Fluoroalcohol and fluorinated-phenol derivatives functionalized mesoporous SBA-15 hybrids: high-performance gas sensing toward nerve agent

Two new mesoporous SBA-15/organic hybrids featuring fluoroalcohol and fluorinated-phenol derivatives were successfully synthesized via a co-condensation route. Hexafluorobisphenol and hexafluoroisopropanol were chosen to graft onto mesostructured silica, respectively. The as-synthesized hybrids preserve their mesoscopic structures with relative large surface areas and pore volume, as confirmed by SAXS, TEM and N2 adsorption–desorption porosimetry. Moreover, FT-IR and solid-state MAS NMR spectroscopy proved covalent anchoring of the organic functional groups onto the SBA-15. In order to confirm the potential application of the hybrids in gas sensing, investigations on the sensing properties toward the nerve agent simulant dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) were carried out by QCM transducer. The QCM sensors based on hybrid materials exhibit excellent sensitivity toward trace DMMP vapour down to 26 ppb. In comparison with pristine SBA-15, the hybrids also show remarkably enhanced selectivity to DMMP due to suitable H-bonding interactions. Therefore, the well-defined mesoscopic porosity of the organic–inorganic hybrids together with the grafted fluoroalcohol and fluorinated-phenol derivatives lead to excellent sensing properties to DMMP vapour, and show great potential in the area of nerve agent detection.