Light-induced synthesis of cross-linked polymers and their application in explosive detection

•A cross-linked polymer was synthesized through light-induced cycloaddition reaction.•The structure and physical properties of cross-linked polymer was characterized.•The cross-linked polymer can be used for sensing nitro-containing explosives.

It is a big challenge to design and synthesize cross-linked polymers in mild and green condition. Herein two dimensional (2D) cross-linked polymer (TTZ-2) was synthesized via a light-induced tetrazole-alkene cycloaddition reaction at ambient condition without catalysts. The structure and morphology were studied by IR, solid-state NMR, TEM and SEM. The powder X-ray diffraction and N2 adsorption results showed TTZ-2 is amorphous and porous with surface area of 287.11 m2/g. Significantly, the formed cross-linked polymer TTZ-2 emit intense blue fluorescence and can be used for sensing hazardous nitro explosives by fluorescence quenching.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide