Nano/microwires of coronene for sensing electron-deficient aromatics

We report the synthesis, characterization, and application of coronene nano/microwires for sensing electron-deficient aromatics. The coronene nano/microwires were prepared by a vapor deposition method. The nano /microwires were approximately 300 nm in diameter and 3-5 mm long. ATR-IR spectroscopy and TG/DTA showed that coronene remains intact and does not undergo polymerization or decomposition during the vapor deposition. Cross-optical polarized microscopy showed a birefringent crystal structure of the coronene microwires. Fluorescent imaging showed that the crystalline coronene nano/microwires can be used as waveguide material. Both the conductivity and fluorescence of the crystalline nano/microwires change selectively in the presence of nitrobenzene vapor, a representative nitroaromatic. This suggests that the coronene nano/ microwires may be used for selective detection of explosives since many explosives belong to a group of electron-deficient nitroaromatics.