Detection of TNT and Picric Acid on Surfaces and in Seawater by Using Photoluminescent Polysiloles

Nitroaromatic explosives can be detected in a simple and rapid method by the quenching of the photoluminescence of fluorescent polysiloles. Quenching is achieved by electron transfer from the conduction band of the polysiloles to electron-poor molecules such as picric acid, nitrobenzene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). Dilute polymer solutions can also be employed as a forensic spray-on reagent to visualize TNT or picric acid residues under a UV lamp (see picture of the print of a nitrile-gloved hand that had been in contact with TNT).