Emissive polymers and devices incorporating these polymers

A sensor for determining an analyte, the sensor comprising:

• a polymeric composition comprising the structure:
• wherein A and C are aromatic groups;
• B and D are selected from the group consisting of a carbon-carbon double bond and a carbon-carbon triple bond;
• and at least one hydrogen on aromatic group A and/or C is replaced by E and F respectively, a and b being integers which can be the same or different and a=0–4, b=0–4 such that when a=0, b is nonzero and when b=0, a is nonzero, and at least one of E and F includes a bicyclic ring system having aromatic or non-aromatic groups optionally interrupted by O, S, NR1 and C(R1)2 wherein R1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1–C20 alkyl, C1–C20 alkoxy and aryl and n is less than about 10,000, and wherein, when E or F is not said bicyclic ring system, E or F is a part of aromatic group A or C;
• the polymeric composition having a first emission in the absence of the analyte, wherein the polymeric composition, when exposed to a medium suspected of containing an analyte, produces a second emission, different from the first emission, when the analyte is present;
• a source of energy applicable to the polymeric composition to cause emission of radiation;
• and
• an emission detector positionable to detect the emission.

A sensor comprising:

• a polymeric composition comprising the structure:
• wherein A and C are aromatic groups;
• B and D are selected from the group consisting of a carbon-carbon double bond and a carbon-carbon triple bond;
• and at least one hydrogen on aromatic group A and/or C is replaced by B and F respectively, a and b being integers which can be the same or different and a=0–4, b=0–4 such that when a=0, b is nonzero and when b=0, a is nonzero, and at least one of E and F includes a bicyclic ring system having aromatic or non-aromatic groups optionally interrupted by O, S, NR1 and C(R1)2 wherein R1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1–C20 alkyl, C1–C20 alkoxy and aryl and n is less than about 10,000;
• wherein the polymeric composition, when prepared as a film and exposed to electromagnetic radiation, has a luminescence quantum yield of at least about 0.05 times the quantum yield of the polymeric composition in solution upon exposure to the same conditions of electromagnetic radiation as the film, and wherein, when E or F is not said bicyclic ring system, E or F is a part of aromatic group A or C;
• a source of energy applicable to the polymeric composition to cause emission of radiation;
• and
• an emission detector positionable to detect the emission.