A rapidly-reversible absorptive and emissive vapochromic Pt(II) pincer-based chemical sensor

Bryant, M.J. ; Skelton, J.M. ; Hatcher, L.E. ; Stubbs, C. ; Madrid, E. ; Pallipurath, A.R. ; Thomas, L.H. ; Woodall, C.H. ; Christensen, J. ; Fuertes, S. ; Robinson, T. P. ; Beavers, C.M. ; Teat, S.J. ; Warren, M.R. ; Pradaux-Caggiano, F. ; Walsh, A. ; Marken, F. ; Carbery, D.R. ; Parker, S.C. ; McKeown, N.B. ; Malpass-Evans, R. ; Carta, M. ; Raithby, P.R.

Resumen: Selective, robust and cost-effective chemical sensors for detecting small volatile-organic compounds (VOCs) have widespread applications in industry, healthcare and environmental monitoring. Here we design a Pt(II) pincer-Type material with selective absorptive and emissive responses to methanol and water. The yellow anhydrous form converts reversibly on a subsecond timescale to a red hydrate in the presence of parts-per-Thousand levels of atmospheric water vapour. Exposure to methanol induces a similarly-rapid and reversible colour change to a blue methanol solvate. Stable smart coatings on glass demonstrate robust switching over 10⁴ cycles, and flexible microporous polymer membranes incorporating microcrystals of the complex show identical vapochromic behaviour. The rapid vapochromic response can be rationalised from the crystal structure, and in combination with quantum-chemical modelling, we provide a complete microscopic picture of the switching mechanism. We discuss how this multiscale design approach can be used to obtain new compounds with tailored VOC selectivity and spectral responses.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01941-2

Año: 2017

Publicado en: Nature communications 8 (2017), 1800 [9 pp.]
ISSN: 2041-1723

Factor impacto JCR: 12.353 (2017)

Categ. JCR: MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES rank: 3 / 63 = 0.048 (2017) - Q1 - T1

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 6.582 - Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (miscellaneous) (Q1) - Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous) (Q1) - Chemistry (miscellaneous) (Q1)

Tipo y forma: Article (PostPrint)