β-Acrolein-Substituted Corroles: A Route to the Preparation of Functionalized Polyacrolein Microspheres for Chemical Sensor Applications

An efficient beta-functionalization of [5,10,15-tris-(4-methylphenyl)corrolato]cobalt derivatives through a Vilsmeier-type reaction allows the introduction of an acrolein substituent, which is subsequently copolymerized with pure acrolein. The obtained hybrid microspheres are exploited as nanogravimetric chemical sensors. The sensing properties of the developed sensors are tested through exposure to different volatile organic compounds chosen as model analytes. The results show improved sensor sensitivity of the resulting devices for all the tested analytes with respect to sensors functionalized with either corrole or polyacrolein. The enhanced properties are attributed to the accurate and tunable merging of the properties of both exploited materials.