Difluoroboron β-diketonate materials with long-lived phosphorescence enable lifetime based oxygen imaging with a portable cost effective camera

Lifetime-based oxygen imaging is useful in many biological applications but instrumentation can be stationary, expensive, and complex. Herein, we present a portable, cost effective, simple alternative with high spatiotemporal resolution that uses a complementary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) camera to measure oxygen sensitive lifetimes on the millisecond scale. We demonstrate its compatibility with difluoroboron β-diketonate poly(lactic acid) (BF₂bdkPLA) polymers which are nontoxic and exhibit long-lived oxygen sensitive phosphorescence. Spatially resolved lifetimes of four BF₂bdkPLA variants are measured using nonlinear least squares (NLS) and rapid lifetime determination (RLD) both of which are shown to be accurate and precise. Real-time imaging in a dynamic environment is demonstrated by determining lifetime pixel-wise. The setup costs less than $5000, easily fits into a backpack, and can operate on battery power alone. This versatility combined with the inherent utility of lifetime measurements make this system a useful tool for a wide variety of oxygen sensing applications. This study serves as an important foundation for the development of dual mode real time lifetime plus ratiometric imaging with bright, long lifetime difluoroboron β-diketonate probes.