BODIPY-based fluorescent sensor material for airborne acetone and benzene with aggregation-driven selectivity

Paper highlights advances in design of fluorescent sensors for solvent vapors with boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) as a model active component. The present study demonstrates that BODIPY-based fluorescent materials could be successfully utilized for detection of benzene and acetone in gas phase. Concentration of luminophore was found to affect sensory response to benzene (up to 3-fold increase in adjusted conditions). At the same time, sensory response to acetone is concentration-independent, suggesting different underlying response mechanisms and allowing to tune selectivity with choice of concentration. Detection limits achieved for sensory materials are 1.2·104 mg/m3 for acetone and 0.94·104 mg/m3 for benzene. Ultimately, obtained sensor materials could be completely regenerated without need for inert gas purge.