Pyrene-functionalized nanoparticles: two independent sensors, the excimer and the monomer

The high surface-to-volume ratio of nanoparticles has been used to obtain a high local concentration of pyrene units on their periphery, making the formation of both pyrene emissive species possible using amazingly small pyrene concentrations. The sensing properties of model pyrene-functionalized nanoparticles was investigated by using different nitroaromatic compounds [m-nitroaniline and p-nitroaniline] and nitrobenzenes [nitrobenzene, p-nitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 2,6-dinitrotoluene]. The hybrid system acts as a dual-fluorescence sensor, in which the decrease of the pyrene emission, induced by the quencher, is hardly reflected in the pyrene excimer emission. The encapsulation capacity of the NPs also plays a key role in their sensitivity to the analyte.