1,3,4-Oxadiazole derivative: Photophysical, gelation, self-assembly, and Fe³⁺ fluorescence sensing properties

A new 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative (BPOXD-B8) was synthesized. The emission properties of BPOXD-B8 in different solutions were studied. BPOXD-B8 could form organogels in different solvents, especially in methanol. The gelation and self-assembly properties of BPOXD-B8 were investigated by SEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-dependent FTIR, and UV-vis. The main driving forces during self-assembly are π–π interaction and the van der Waals force. In addition, the BPOXD-B8 solution showed fluorescence sensing properties for Fe 3+ ions. BPOXD-B8 with a relatively low detection limit (0.079 μM) and relatively small standard deviations (<5%) indicate that the present system is indeed suitable for real-life sample analysis.