Opto-chemical sensors based on sensitive luminescent dyes
offer several advantages compared to their electro-chemical counterparts
and are meanwhile state-of-the-art in many sensing
applications [1–3], especially for the detection of low levels of oxygen
[4,5]. The centerpiece of most opto-chemical sensors consists
of a luminescent dye embedded in a polymeric matrix. In the luminescence
quenching process the intensity as well as the decay time
of the luminescence behave as a function of the analyte concentration
and can be evaluated by appropriate equipment. The theory
behind opto-chemical oxygen measurements based on luminescence
quenching effects was first described in 1919 by Stern and
Volmer [6].