Visual pH-responsive Material Based on Bromothymol Blue-immobilized Carboxymethyl Cellulose

Shan-Shan Yu; Zhao-Yang Chen; Xiang-Mei Sun; Hai-Tao Pan; Zi-Hao Yang; Ke-Feng Ren; Xiao-Liang Shi; Jian Ji

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3477-5

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Visual pH-responsive Material Based on Bromothymol Blue-immobilized Carboxymethyl Cellulose

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-01-13

- Visual pH-responsive Material Based on Bromothymol Blue-immobilized Carboxymethyl Cellulose
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 1, Pages: 13-20(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
  b.Center for Healthcare Materials, Shaoxing Institute, Zhejiang University, Shaoxing 312099, China
  c.Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Shaoxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Shaoxing 312000, China
  d.Department of PICU, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou 310052, China
  e.State Key Laboratory of Transvascular Implantation Devices, the Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China
- Author bio：
  
  chenlan11300@163.com (Z.Y.C.)
  renkf@zju.edu.cn (K.F.R.)
  shixl@usx.edu.cn (X.L.S.)
  jijian@zju.edu.cn (J.J.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3477-5
  CLC：
- Received：25 August 2025，
  
  Accepted：08 October 2025，
  
  Online First：22 December 2025，
  
  Published：15 January 2026
- Accepted：
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Yu, S. S.; Chen, Z. Y.; Sun, X. M.; Pan, H. T.; Yang, Z. H.; Ren, K. F.; Shi, X. L.; Ji, J. Visual pH-responsive material based on bromothymol blue-immobilized carboxymethyl cellulose. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 13–20

Shan-Shan Yu, Zhao-Yang Chen, Xiang-Mei Sun, et al. Visual pH-responsive Material Based on Bromothymol Blue-immobilized Carboxymethyl Cellulose[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(1): 13-20.
Yu, S. S.; Chen, Z. Y.; Sun, X. M.; Pan, H. T.; Yang, Z. H.; Ren, K. F.; Shi, X. L.; Ji, J. Visual pH-responsive material based on bromothymol blue-immobilized carboxymethyl cellulose. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 13–20 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3477-5.

Shan-Shan Yu, Zhao-Yang Chen, Xiang-Mei Sun, et al. Visual pH-responsive Material Based on Bromothymol Blue-immobilized Carboxymethyl Cellulose[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(1): 13-20. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3477-5.

摘要

This work demonstrates the covalent immobilization of pH-responsive dyes onto solid substrates. The resulting material exhibits a clear and reversible pH-responsive color transition ability. This stable and reusable colorimetric system holds promise for applications in sensors and visual pH monitoring

enabling simple and effective detection.

Abstract

Responsive colorimetric materials exhibit significant potential for application in fields such as smart food packaging and wound monitoring. The functional integration of pH-indicators with material carriers enables breakthrough applications in nontraditional domains. In this study

we developed a novel material covalently grafted with a pH indicator that exhibited naked-eye pH-responsive color shifts. The covalent grafting of pH-responsive bromothymol blue onto carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was confirmed using advanced characterization techniques

including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The pH-sensitive chromophore was covalently immobilized onto the CMC matrix through esterification

thereby establishing firm chemical conjugation. Moreover

a superior color-changing performance was achieved within several minutes in response to different pH values. The reusability and stability of this material offer distinct advantages over single-use pH test strips. pH-responsive colorimetric materials hold promise for efficient

noninvasive monitoring in intelligent packaging (food freshness)

medical diagnostics (wound status

infections)

biosensing

and environmental applications.

关键词

Keywords

references

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