The sensitive and selective detection of nitroexplosive molecules thorough a simple methodology has received a significant field of research affecting global security and public safety. In the present study, the synthesis of anthracene-based chalcone (S1) was conducted using a simple condensation method. S1 was found to exhibit unique properties, such as aggregation-induced emission in solution and mechanochromic behavior in solid state. A fluorescent aggregate was applied to sense electron-deficient picric acid (PA) and 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) in an aqueous solution. Notably, the developed test strip-based sensor (S1) could be used to effectively detect PA and 2,4-DNP, which were visualized by the naked eye. Photophysical analysis revealed the occurrence of an electron transfer from electron-rich S1 to the electron-deficient nitro compounds, which was confirmed using density functional theory and ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance studies. In addition, the observed results confirmed the simple synthesis of S1 as a promising material for the development of test strip-based sensor devices for the detection of toxic and explosive aromatic nitro molecules.

通过一种简单的方法对硝基爆炸性分子进行灵敏和选择性的检测已受到影响全球安全和公共安全的重要研究领域。在本研究中，使用简单的缩合方法进行了蒽基查尔酮（S1）的合成。发现S1表现出独特的性质，例如在溶液中聚集诱导的发射和在固态的机械变色行为。将荧光聚集体应用于水溶液中的缺电子苦味酸（PA）和2,4-二硝基苯酚（2,4-DNP）。值得注意的是，开发的基于测试条的传感器（S1）可用于有效检测肉眼可见的PA和2,4-DNP。光物理分析表明，发生了从富电子的S1到缺电子的硝基化合物的电子转移，这已通过密度泛函理论和¹ H核磁共振研究得到了证实。此外，观察到的结果证实了S1的简单合成，可作为一种有希望的材料，用于开发基于测试条的传感器装置，用于检测有毒和易爆的芳香族硝基分子。