A naphthalimide derivative-based fluorescent probe for selective detection of hydrogen peroxide and H₂O₂ vapor

Triacetone triperoxide (TATP) is one of the most commonly used improvised explosive devices by terrorists. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) serves as a synthetic precursor and degradation product of peroxide-based TATP. Herein, a "turn-on" pattern H₂O₂-selective naphthalimide derivative fluorescent probe was synthesized and characterized, demonstrating high selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of H₂O₂. The probe operates via a donor-excited photo-induced electron transfer (d-PET) mechanism, resulting in a 60-fold fluorescence enhancement in response to H₂O₂. As a result, the proposed probe can detect H₂O₂ within a linear range of 0 to 40 μM, with a detection limit of 59.6 nM. Notably, the probe was successfully employed for the rapid detection of H₂O₂ vapor with high sensitivity at concentrations below 10 ppb, yielding visible results to the naked eye. It has also been successfully used for cell imaging.