Ratiometric and colorimetric near-infrared sensors for multi-channel detection of cyanide ion and their application to measure β-glucosidase

A fluorescent probe based on triphenylamine with AIE and ICT characteristics for hydrazine detection

A fluorescent probe MAM based on triphenylamine scaffold was synthesized. The electron donating group 4-methoxyphenyl and the electron acceptor dicyanoethylene were introduced on the triphenylamine scaffold to form a D-π-A fluorescent probe. The probe MAM exhibited the typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characteristics with the bright orange-red fluorescent emission in high water fraction (f_w ≥ 50%) and negligible emission in low water fraction. The probe MAM could detect hydrazine (N₂H₄) in DMSO-tris-HCl (10 mM, pH7.4, v/v, 3:1) with high selectivity and sensitivity. The specific reaction between MAM and hydrazine and the formation of the hydrazone blocked the ICT process, and the system emitted the cyan fluorescence which could be easily observed by naked eyes. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.196 μM (6.25 ppb), which is lower than the US Environmental Protection Agency standard (10 ppb). The test strips prepared by the probe MAM could realize the convenient and rapid detection of N₂H₄ solution and vapor. The application of MAM in actual water samples and cells was investigated, and the results showed that MAM could sense N₂H₄ in environmental and biological aspects with potential application prospects.

Photophysical and anion sensing properties of a triphenylamine-dioxaborinine trimeric compound

Herein, we report the synthesis and photophysical characterization of the novel tris(4-(2,2-difluoro-6-methyl-2H-1λ³,3,2λ⁴-dioxaborinin-4-yl)phenyl)amine trimeric probe (A2) via the reaction between triphenylamine (1), acetic anhydride, and BF₃·OEt₂ implying the twelve new bond formation in a one-pot manner. This highly fluorescent compound in solution (φ up to 0.91 at 572 nm) and solid state (φ = 0.24 at 571 nm) showed a better solvatofluorochromism than its analog monomeric A1 due to symmetry-broken charge transfer, which is consistent with high solvent dipolarity (SdP) response in Catalán's multiparametric regression. Notably, A2 had a high sensibility and selectivity for CN^- or F^- in solution (LODCN^-/F^- = 0.18/0.70 μM), and CN^- can be discriminated from F^- by the reaction of A2 with 3.0 equiv. of CN^-. In addition, A2 was impregnated on filter paper to prepare test strips that were applied to naked-eye qualitative sensing of CN^- or F^-. Finally, the octupolar system in A2 allows for better action of two-photon excitation cross-section values when compared with that of the dipolar structure in A1. These findings provide further information for the design of new efficient two-photon absorption dyes.

Dual-Mode Infrared Absorption by Segregating Dopants within Plasmonic Semiconductor Nanocrystals

When aliovalent dopants are sufficiently segregated to the core or near the surface of semiconductor nanocrystals, charge carriers donated by the dopants are also segregated to the core or near the surface, respectively. In Sn-doped indium oxide nanocrystals, we find that this contrast in free charge carrier concentration creates a core and shell with differing dielectric properties and results in two distinctly observable plasmonic extinction peaks. The trends in this dual-mode optical response with shell growth differ from core/shell nanoparticles composed of traditional plasmonic metals such as Au and Ag. We developed a model employing a core/shell effective medium approximation that can fit the dual-mode spectra and explain the trends in the extinction response. Lastly, we show that dopant segregation can improve sensitivity of plasmon spectra to changes in refractive index of the surrounding environment.

A novel colorimetric and fluorometric probe for biothiols based on MnO2 NFs-Rhodamine B system

Herein, a novel bimodal ratiometric probe for sensitive and selective detection of biothiols (including glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcys)) was constructed, which was based on the redox reaction between manganese dioxide nanoflakes (MnO₂ NFs) and rhodamine (RhB) and biothiols. When MnO₂ NFs was added into RhB solution, RhB was oxidized to a series of derivatives, accompanying with the colorimetric color changing from purple to light pink and fluorescence changing from red to green. In the presence of GSH, Cys or Hcys, they could reduce MnO₂ NFs to Mn²⁺, thereby preventing the following oxidization of RhB and the corresponding color and fluorescence changes. The absorption intensity ratio and fluorescence intensity ratio showed good linear relationships with the concentrations of biothiols. The colorimetric detection limits for GSH, Cys and Hcys were 0.057 μM, 0.140 μM and 0.087 μM, respectively. And the fluorescence detection limits were 0.177 μM, 0.282 μM and 0.161 μM. More importantly, this probe was successfully applied to monitor the concentration of GSH/Cys/Hcys in human serum samples, with satisfactory recovery. Thus, this MnO₂ NFs-RhB platform can potentially be a candidate for the detection of biothiols.