Luminescent platforms for metal ions sensing

This PhD thesis reports on the strategies for the design of novel luminescent chemosensors as valid alternative to conventional optical sensors, to recognize environmental pollutants, mainly heavy metal ions and nitroaromatics. Luminescent lab-on-chip platforms, molecular and Hybrid-based chemosensors, and luminescent Nanosheets are the three platforms developed for sensing applications. Fluorescent dyes of the family of Xhantenes, Rhodamine (RhO) and Fluorescein (Fluo), Diketopyrrolopyrroles (DPPs) and 2,5 -dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone derivatives are the old-fashioned and new building blocks selected, respectively, to fabricate these optical sensors, because of their unique luminescent properties. Particularly, 2,3-dicyano-5,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone, was selected for its capability i) to produce two dimensional (2D) Coordination Polymers/Metal-Organic Frameworks (CPs/MOFs) and ii) to act as a good antenna ligand towards NIR and Vis. emitting Lanthanide ions. 2D CPs/MOFs, based on this linker, were obtained and miniaturized to 2D Nanosheets (NS), as challenging sensing platforms.