Aminoacidic units wired on poly(aryleneethynylene) platforms as highly selective mercury-responsive materials

Novel highly ethynylated materials carrying aminoacidic side arms on poly(aryleneethynylene) (PAE) conjugated backbones have been prepared and fully characterized. The luminescent sensing properties of these materials toward metal ions were investigated. All compounds showed high selectivity toward Hg(II) ions, and a signal amplification in Hg(II) detection was observed for the polymeric compound in comparison with other molecular ligands.