Nano-lightsticks: Polymer nanotubes with embedded chemiluminescent dopants

Aligned arrays of perylene doped poly(methyl methacrylate) nanotubes are synthesized by solution assisted template wetting. Optical studies yield well resolved absorption and photoluminescence spectra consistent with good dopant dispersion throughout the host material. True color photoluminescence images of tubes also reveal uniform, characteristic bright blue, perylene emission. Blue perylene chemiluminescence is observed from nanotubes on exposure to a mixture of aqueous hydrogen peroxide and oxalyl chloride in hexane with a rapid emission decay being consistent with a fast reaction between reagents and dopants. Finally, by monitoring the behavior of individual nanotubes, it is shown that single tubes may act as nanoscale chemiluminescent light sources.