AIEgen@CB[8] complex as ratiometric fluorescent probe for dual-response of gaseous ammonia and hydrazine with different emission channels

Ammonia (NH3) and hydrazine (N2H4) are both utilized within a wide range of chemical industry, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. A detection strategy is realized for the identification of gaseous NH3 and N2H4, adopting the host-guest complexation between AIE-active molecule TPM and cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]). The TPM@CB[8] complex exhibits a deep red emission, which is immediately turned into light yellow and sky-blue as meeting with gaseous NH3 and N2H4, respectively. This newly reported TPM@CB[8] complex is capable of sensitively and selectively detecting gaseous NH3 and N2H4 with a low detection limit (0.80 ppm and 0.41 ppm). The sensing mechanism is studied with H-1 NMR, HRMS, SEM and DFT calculations. Finally, TPM@CB[8] complex could detect N2H4 vapor from real water samples, and act as a food spoilage sensor for monitoring gaseous NH3 generated in food spoilage.

Automated summary

An efficient detection strategy for gaseous NH3 and N2H4 using the TPM@CB[8] complex has been developed, showing low detection limits and sensitivity, which can be applied for water samples and food spoilage monitoring.