Invisible Fluorinated Materials for Optical Sensing

Water displays a refractive index lower than common solid and homogenous materials. However, a class of fluorinated polymeric materials can match the refractive index of water while remaining transparent, hence providing unique optical properties. When in contact with aqueous solutions, such materials become barely visible. This peculiar feature can be exploited to create novel label-free, molecular sensors for water monitoring or biosensors for diagnostic and screening applications.