Tetraphenylethylene-vitamin E Conjugates as sensitive aggregation-induced emission probes for selective detection of explosive FOX-7

With the increasingly severe international security situation, the application of explosives is more and more extensive, and the probes that can detect the explosives quickly and efficiently have attracted people's attention. In this work, two novel probes T-1 and T-2 were synthesized through vitamin E succinate and tetraphenylethylene derivative. Fluorescence spectra showed that both T-1 and T-2 had a typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect in THF/H2O solution, and explosive FOX-7 could effectively quench this fluorescence without being affected by other explosives or ions. The filter paper and cotton rods prepared with these two probes could detect FOX-7 specifically, which also provided the possibility for practical application on the battlefield. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.