CHEMICAL COLOURING IN

Scientists design a polymer that changes colour depending on length

Fluorescent molecules are useful for lighting, solar cell research, medical imaging, and biological lab tests like

PCR tests, but it is difficult to achieve precise colours in fluorescent dyes. Now, a new paper published in Science

Advances has described a polymer that can be adjusted to fluoresce, or “glow”, in finely tuned colours – without major changes to its chemistry.

Researchers based at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have designed polymers made from molecules that are similar to the structure of polystyrene, called organic styrenic molecules.

What’s special about this is that these differently luminescent polymers are all composed of the exact same components. The only difference is the chain length.

The polymer has applications in lab diagnostic tests, solar cell development and possible security features on items such as banknotes and passports.