Conjugated Porous Polymers For TNT Vapor Detection.

A conjugated porous polymer (CPP) that exhibits fluorescence quenching when exposed to TNT vapor was synthesized via a Sonaogashira cross-coupling reaction. Two polymerization solvents, DMF and PhMe, and two activation procedures, evacuation and lyophilization, were evaluated to optimize the response of the CPP to TNT vapor. Key differences in surface area and absorption were seen as a function of polymerization solvent and activation procedure. The polymer synthesized in DMF and activated by lyophilization had the highest surface area and the strongest response to TNT vapor. This paper demonstrates the importance of growth and activation conditions in optimizing the porosity and sensing performance of CPPs.