Synthesis and Fluorescent Properties of Carbazole‐Substituted Hydroxyethylcelluloses

Abstract Carbazole‐substituted hydroxyethylcelluloses (Cz‐HECs) are homogeneously synthesized by reacting hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) with N ‐3′‐bromopropyl carbazole (Br‐Cz). The structure of Cz‐HECs is characterized with elemental analysis and NMR, and the DS of the carbazole is in the range 0.11–0.43, determined from nitrogen content. The fluorescent properties of Cz‐HECs are measured using a spectrofluorimeter. The results show that the fluorescence lifetime increases as the DS increases, and the fluorescent intensity of Cz‐HECs is stronger than that of Br‐Cz. All samples exhibit concentration self‐quenching properties. The addition of acrylonitrile, as an electron acceptor, quenches the emission spectra of Cz‐HECs, and the fluorescence quenching is found to be a dynamic quenching by analyzing with the Stern–Volmer equation.