A silicone polymer modified by fluoranthene groups as a new approach for detecting nitroaromatic compounds

In this work, fluoranthene-modified polysiloxane (FMPS) was synthesized via the Diels–Alder reaction. This fluorescent polymer showed better thermal stability, stronger fluorescence emission, and higher sensitivity for picric acid (PA) detection with a super-amplification effect (LoD = 69.5 nM) compared with the monomer fluoranthene. Furthermore, FMPS exhibited much higher detection efficiency toward PA in the nanoparticle state (79 times) than in the solution state. We found that the excellent detection ability of FMPS could be attributed to its unique porous nanostructure. The results were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and theoretical calculations. This work provides guidance for the design of linear fluorescent polymers with rapid responses and high sensitivity toward nitroaromatic compound detection.