A Pyrene Derived CO2-Responsive Polymeric Probe for the Turn-On Fluorescent Detection of Nerve Agent Mimics with Tunable Sensitivity

A pyrene based turn-on fluorescent polymeric probe was developed for the tunable detection of nerve agent mimics. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and dimethylacrylamide (DMA) were copolymerized by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization to yield poly-(glycidyl methacrylate-co-dimethylacrylamide) [p(GMA-co-DMA)](P1). The subsequent reaction of the secondary amine of 2-(2-((pyren-1-ylmethyl)-amino)-ethoxy)-ethanol with the epoxide unit of P1 yielded P2, which can detect diethyl cyanophosphate (DCNP), a nerve agent mimic, very efficiently by the turn-on fluorescence technique, induced by DCNP promoted intramolecular N-alkylation in both the solution and vapor phase. The lowest detection limit of P2 to DCNP was obtained as 0.1 mM, which is close to the toxicity limit of Tabun. Moreover, the detection of DCNP was successfully controlled by altering the purging of CO2/N2 gases or tuning the pH of the solution. P2 showed an efficient ON/OFF reversible fluorescence response toward CO2 a...