Fluorescent sensors based on AIEgen-functionalised mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the detection of explosives and antibiotics

Aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen)-functionalised mesoporous silica nanoparticles were synthesized by post-grafting two types of tetraphenylethene derivatives on mesoporous materials. The fluorescent chemical sensors, denoted as FMSN-1 and FMSN-2, emitted strong blue fluorescence under UV irradiation. Both of them exhibited quick and sensitive responses to 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (PA) and 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) via a fluorescence quenching process. In particular, the obtained materials also showed remarkable sensing ability for the antibiotics furazolidone (FZD) and nitrofurazone (NF) with low detection limits. The highly efficient sensing abilities of FMSNs for PA, 2,4-DNP, FZD, and NF can be attributed to fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from AIEgens to analytes. These results demonstrate the potential value of AIEgen-functionalised mesoporous materials in environmental protection.