Patent ID: 7704751

Claim:
A method for detecting the presence or absence of an organic vapor, the method comprising providing an analyte sensor comprising a polymeric material having a unit of Formula I wherein the polymeric material having the unit of Formula I is a reaction product of a first aromatic compound and a second aromatic compound such that Ar 1 and Ar 2 are each fused to a common 1,4-dioxane ring; Ar 1 comprises a first aromatic group that is planar or generally planar; Ar 2 comprises a second aromatic group and a third aromatic group connected to the second aromatic group through a contortion site such that the second aromatic group and the third aromatic group are not in the same plane; and n is an integer equal to or greater than 1; exposing the analyte sensor to an environment that may contain an organic vapor; and monitoring the analyte sensor for a change in a fluorescence signal in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum upon exposure to the environment, wherein a change in the fluorescence signal indicates exposure to the organic vapor.