Polymers and Polymer-Based Materials for the Detection of (Nitro-)explosives

Abstract

Methods for the remote detection of warfare agents and explosives have been in high demand in recent times. Among the several detection methods, fluorescence methods appear to be more convenient due to their low cost, simple operation, fast response time, and naked-eye-visible sensory response. For fluorescence methods, a large variety of fluorescent materials, such as small-molecule-based fluorophores, aggregation-induced emission fluorophores/materials, and supramolecular systems, have been reported in the literature. Among them, fluorescent (bio)polymers/(bio)polymer-based materials have gained wide attention due to their excellent mechanical properties and sensory performance, their ability to recognize explosives via different sensing mechanisms and their combinations, and, finally, the so-called amplification of the sensory response. This review provides the most up-to-date data on the utilization of polymers and polymer-based materials for the detection of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs)/nitro-explosives (NEs) in the last decade. The literature data have been arranged depending on the polymer type and/or sensory mechanism.

Real-time detection of TNT analogues in water using fluorescent dendrimer films

“…1,9,10 Despite the range of sensing materials reported to be capable of vapour detection, 11,12 there are fewer examples of solid state sensors for the detection of explosives in water. 1,11,13–16 Two key properties required for fluorescent sensing materials to be used in detecting analytes in water are that they should not react appreciably with water upon photoexcitation and they should be insoluble in water. Conjugated polymers can meet these criteria and have been successfully used for fluorescence-based sensing of explosives in water.…”

First Crystallographic Evidence of Polarity-Assisted Pseudohalides Controllable Heteroaldazine-Based Coordination Polymers: A New Tributary in Low Level Recognition of Explosive from Real-Day Matrices

“…Energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction, ion mobility spectroscopy (IMS), nuclear magnetic resonance, Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical techniques, and photoluminescence (PL) sensing are only a few of the techniques that have been developed so far . Among them, luminous materials are used extensively in fluorescence sensing for the detection of nitro explosives due to their photoelectric property and tunable structure, which may realize their benefits of procuring low cost, high sensitivity, and quick response. − In the literature, there are different chemosensors available which still have some limitations with detection medium, higher LOD, and selectivity. − To mitigate these limitations, CPs are very promising chemosensors for the detection of TNP (Chart S1, Supporting Information). The incessant overlapping of CP’s π-orbitals generates high electronic conjugated networks, resulting in the development of so-called “molecular wires”.…”