Receptor for Specific Detection of TKX 50 and Integration of the Switch On Fluorescence Responses into an IoT-Based Smart Device

TKX-50 is one of the new generatation secondary explosives that has been introduced recently in the modern weapon system due to its low impact/friction sensitivity, and high thermal stability, density, and detonation velocity. In response to the growing concerns for the illegitimate use of certain explosives by various organized agencies, there is an urgent need for effective recognition and quantification of such explosives for efficient security screening, homeland security and human safety. However, it is imperative that such detection process is free from scope of any false positive or false negative response. Herein, we report a new polymeric receptor derived from hydroxyl-functionalized tetra phenyl ethylene (TPE-OH) for specific detection of TKX 50 by monitoring its fluorescence-ON responses on binding to TKX 50. A details spectroscopic (steady-state and time resolved fluorescence) studies confirm that the fluorescence ‘ON’ response is attributed to an interrupted non-radiative deactivation process for TKX-50 bound receptor IV (Ka = 2.4 x 103 M-1), which otherwise is operation in receptor IV. A control monomeric derivative of TPE-OH is also synthesized and is used for our studies to further corroborate our proposition. Furthermore, a smart and user-friendly IoT-based device has been developed, allowing the integration of optical responses into a digital output. This light weight portable device enables IoT based remote detection and appropriate for surveillance application. To the best of our knowledge, example of such smart integration of the optical responses to an user datagram protocol (UDP)-based Wi-Fi communication and data processing for remote monitoring of TKX 50 is scarce and in the contemporary literature.