Tailoring room-temperature phosphorescent ormosil particles for oxygen recognition in organic solvents

Inorganic organic hybrid sol–gel processing has been utilized to fabricate porous chemically selective silicate particles for oxygen recognition in organic solvents. The materials operate on the principle of room-temperature phosphorescence quenching of a triplet probe which has been entrapped in the silica network. A comprehensive investigation was carried out in order to establish optimal particle-processing parameters, and a simple continuous flow system for oxygen sensing in a heptane/chloroform mixture is described. Suggestions for using these materials as oxygen transducers for enzymatic assays in organic solvents are provided.