A fluorous-phase oxygen optical nanosensor for mitigating redox-active microbial metabolite interference

We developed a fluorous-phase oxygen-sensitive nanosensor that mitigates quenching effects caused by redox-active microbial metabolites whose effective lipophilicity depends on local chemical conditions, notably pyocyanin. The design encapsulates the fluorinated near-infrared (NIR) oxygen-sensitive luminophore platinum(II) meso-tetra(pentafluorophenyl)porphine (PtTFPP) within a fluorous-phase matrix that restricts pyocyanin access to the dye relative to conventional non-fluorous polymer matrices, thereby reducing interference. Encapsulation within a fluorous polymer-based nanoparticle matrix maintains the dye at a constant loading in biological samples and avoids the need for complex synthetic approaches. The resulting fluorous-phase optical nanosensors exhibited consistent and reversible oxygen measurements across a wide concentration range, with pyocyanin-induced interference substantially attenuated relative to reference polymeric nanosensors. This design provides a framework for future research into fluorous nanosensing technologies and their application in diverse and complex environments.