FLUORESCENCE DECAYS IN AROMATIC POLYMERS - ANALYSIS OF KINETIC-MODELS AND THEIR IDENTIFIABILITY AND DISTINGUISHABILITY

Fluorescence decay profiles of aromatic polymers have a complex character, and several models have been put forward to account for their complexity. We have examined the uniqueness of the models proposed by different authors using a deterministic approach to the identifiability and distinguishability of first-order photophysical reactions. Identifiability deals with the problem of determining whether a photophysical experiment is able to give sufficient information on the parameters of a proposed kinetic model. By investigating indistinguishability, one can generate a number of models that give the exact same values of the photophysical observables. It has been shown that only under very special circumstances the models explaining fluorescence decay profiles of aromatic polymers can be regarded as uniquely identifiable and distinguishable. Several models that are indistinguishable from a given one have been discussed.