Conjugated porphyrin dimers have captured the imagination of scientists due to a set of unique spectroscopic features such as remarkable nonlinear-optical properties, high yields of singlet oxygen sensitization and the absorption and emission in the far-red region of the visible spectrum. Here we review a range of newly emerged applications of porphyrin dimers as sensors of their microenvironment such as viscosity and temperature. We discuss the sensing mechanism based on the known conformational flexibility of the dimer structure and describe possible applications of these unique sensors, from detecting viscosity increase during photoinduced cell death to structural responses of polymers and artificial lipid membranes, to temperature changes, and to mechanical deformation.

中文翻译：

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微粘度和温度传感器：共轭卟啉二聚体光物理学的曲折——SPP/JPP 青年研究员奖论文

共轭卟啉二聚体具有一系列独特的光谱特性，如显着的非线性光学特性、高产率的单线态氧敏化以及可见光谱远红区的吸收和发射，从而引起了科学家们的广泛关注。在这里，我们回顾了一系列新出现的卟啉二聚体作为微环境传感器（如粘度和温度）的应用。我们讨论了基于二聚体结构的已知构象灵活性的传感机制，并描述了这些独特传感器的可能应用，从检测光致细胞死亡期间的粘度增加到聚合物和人造脂质膜的结构响应，到温度变化和机械变形.