Fiber-optic sensing of carbon dioxide based on excited-state proton transfer to a luminescent ruthenium(II) complex

Carbon dioxide monitoring that uses fiber optic sensors provides detection properties that exceed the performance of other fluorescence-based optical devices. This system functions via pH transduction through an excited-state proton transfer to a ruthenium(II) complex which facilitates monitoring of acid concentration changes utilizing emission intensities and lifetime-based measurements. Moreover, the system's detection of excitation and emission wavelengths within the visible region features a Stokes shift which identifies the luminescence signal from scattered light.