Fluorescent naphthalimide-based supramolecular gel system for detection phosgene, sulfoxide chloride and oxalyl dichloride

Nanomaterials-Enabled Sensors for Detecting and Monitoring Chemical Warfare Agents

Despite their restrictions under international treaties, many chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and their toxic analogues are still used in various industrial sectors such as agriculture and chemical manufacturing. Thus, the need for sensitive and selective CWA detection remains critical. Commercially available detection methods, while accurate, are often bulky, expensive, and require specialized personnel. Sensors incorporating nanomaterials present a promising alternative, offering rapid, portable, and cost-effective detection due to their unique properties, such as high surface area and tunable reactivity. This review covers the four main CWA categories: nerve agents, blister agents, blood agents, and choking agents, highlighting recent progress in nanosensor development for each category. It discusses various sensing mechanisms employed, including fluorescence, colorimetry, chemiresistivity, electrochemistry, and Raman spectroscopy. Despite these advancements, challenges remain, particularly regarding the scalability, stability, and selectivity of nanomaterials-based sensors in complex environments. The review concludes by emphasizing the need to address these challenges and explore novel nanomaterials, the development of scalable nanomanufacturing techniques, and the integration of artificial intelligence to fully unlock the potential of nanomaterials in CWA sensing for homeland security and personal safety.

Tetraphenylethene-Containing Nanofilm via Interfacial Confinement Self-Assembly for Fluorescent Monitoring of SOCl2 Leakage in a Li-SOCl2 Battery Electrolyte

Lithium thionyl chloride (Li-SOCl2) batteries are widely used due to their high energy density and long shelf life. However, the corrosive nature of SOCl2 poses a safety hazard, necessitating effective leak detection methods. We report an approach for real-time fluorescent detection of SOCl2 leakage in Li-SOCl2 batteries using a tetraphenylethene-based nanofilm. The nanofilms were prepared through the interfacial confined self-assembly method and exhibit excellent flexibility, homogeneity, tunable size and thickness, and adaptability to various substrates, enabling easy integration into sensor devices. They possess high photochemical stability and a photoluminescence quantum yield exceeding 25%, demonstrating their potential as high-performance fluorescent sensing material. The nanofilms also exhibit high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and selectivity toward SOCl2 detection. Upon exposure to SOCl2 vapor, the nanofilm shows a red-shifted and fluorescence quenching response, attributed to the protonation of the acylhydrazone bond in the nanofilm by the hydrolysis product of SOCl2, which disrupts the electronic structure of the nanofilm and leads to a decrease in the fluorescence intensity and a shift in the emission wavelength. A detection limit of ∼1.31 ppt and excellent repeatability over 300 cycles are demonstrated, highlighting their high sensitivity and reliability. This work paves the way for a highly sensitive and reliable leak detection system for Li-SOCl2 batteries, enhancing their safety and reliability in various applications.

A BODIPY-based ICT probe for ratiometric and chromo-fluorogenic detection of hazardous oxalyl chloride

Herein, a novel long wavelength monostyryl BODIPY derivative (BDZ-1) has been synthesized by rational design and used to detect oxalyl chloride, a highly reactive and harmful chemical to humans and other living organisms, with high sensitivity and selectivity. The purple solution of BDZ-1 changed to pink color immediately upon the addition of oxalyl chloride and the weak red fluorescence changed to strong orange fluorescence simultaneously. In addition, the practicability of BDZ-1 was further explored by using a smartphone application, allowing the sensitive and selective on-site detection of oxalyl chloride.

A gel fluorescence sensor based on CDs@SiO2/FeS2@MIPs for the visual detection of p-chlorophenol

There is a critical need for the rapid detection of p-chlorophenol produced by pesticide abuse and industrial wastewater discharge, which has been an urgent problem in the realm of environmental protection. Here, a green and environmentally friendly method was developed to prepare stable and low toxicity quantum dots. First, blue-green fluorescent FeS₂ quantum dots (B-FeS₂ QDs) were prepared with FeCl₃·6H₂O (an iron source) and L-cysteine (a capping agent) by the solvothermal method. By combining B-FeS₂ QDs with orange carbon dots (O-CDs), a CDs@SiO₂/FeS₂@MIPs visual fluorescence sensor for the selective detection of p-chlorophenol was constructed. Under optimum conditions, this sensor exhibited a detection limit of 1.265 μM with a linear range of 5.00-50.00 μM and was successfully applied to detect p-chlorophenol in real samples. Moreover, this sensor was successfully applied to visual semi-quantitative detection of p-chlorophenol. This work demonstrated that these sensors, based on FeS₂ QDs and CDs, had potentials for in situ and visual detection of environmental contaminants.