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Polymers
Volume 17
Issue 24
10.3390/polym17243252
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Entropy-Driven Phase Separation of AIE Polysiloxanes into Porous Fibrous Films for Fluorescence Sensing

by
Jingxuan Zhu
1,2,3,
Ruirui Shi
1,
Yifan Wang
1,
Yan Chen
1,
Yan Liang
4,*,
Hua Wang
1,2,3,5,* and
Chuanjian Zhou
1,2,3,5
1
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Coatings for Advanced Equipment, Jinan 250061, China
3
Key Laboratory of Special Functional Aggregated Materials, Ministry of Education, Jinan 250100, China
4
School of Food Science and Technology, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan 250353, China
5
Weihai Research Institute of Industrial Technology, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Polymers 2025, 17(24), 3252; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17243252 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 27 October 2025 / Revised: 22 November 2025 / Accepted: 5 December 2025 / Published: 6 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Polymer Membranes and Films)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Translating the exceptional luminescent properties of AIEgens into efficient and practical sensing devices has long been a major challenge restricting their practical application. In this work, we demonstrate a novel strategy based on phase separation to fabricate stable, high-surface-area sensing films that address the fluorescence quenching typically associated with conventional nanospheres. Fluorescent polysiloxanes bearing tetraphenylphenyl (TPP) side groups were synthesized and processed into fibrous films via electrospinning. Leveraging the intrinsic incompatibility of the polymer, entropy-driven phase separation generated an “sea–island” morphology. This hierarchical structure significantly enlarged the specific surface area and facilitated analyte diffusion, thereby improving the accessibility of active sites. Molecular dynamics simulations not only predicted the formation of this architecture but also clarified the underlying entropy-driven mechanism. Overall, this work provides a solid foundation and conceptual framework for investigating how quantitative regulation of lumogenic unit density and spatial distribution governs sensing performance.
Keywords: phase separation; island-in-the-sea structure; molecular dynamics simulations phase separation; island-in-the-sea structure; molecular dynamics simulations

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhu, J.; Shi, R.; Wang, Y.; Chen, Y.; Liang, Y.; Wang, H.; Zhou, C. Entropy-Driven Phase Separation of AIE Polysiloxanes into Porous Fibrous Films for Fluorescence Sensing. Polymers 2025, 17, 3252. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17243252

AMA Style

Zhu J, Shi R, Wang Y, Chen Y, Liang Y, Wang H, Zhou C. Entropy-Driven Phase Separation of AIE Polysiloxanes into Porous Fibrous Films for Fluorescence Sensing. Polymers. 2025; 17(24):3252. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17243252

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhu, Jingxuan, Ruirui Shi, Yifan Wang, Yan Chen, Yan Liang, Hua Wang, and Chuanjian Zhou. 2025. "Entropy-Driven Phase Separation of AIE Polysiloxanes into Porous Fibrous Films for Fluorescence Sensing" Polymers 17, no. 24: 3252. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17243252

APA Style

Zhu, J., Shi, R., Wang, Y., Chen, Y., Liang, Y., Wang, H., & Zhou, C. (2025). Entropy-Driven Phase Separation of AIE Polysiloxanes into Porous Fibrous Films for Fluorescence Sensing. Polymers, 17(24), 3252. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17243252

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