosity sensors. These compounds, referred to as molecular rotors, belong to a class of fluorescent probes that are known to form twisted intramolecular charge-transfer complexes in the excited state. In this study we present the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of these compounds as viscosity sensors. The effects of the molecular structure and electronic density of these rotors to the emission wavelength, fluorescence intensity and viscosity sensitivity are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0358, USA.
authors.forename: Jeyanthy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sutharsan
authors.forename: Darcy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lichlyter
authors.forename: Nathan E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dakanali
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Haidekker
authors.forename: Emmanuel A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Theodorakis