p-Oligophenylene-based polimeric fluorescent nanofilms. Synthesis, electrooptical characterization and application in aqueous phase nitroaromatic detection

ANA BELEN SCHVVAL; PABLO G. DEL ROSSO; MARCELA F. ALMASSIO; RAÚL O. GARAY

OPTICAL MATERIALS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2020

0925-3467

Model compounds and new polymeric materials bearing p-terphenylene and p-quaterphenylene units tethered bytheir para-positions were synthesized. PTF, with terphenylene groups tethered with C(CF3)2 groups, reached thehigher polymerization degrees. All these materials, except PTF, show variable amounts of local ordering in theform of J- and H-aggregates. The insensibility of the fluorescence response of PTF films to casting conditions orthe excitation wavelength makes it a good candidate for thin-film chemosensory applications. Thus, thin films ofPTF and its biphenylene homolog PBF were used as fluorescent active layers for sensitive detection of nitroaromaticsin water media. PTF films are quite sensitive to nanomolar concentrations of TNT, the quenching beinga combination of PET and IFE contributions. PBF presents a weaker response to TNT that arises from hinderedTNT diffusion into the polymeric film. On the contrary, PBF is very sensitive towards picric acid, PA. The sensingconfiguration polymeric film/aqueous solution studied here demonstrated promising potential for the directsensing of nitroaromatics in water bodies of industrial and city areas.