Conjugated Materials Containing Ethyl Benzoate Structure for Fluorescent Detection of Nitroaromatic Explosives

A series of conjugated compounds EB1-EB4 have been synthesized with different positions and numbers of triphenylethylene/tetraphenylethylene groups and the same ethyl benzoate （EB） skeleton via the Suzuki coupling reaction. The UV-Vis absorption and fluorescent emission experiment show that all four compounds exhibit obvious aggregation-induced emission （AIE） properties. More importantly， these materials can identify and recognize nitro explosives for the aqueous phase as fluorescent probes. The fluorescent titration results indicate compounds EB1-EB4 possess the potential sensing properties for picric acid （PA）， with a low detection limit of 1.35 × 10-6， 1.69 × 10-6， 1.12 × 10-6， 8.88 × 10-7 mol/L， respectively. Interestingly， the best result of the test paper detector is 1.14 ng/cm2 for PA. These conjugated compounds and their derivatives containing EB structure provide important ideas for the manufacture of future fluorescent materials. © 2023 Chines Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.