A dual-functional AIE luminogen for sensitive nitro explosive detection and efficient photolabeling.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Sensing
• Biomedical Applications

Background:

• Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials offer unique photophysical properties for optical sensing.
• Nitroaromatic compounds, like picric acid, are important targets for detection due to their explosive nature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel anthracene Schiff base (AnTPh) with AIE properties.
• To evaluate AnTPh's potential for selective detection of picric acid.
• To explore AnTPh's antibacterial activity and suitability for microbial photolabeling.

Main Methods:

• One-step condensation reaction for AnTPh synthesis.
• Photoluminescence, UV-vis, time-resolved fluorescence (TRF), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for characterization.
• Fluorescence quenching assays for picric acid detection.
• Disc diffusion assays for antibacterial activity assessment.

Main Results:

• AnTPh demonstrated AIE characteristics in a CH3CN-H2O solvent system.
• Selective fluorescence quenching of AnTPh aggregates was observed in response to picric acid with a low detection limit (0.65 μM).
• AnTPh exhibited significant antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus and enabled microbial photolabeling.

Conclusions:

• AnTPh is a highly sensitive AIE-based sensor for picric acid detection.
• AnTPh possesses promising antibacterial properties and potential for biomedical imaging and diagnostics.