Porphyrin nanoassemblies via surfactant-assisted assembly and single nanofiber nanoelectronic sensors for high-performance H₂O₂ vapor sensing.

Abstract

Porphyrins are recognized as important π-conjugated molecules correlating supramolecular chemistry, nanoscience, and advanced materials science. So far, as their supramolecular nanoassemblies are addressed, most efforts focus on the photo- or opto-related subjects. Beyond these traditional subjects, it is strongly desired to develop advanced porphyrin nanoassemblies in some other new topics of paramount importance. By means of a surfactant-assisted assembly, we herein show that porphyrins of different central metal ions, 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine (H2TPyP), zinc 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine (ZnTPyP), and oxo-[5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrinato]titanium(IV) (TiOTPyP), could be organized to form irregular aggregates, short nanorods, and long yet straight nanofibers, respectively. Remarkably, in terms of an organic ribbon mask technique, we show that such long yet straight TiOTPyP nanofibers could be integrated into single nanofiber-based two-end nanoelectronics. Such simple nanodevices could serve as high-performance sensors of a satisfactory stability, reproducibility, and selectivity for an expeditious detection of vapor-phase H2O2. This provides a new alternative for a fast sensing of vapor-phase H2O2, which is currently an important issue in the fields of anti-terrorism, industrial healthcare, etc. In contrast to the traditional investigations focusing on the photo- or opto-related topics, our work endows porphyrin nanostructures with new opportunities as advanced nanomaterials in terms of portable yet high-performance nanoelectronic sensors, which is an issue of general concern in modern advanced nanomaterials.