Synthesis and characterisation of fluorescent pyrene-end-capped polylactide fibres

Abstract

Fluorescent markers are critical for tracking the position and movement of molecules both in vivo and in vitro. Conventionally, synthetic dyes are non-covalently added to polymers for fluorescent tracking, but often diffuse away. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, a facile method for the synthesis of fluorescent poly(lactic acid) nano-/microfibres for biomedical applications using solution spin blowing. Pyrene-end-capped poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) derivatives were synthesised using the ring-opening polymerisation of l-lactide and they were characterised using spectroscopic and thermal analyses. Submicrometre-sized fluorescent fibres were produced from these PLLA derivatives using solution blow spinning techniques generating polymer blends and core–shell fibres. Such system could be further exploited to incorporate electrically conductive carbon allotropes via the pyrene aromaticity, producing fluorescent and electrically active fibres for in vitro monitoring and electrical stimulation. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.