Hydrazone connected stable luminescent covalent-organic polymer for ultrafast detection of nitro-explosives

Developing promising luminescent probes for the selective sensing of nitro-explosives remains a challenging issue. Porous luminescent covalent-organic polymers are one of the excellent sensing probes for trace hazardous materials. Herein, fluorescent monomers 1,1,2,2-tetrakis(4-formyl-(1,1'-biphenyl))ethane (TFBE) and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid trihydrazide (BTCH) were selected to build a novel hydrazone connected stable luminescent covalent-organic polymer (H-COP) of high stability by typical Schiff-base reaction. The N-2 sorption study, BET surface area analysis, and TGA profile indicate the porosity and stability of this H-COP material. Such properties of the H-COP material enable a unique sensing platform for nitro-explosives with great sensitivity (Ksv similar to 10(6) M) and selectivity up to mu M. This polymer material shows attractive selectivity and sensitivity towards phenolic nitro-explosives and other common explosives among earlier reported COP-based sensors.

Automated summary

A novel stable luminescent covalent-organic polymer was developed using fluorescent monomers for selective sensing of nitro-explosives, showing high sensitivity and selectivity. The material exhibited great porosity and stability in N-2 sorption study, indicating its potential as a unique sensing platform.