A critical spotlight on tetraphenylethylene conjugates as versatile tools for nitro-explosive detection

One of the pressing concerns in national security and catastrophic environmental pollution is the detection of nitro-aromatics owing to their explosive nature. In the past few decades, many efforts have been dedicated to developing novel fluorescent materials particularly aggregation-induced emission luminogens with high selectivity and ultra-sensitivity for the trace detection of various nitro-aromatics, especially nitro-explosives. The present review begins with a brief introduction to various sensing mechanisms involved in the detection of nitro-aromatics. A detailed description of state-of-the-art aggregation-induced emission active fluorescent materials for nitroaromatics detection over the last decade with a special focus on tetraphenylethylene based luminogens has been provided. Finally, the challenges and future outlooks of research in the development of tetraphenylethylene conjugates for the detection of nitro-aromatics have been discussed.