Detection of nitroaromatic explosives with fluorescent molecular assemblies and π-gels

Molecular assemblies and gels made up of fluorescent π-systems through noncovalent interactions are fascinating materials with a wide range of properties and applications. Fluorescence is an extremely sensitive property, which gets perturbed upon molecular self-assembly and gelation. Further manipulation of fluorescence in such materials is possible with external stimuli, such as stress, temperature, or with different analytes. Explosives are a class of analytes that respond to certain fluorescent molecular systems; thus allowing their sensing in a required environment. In recent times, this research has become a topic of great demand, resulting in a large number of publications, due to their relevance in safety and security issues. In this account, we record some of the major developments in the field of explosive sensing with fluorescent molecular assemblies and gels.