Molecules (Dec 2022)

A Highly Efficient Fluorescent Sensor Based on AIEgen for Detection of Nitrophenolic Explosives

  • Dongmi Li,
  • Panpan Lv,
  • Xiao-Wen Han,
  • Zhilei Jia,
  • Min Zheng,
  • Hai-Tao Feng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28010181
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 28, no. 1
p. 181

Abstract

Read online

The detection of nitrophenolic explosives is important in counterterrorism and environmental protection, but it is still a challenge to identify the nitroaromatic compounds among those with a similar structure. Herein, a simple tetraphenylethene (TPE) derivative with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics was synthesized and used as a fluorescent sensor for the detection of nitrophenolic explosives (2, 4, 6-trinitrophenol, TNP and 2, 4-dinitrophenol, DNP) in water solution and in a solid state with a high selectivity. Meanwhile, it was found that only hydroxyl containing nitrophenolic explosives caused obvious fluorescence quenching. The sensing mechanism was investigated by using fluorescence titration and 1H NMR spectra. This simple AIE-active probe can potentially be applied to the construction of portable detection devices for explosives.

Keywords