FLIM-FRAPP: Near-Simultaneous Characterization of Multi-Scale Polymer Dynamics via Fluorescence Microscopy

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) and lifetime measurement are relatively underutilized in the field of polymer science, potentially due to a lack of understanding of what actually influences fluorescence lifetime and why it does so. Investigation in different and new local environments opens the door for insight into and further utilization of this phenomenon. To this end, we present a new multi-scale characterization method, FLIM-FRAPP (fluorescence recovery after patterned photobleaching), a near-simultaneous, hybrid approach to probe the glass transition temperature and self-diffusion coefficient of a model entangled copolymer, poly(methyl acrylate–co–methyl methacrylate) (P(MA-co-MMA)). Properties measured by FLIM-FRAPP within a few hours are in good agreement with the literature, validating the method as a unique exploration of polymer dynamics. Such a multi-scale study is crucial to inform property-process relationships, and FLIM-FRAPP is anticipated to address an outstanding gap between accessibility and comprehensive data collection.